Havana - President of the International Bartenders Association (IBA) Pepe Dioni, recognized today in this capital, the wide potentialities of Cuba to host in 2022 the World Cocktail Championship.

He said this Tuesday it would be a personal satisfaction to organize that meeting here, an island with so many outstanding bartenders.

Dioni presides the IBA delegation attending the 22nd Pan American Cocktails Meet (Championship) being held at present in the Habana Libre Tryp Hotel (26 to 31st August).

He said to be certain that it would be an event to remember, due to the organization level in this country, confirmed during the present meeting.

He detailed he could now understand how the Asociacion de Cantineros Cubanos (ACC) and all its members are very united and this could facilitate a grandiose world event.

Precisely as a curiosity, this profession called worldwide bartenders, but in the Cuban case it is called cantineros.

That is because the Spanish (fonda) cheap restaurants opened in Cuba a long time ago, served food in canteens to their clients and they started serving drinks and cocktails, thus calling workers in those places 'cantineros'.

In time, the name continued and is the case that it is simultaneously called Bartenders or Cantineros, as was explained by historians.

This professional guild, the ACC, is transformed into an association in 1999, but a year before is created the Club de Cantineros de Cuba, taking into account this sphere and the old Club created in 1924, first of its kind in the world, followed by Argentina.

At present, Cuban bartenders cover a wide spectrum of tourism of this country, with representatives in most provinces.

They have delegates in nine of the 15 provinces (Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus-Trinidad, Camaguey, Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba).

Over one thousand specialists are affiliated to the Association in the categories of full members, Associated and Honorary, with more strength in the Varadero resort, some 140 kilometers east of Havana. Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santiago de Cuba and, of course, Havana.

This Association, comment specialists, participates in international contests and organizes the prizes in this specialty in Cuba, that much have to do with rum Havana Club, the most emblematic of local spirits. Cuba is an official member of IBA since 2003.