Are You Tired of Being a Bartender at Your Social Events?

     Here is an idea.  make up some cocktails by the batch in large volumes that you can put in pitchers and let the guests serve themselves.   I've done this with several different types of cocktails from rum punches to Hurricanes all made in an approximately 1 to 2 gallon containers.   Making up a gallon of cocktail and putting it into a self-dispensing container in advance of the event will free up a lot of your time as the host.

     Simple punches are a great way to start if you haven't made large batch cocktails before.   You just pick a simple white rum, and add fruit juices and allow sliced fruit pieces to float in the punch bowl with the cocktail.  You get to be creative with both the stuff you put in the punch, but how you present it with the floating fruit garnishes.

     It doesn't matter if your summer party is by the pool, on the patio or the back of the boat, a good large batch cocktail will allow you to enjoy the party along with your guests.   Here is an idea for a great summer cocktail that will lend itself nicely to a large batch preparation.

Bahama Bob's Party Mai Tai

• 1 750 ml Bottle of White Rum
• 1 750 ml Bottle of Dark Rum
• 1 750 ml Bottle of Dry Curacao
• 1 pint of Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 pint of Orgeat
• 1/2 pint of Sugar in the Raw Cane Syrup

Place all of the ingredients into a large self dispensing container, stir or shake until well mixed.   Add 10 to 20 orange rinds and fill with ice approximately 30 minutes before the start of the party and let your guests enjoy a fine Mai Tai while you get to be a social host instead of being behind the bar for the event.

     I hope you enjoy your summer party and you get to have some fun as well by making your cocktails in large batches.  ;o)

Mini Season Ugh!!!

    At 12:00 am this morning started what for most of the locals here in Florida one of the most dreaded events of the year.  Lobster Mini Season, two days of lobster harvest by some of the rudest and people I've ever seen.  There are constant arguments between people that think they own the ocean, and just plain undesirable people that participate.

    The other problem is enforcement of limits six per person per day and no more that twelve in your possession at the end of tomorrow.   People are shuttling lobsters back to their houses and other places to prevent getting caught with too many on the boat.  Their family members that never even see the water are buying licenses to allow the harvesting of more and more lobsters.

     This event has such a negative impact on the tourist industry, because no person in their right mind will be on the water during this mass stupidity.  The manage to kill off several participants every year and the "sea territory" battles rage for the entire event.  The cost of law enforcement for these few days far out costs the small amount gotten from the sale of licenses.

     I feel that the island and the tourist industry would be aided if this mess were dropped and replaced with nothing.  We are better off drawing our regular share of tourists that spend their money on the island instead of raping our waters and leaving their trash everywhere.

Is This The Secret to Not Getting Drunk While Drinking?

   I ran across these articles a few months back in Time and Esquire Magazines and though you might find it very interesting.  I'm always looking for ways to enjoy the flavors of my rums and be able to function in a somewhat normal manner.  This does make sense to me and it just might work for you.

 

The man behind Samuel Adams beer claims that ingesting dry yeast before knocking back a few cold ones can help keep you from overdoing it

Looking for ways to drink to excess without getting drunk may seem like a waste of time and money, but if your job requires lots of professional mingling over a good brew, you might want to listen to Jim Koch.

During an interview with Esquire, the billionaire Boston Beer Company co-founder and chairman revealed his secret for drinking all night without ever getting drunk: yeast.

Koch says he mixes Fleischmann’s dry yeast into yogurt to snack on before long periods of drinking, adding in one teaspoon of yeast per beer. Koch says he got the idea from friend and beer fan Joseph “Dr. Joe” Owades, who had a PhD in biochemistry and worked at the Fleischmann’s fermentation lab.

Yeast contains an enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH), that breaks apart alcohol molecules in a similar way to how livers metabolize alcohol, Esquire reports. If the yeast is in your stomach when you start drinking, goes Koch’s theory, the ADH will begin to break down the alcohol before it gets into your system.

But the master brewer cautioned that his trick was no magic cure-all for inebriation. “It will mitigate — not eliminate — but mitigate the effects of alcohol!” Koch told Esquire.

There are already skeptics of Koch’s claim, who call the solution scientifically implausible and say there is only a short window of time for the ADH to work in this way, but Esquire’s reporter claimed the trick worked just fine.

“The older I get, the more of a lightweight I surely become, but after shoveling down six teaspoons and tilting back six bottles I felt nothing more than a little buzzed,” Aaron Goldfarb wrote. “Though I had no tangible ‘proof,’ besides the fact I was still awake, I was pretty sure I wasn’t all that drunk either.”

So does it work? There’s only one way to find out — but remember to yeast (and drink) responsibly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can read the entire article from Esquire at http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/how-not-to-get-drunk

You can read the Time article at http://time.com/78243/yeast-beer/

     Both of these article are very interesting, but as the say it is not a cure all for drinking too much, but rather a method of allowing you to reduce the effect of the alcohol during long evenings of socializing. 

     I have not tried this yet, but I did find a paper on the subject at http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/20381/does-eating-yeast-stop-you-from-getting-drunk

     I don't believe it is something that will prevent you from becoming drunk, but it might slow the process a bit.  Note the article says "Beer" not 80 proof spirits.  ;o)

Hot Hot Hot, Time for a Great Frozen Cocktail

     The weather down here in the Keys has reached the 90's and that means the frozen cocktails are flying out of the Rum Bar these days.   One of my favorites is the Virgin Island Bushwhacker, a very unique cocktail that has it's origins on St. Thomas.

