NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 14, 2025) — Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is thrilled to partner with Planteray Rum to unveil Fancy A Stiggins—a bold new cocktail competition inviting bartenders across the U.S. and Canada to show off their creative chops with one extraordinary ingredient, the inimitable Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum, for the opportunity to win an experience of a lifetime in France this summer.
Timed to culminate during Planteray’s Tropical Week (May 12–18, 2025), this spirited challenge calls on bartenders to craft original cocktails that capture the vibrant, tropical soul of Stiggins’ Fancy. What’s up for grabs? A bartender’s dream trip to France during the final week of June 2025, when two grand prize winners will receive an all-expenses-paid journey to attend Planteray’s legendary Stiggins’ Ball in Cognac—joining an international crew of standout bartenders to create their very own batch of Stiggins’ Fancy.
And the adventure doesn’t stop there. Winners will also be whisked off for a whirlwind two-day tour of some of Paris’ most renowned cocktail bars, capped by a private visit to Maison Ferrand’s Barge 166—the world’s first floating cellar—moored on the storied River Seine.
First crafted as tribute to the Tales of the Cocktail® Apprentice Program – whose volunteers embody the pineapple’s long history as an icon of hospitality and generosity – Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum has become a beloved fixture on the global bar scene. With its luscious tropical depth, gentle spice, and unmistakable roasted pineapple aroma, it’s a spirit like no other — thanks to Planteray’s meticulous process of infusing and re-distilling real Queen Victoria pineapples in their full-flavored blends of rum.
The brand’s partnership with Tales of the Cocktail Foundation marks a shared commitment to supporting and inspiring the global bar community:
“Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is thrilled to collaborate with Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum to celebrate the ingenuity and passion of bartenders,” said Taylor Barron, Director of Partnerships. “Through this partnership, we aim to inspire innovation, foster community, and create meaningful opportunities for bartenders to engage with a brand that values their craft.”
To enter, bartenders must submit an original recipe featuring at least one ounce of Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum. All submissions must be submitted through a fully-digital entry process at https://talesofthecocktail.org/get-involved/fancy-a-stiggins/. Entries will be evaluated on creativity, technique, and how brilliantly the cocktail showcases the rum’s signature character.
Daiquiris and Mai Tais are welcome, of course—but the competition encourages bold interpretations and fresh expressions that stretch Stiggins’ Fancy into new territory. Recipes should be crafted with both professional replication and guest enjoyment in mind—cocktails designed to be made by bartenders everywhere and savored around the world.
Winners will be announced shortly after Tropical Week, wrapping up a seven-day celebration of rum-fueled creativity around the globe.
For more information about Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and its year-round initiatives, visit talesofthecocktail.org. Tales of the Cocktail 2025 takes place in New Orleans, July 20–25. #TOTC2025
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About Tales of the Cocktail Foundation:
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is a non-profit organization that educates, advances, and supports the global hospitality industry and creates lasting impact in our host communities. Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is the global leader in spirits education and a platform to tackle issues facing the industry. The pillars of the Foundation are to Educate, Advance, and Support the hospitality industry through programs that benefit individuals and organizations in the community and to make a lasting impact in communities that host our events. Tales of the Cocktail will take place in New Orleans July 20-25, 2025. #totc2025
About Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum:
Created in tribute to the Tales of the Cocktail® Apprentice Program (CAP) and first released in support of the CAP® BAR 5-Day Program® Scholarship, Planteray Rum’s Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel & renowned cocktail historian David Wondrich set out on a quixotic mission: to resurrect the long-forgotten tradition of artisanal pineapple rum, once a secretive delicacy in the taverns of Victorian London during the Age of Dickens.
To this day, rinds of the exquisite Queen Victoria pineapple are peeled by hand and infused with Planteray 3 Stars White Rum for one week, then pot distilled into a fragrant elixir. Separately, the ripe flesh of this same fruit is steeped in Planteray Original Dark Rum for three months, before both components are slowly and meticulously married in French oak casks.
The result? A vivid burst of pineapple on the nose, underpinned by rich caramel, molasses, and roasted fruit. The texture is deep and rounded, with notes of peppered spice and a gently bitter edge that speaks to the rum’s complex craft.
Though it was originally conceived as an extraordinarily rare sipping rum, Stiggins’ Fancy now firmly belongs to the world of the cocktail—shaken into thousands of pineapple daiquiris, folded into modern classics, and served in countless “bartender’s handshakes” around the world.
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