Havana, Aug 26 (Prensa Latina) A parade with flags of participating countries and the biggest Cuba Libre cocktail ever made will start off today the 22nd edition of the Pan American Cocktail Championship in the Habana Libre Tryp hotel.

The president of the Cuban Association of Bartenders (ACC), Jose Rafa Melem, showed today his satisfaction for the event starting this Sunday until next Friday August 31 and said it is one of the most important events of the sector.

The president of the Organizing Committee of the event,l Jose Luis Brito and Maître of the hotel, Antonio Benitez, told reporters some of the features of the competition.

They explained the Pan American event in Havana has the confirmation of 18 nations, including two invited guests that hope to be mwembers of the International Bartenders Association (IBA), entity presiding these competitions.

The participants arwe: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Portugal and Cuba (Belize and Panama are guests).

The IBA has at present 68 member states; Cuba joined in 2002 and a year later had a world champion with bartender Sergio Serrano, precisely employed by the Habana Libre Hotel.

They also recalled Cuba was venue to the first Bartenders Club in the world (1924) and has a long record in this sector.

After the parade of flags, there will be the contest to break a Guinness record with the biggest Cuba Libre cocktail in the world, which will include 20 boxes of Rum Havana Club, 200 liters of Cuban soda Tukola (Los Portales company), ice and lemon juice.

Besides the main competitions, there will be master lectures and different meetings, as well as the presence of IBA personalities.