What is up for the Tropical Bar Scene in 2014?

    As a bartender, I have noticed that the quality and uniqueness of the cocktails is still one of the things of interest to the customers, but more and more, they seem to be looking for a quality product that is consistent and tastes good.   The days of the slam it together and make sure that is pink and has some rum in it are truly gone. 

    This year I'm looking for people that are interested in a better quality cocktail and to experience the honest spirits and shed the past days of sugared and "fake" spirits.   The "Real McCoy" to quote a slogan from the days of Prohibition is what the customer is looking for today.  My sales of high end rums is soaring and the clientele wants to be educated about these quality spirits as well.

     I'm finding that I need to know a lot about each of the fine rums that we dispense and know a lot about the people that make them.   I tend to follow the master blenders that have impressed me in the past and those that continue to stay away from the artificially flavored and colored  spirits.   Today we have such a variety of great honest spirits to enjoy that it really becomes unnecessary to even get involved with much else.  This is a great thing in my eyes, because I get to share many of my favorite rums and rum makers with so many new clientele.

     This is going to be a great year in the rum business, and one that I hope is just the start of a new era of appreciation of fine spirits and moving away from the artificial and into the real.