Cuban rum has been an integral part of the island’s identity for centuries, just as it has long exerted a fascination and allure around the rest of the world. To this day, the spirit of Cuba is inseparable from rum. This is why Eminente, a Central Cuban rum inspired by 19th-century traditions, is championing the work of six Cuba-based artists, culminating in the launch of a film series titled It’s Out There!. From food and drink to music and fashion, these creatives have been profoundly influenced by their experiences of living in Cuba. Through their work they are continually finding new and exciting ways to celebrate their home.

The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba is home to a rich variety of beautiful landscapes and is renowned for its hospitality. You can expect a particularly warm welcome in one of the island’s many paladares, a kind of small, independently-run restaurant which is often situated within a family home: wherever you are from, it’s common to arrive at a Paladar and find yourself greeted like a long-lost cousin. The island is also celebrated for its ‘resolver’ spirit. Translated literally from the Spanish, ‘resolver’ means ‘to solve’, but in Cuba, the word has come to bear a more expansive meaning. Cuba’s history is fascinating but turbulent, and the ‘resolver’ spirit is about resilience in the face of adversity. Each of the six Cuban creatives working with Eminente has their own unique take on what ‘resolver’ means, but common to each of these interpretations is a sense of tenacious creativity: it’s about using whatever limitations you encounter to the advantage of your creative work.

Below, these six Cuba-based creatives discuss how the spirit of Cuba inspires their work, and why the island remains such an endlessly vibrant and fascinating place.

Cami Layé Okún

“I am a DJ and vinyl collector based in Havana. [My work involves] searching [for] and sharing music recorded on vinyl between the 60s and late 80s from different parts of the world – mostly the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America but also from other faraway places. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been constantly travelling because of music – Djing or digging – staying long periods outside of Cuba. But at some point I always come back. I always have the sensation that in Cuba time has another dimension, where you have more time to spend on the things you love – in my case that’s music.

“I would like people to see the Cuba that doesn’t feature on the postcards. I would like people to see the diversity and at least to try to look beyond the mainstream cliche. In terms of music, every time I play Afro-Cuban funky grooves from the 70s or Cuban disco, people even from here get surprised that all this music comes actually from this island!  It’s sad that Cuban music is often reduced to only “salsa” or nowadays “reggaeton”. Our culture is way broader and richer than that and has a strong heritage with so many influences and ways of expression.”

Annabelle Cantarero

“I am a Nicaraguan chef based in Cuba and I co-own the Finca Tungasuk, a sustainable farm and restaurant on the outskirts of Havana. I was also lucky enough to be the chef who created the menu for Hotel Eminente in Paris.

“Cuba is the country that welcomed me and is now part of me. I am raising my daughter here. I fell in love with Cuba for all that it has to offer. If I had to describe Cuba to someone who’s never been, I’d say that it’s a place with considerable resources. I've never seen a country with so much untapped potential. Through my work, I try to celebrate Cuba in a number of ways. Alfredo and I are actively working to bring neglected fruits, such as the mamey colorado, annona and caimito, back to the farm. I try to bring as much to Cuba that it brings to me.”

Cédric Alejandro Diaz

“I am the head barman of La Guarida, the most emblematic Paladar of Havana, situated in the centre of the old town. I would tell people who have never been to Cuba that if they are looking for a country where they can party, dance, have a good time and drink really good cocktails, this is the place for them! 

“As for how I celebrate Cuba in my work, I only use local ingredients in my recipes; I work with producers from Havana and I make a point of knowing all of them, along with the land where the ingredients have taken root. This is important for me as a way of creating a real story with my cocktails. Here in Cuba, we use all sorts of ingredients that are not usually considered for cocktails: for example, seeds, exotic flowers, or bark from endemic trees. And when I make cocktails with Eminente, I don’t add many ingredients. It’s already a purely Cuban product!”

Raulito Bazuk

“I am a cook and the proud owner of Grados, a family Paladar located in my home. I would describe Cuba as one big family. Wherever you go, you will always feel welcomed, even if you are not Cuban. My grandmother always made me feel that way in the Paladar she ran when I was growing up – it was as if every customer was my family. I couldn’t tell who my cousin was and who was just passing by. This is how I want to make people feel when they come to see me. When you come to my country, you are family.

“I’d say the Cuban spirit, ‘resolver’, is all about trying to create new things with the old. To this day, I am continually surprised by how creative we are. We are all one big crazy mind that tries new things without knowing whether they’re going to work – and even when they don’t, we end up inventing something else. The Cuban spirit is all about creativity.

“All my recipes are Cuban. I am Cuban, in a Cuban house, with a Cuban family and I use Cuban ingredients. I like to pay attention to details and even in my table decorations, I like to ask friends who are good at decorating to create something that will add a Cuban touch to the meal. It’s a team effort. I use both raw ingredients and processed ingredients like rum. And recently I experimented with Eminente which goes equally well with meat, fish, and dessert, allowing me to give new definition to what modern Cuban cuisine can be.”

Clandestina

“We are Leire & Idania, co-founders of Clandestina, a Cuban collective of designers and the first sustainable fashion brand on the island. Idania was born and raised in Cuba and I come from the Basque country in Spain. Cuba is a huge source of inspiration for us. Every day it brings us something new.

“We really want Clandestina to be seen as a Cuban brand, which comes across in the colours, touches of humour and words that we put on our clothes. For us, the Cuban spirit is the idea of creating through solving problems. This is exactly what we do at Clandestina. We take the problem of waste and obsolescence of certain objects and reuse them to create a new garment or object. The possibilities become endless. This is what attracted us to Eminente: their bottle is so beautiful that it is not possible for us to imagine throwing it away once it is empty!”

César Martí

“I have the honour of being the Rum Master of Eminente, and was recently granted the title of the first Rum Master of Cuba. I have a strong relationship with my country: I was raised in the centre of the island, where I spent my childhood surrounded by sugarcane fields as far as the eye can see. Today I dedicate my life to the greatest Cuban heritage: rum. Here in Cuba, it is considered the soul of the island. We say that if Cuba was a smell it would be habanero cigars and if it was a flavour it would be rum.

“Our regions are home to various landscapes and qualities of soil, which results in rums that vary widely in colour and taste. There are three types of Cuban rum linked to their geographical location: Eastern, Western and Central. Each has its own specificity. Eastern Cuban rum is ideal for tasting, while Western Cuban rum – produced near Havana – is perfect for cocktails. Central Cuban rum, like Eminente, combines the best of both regions. Through Eminente, I try to create the best expression of Cuban rum. This is a true celebration of my country.”