2012 National Rum Day

Hemingway Daiquiri

    National Rum Day is the day you get to go out and experience the varieties of fine sugar cane spirits.     Rum has made an impressive renaissance if you will in the past 5 or so years.    Now knocking on the door of Vodka as the most sought after liquor these days here in America .     Rum is one of the most versatile spirits in that it mixes very well or can be enjoyed in a snifter or with just a couple of cubes of ice.   There are many classic cocktails that were made with rum and became popular as a part of the "Tiki Era" of the late thirties til the early eighties.   Others like the Hurricane and the Rumrunner that were created to get rid of a stocks of rum and other liquors that the bar owner had to buy in the early days after World War II in order to receive a case whiskey or scotch.

     Today with the resurgence of the craft cocktails and the Tiki style cocktails it is only natural that the rum is going to be a huge part of it.    Rum is a spirit that has many faces and likes showing all of them.  There are no two rums out there that taste alike, this is what makes the craft and tiki mixologists flock toward rum to create their masterpieces.  Rum has the reputation of being the fun spirit and seems to be the spirit of choice for fun events and cocktails.

    The other side of rum is one of sophistication and relaxation.   Fine rums are the perfect drink to sit and enjoy after dinner or just relaxing on the water in the evening.    Today there is a large market for rums of sophistication that can be enjoyed like fine cognacs and scotches have been in the past.    The fine rums of today are being used to celebrate the anniversary of fifty years of  Independence for Jamaica, 150 years of the Bacardi family producing rum, or 100 years of the Valera Hermanos family making rum in Panama.  This is an indication of the strength of the spirit in the modern world today.

     There are several methods for you to get to know rums here today.  You can stop by and visit with Martin Cates at Smuggler's Cove on Gough Street in San Francisco, Adam Kanter at the Rum Bar on Walnut Street in Philadelphia, or stop by and see me at the Rum Bar on Duval Street in Key West.   Any of us are very knowledgeable on the subject of sugar cane spirits and would love to assist you getting to know the rums of the world.    The other method that is easily accomplished is to go on line and see what Robert Burr can show you in his booklet "Rob's  Rum Guide" http://www.giftedrums.com/ .

   National Rum Day offers chances to get to know what your newest favorite spirit is all about and courtesy of Crave Local.com, here is an interesting video and some recipes making use of Rhum Barbancourt products and some of my Rum Lab creations for your pleasure.   ;o)

http://cravelocal.com/national/key-west-bahama-bob-shares-his-favorite-cocktails-for-national-rum-day/