Antiguo 26 Alta Coctelería, in Old San Juan, will host five guest bartenders from November 8 to 14 as part of Puerto Rico Cocktail Week. The initiative, called 'Choose Your Bartender!', lets the public enjoy guest shifts, in which invited bartenders temporarily take over a bar to present their own creations. The celebration comes shortly after Antiguo 26’s sixth anniversary.
Participants include Juan Montes, co-founder of Antiguo 26 and the hospitality consulting firm Nick & Nora, an ambassador of the Rones de Puerto Rico Program, a World Class Puerto Rico 2023 finalist and a Barrilito All Stars 2026 selectee. From Miami comes Andy Cabrera of Café La Trova, recognized on The World’s 50 Best Bars and North America’s 50 Best Bars lists, who continues the legacy of his father, maestro cantinero Julio Cabrera.
Vicente Gutiérrez of Salmón Gurú in Madrid represents the Spanish scene; his bar has also appeared among the world’s best. Saeed 'Hawk' House, creator of Cocktails by Hawk, has drawn attention from Food & Wine, and Rosario Félix, who has worked at The Sylvester and is now linked to Sexy Fish in Miami, has been covered by Eater.
Antiguo 26, at 255 Tetuán Street, occupies a historic building that housed the Polo Norte soda factory, founded in 1902.