     I have taken some liberties with the original and made it into a rum cocktail with just a bit of help from a couple of liqueurs.  I hope you enjoy this one, it is really good.

2005 Pool Bar at Sapphire Beach Resort just outside of red hook

Bahama Bob’s Bushwhacker Recipe

·         1/2 oz. El Dorado Dark Rum

·         1/2 oz. Brinly's Gold Vanilla Rum

·         1/2 oz. Ron Llave White Rum

·         1 oz. Brinly's Gold Coffee Rum

·         1/2 oz. El Dorado Rum Cream

·         1/2 oz. Amaretto

·         1/2 oz. Marie Brizzard's  Chocolat Royale

·         1 oz. Cream of Coconut

·         1/2 oz. Half and Half 

Blend all ingredients with ice until smooth. Pour into a pint glass that has been swirled with chocolate syrup.  Garnish with fresh ground nutmeg, an orange wheel and a cherry.  If you are looking for a real kick from this one, float it with Plantation Overproof Rum.

 

Sunset and a Thunderstorm

     The Keys never cease to amaze me with the beauty of the sunsets and the contrasting thunderstorms.     The other night the sunset shown bright against the approaching thunderstorm in the marina and gave an almost eerie effect to the sailboats at mooring.

Rank Wildcat Spirits Introduces Sweet Crude Rum

   

David Meaux and Cole LeBlanc

     “Wildcatting” is an oilfield term that relates to a “Hail Mary “ in football in that it is a real long shot.   In the oilfields, sometimes it becomes a “Rank Wildcat” if it is an even longer shot of happening.          Cole LeBlanc and David Meaux , two landmen opening a rum distillery is a “Rank Wildcat” if there ever was one.

     Arcadiana, Louisiana grows a huge amount of sugar cane, more than many Caribbean nations, but there was no rum distillery.  Cole and David set out to remedy this problem and founded Rank Wildcat Spirits.    They tackled the application for federal, state and parish licenses and permits aggressively and finally in February of 2012 they became only the second fully licensed distillery in Louisiana since Prohibition.

Hand-crafted Still "Lulu"

     The spirits are distilled in their handmade stainless steel and copper still “Lulu”.  “The rum is made from Arcadian sugar cane and premium molasses.   “Arcadiana sugar cane is what makes Sweet Crude special and that is the only flavor we want to channel.”

     Initially Sweet Crude has an aroma not unlike that of an “agricole”.  The grassiness is very apparent indicating it origin of pure cane syrup.   There is a natural sweetness on the lips and clean and smooth flavor as it passes across the palate.  The finish is subtle and lingers leaving a unique flavors of the high grade sugar cane and molasses used in the process.

 

     This will mix well in a wide variety of cocktails like daiquiri, mojito, or even a Mai Tai.  I like the flavor that it adds to the mix.   Unfortunately you can only get Sweet Crude Rum in Louisiana at this time, but hopefully in the near future it will be available in other places.   There is talk of an aged version coming out in the future that will be called "Black Gold Cane-Cured Rum"

Flor de Cana Introduces Blanco Reserva 7, White Sipping Rum

     Flor de Cana Blanco Reserva 7 is their  first super-premium white sipping rum.

     Aged for seven years, this new expression features the same packaging redesign introduced by the family-owned brand last summer for its sister “Gran Reserva 7 “ year old rum.

     “Flor de Caña’s new Blanco Reserva 7 will expand our consumer base by offering a super-premium white rum that provides a richer drinking experience,” said Robert Collins, managing director of Flor de Caña.

     “The newest member of the award-winning Flor de Caña rum family, Blanco Reserva 7 complements our premiumisation strategy and continues to position Flor de Caña as a high-quality, slow-aged sipping rum.”

    Bottled at 40%, Flor de Caña Blanco Reserva 7 is described as having a “creamy floral and vanilla” taste.   Blanco Reserva 7 is designed to be consumed neat over ice or with sparkling water and a twist of orange.

     Flor de Caña boosted its super-premium portfolio in November last year with the release of its “crown jewel”, Flore de Caña 25.

      The Flor de Caña portfolio comprises 4 Extra Lite, 4 Extra Seco, 4 Anejo Oro, 5 Anjeo Clasico,  Gran  Reserva 7, Blanco Reserva 7,  Centenario 12, Centenario 18 and Centenario 25.   All of which are fine rums that will work  wonderfully on your table at home.

     If this expression follows in the path of it predecessors, it will be a fun high quality rum to enjoy in premium cocktails as well as being sipped.   ;o)

A Visit to Sand Key Light

Early Days of the Tower Construction

     The day was a bit choppy, and the tide was in so none of the sand bars were showing, but the Sand Key Light still stood majestically out there in the ocean.   This is the first opportunity that I have had to see the light up close and personal.   I is awesome to see and understand what it has been through during its lifetime.


    First built as a brick tower in 1827, and it was damaged by a hurricane in 1844, and toppled by the "Great Havana Hurricane of 1846" as the sand on the island was washed away.  The lighthouse keeper wand five others were killed as a result.

 

Sand Key Light Today

     The lighthouse was reconstructed as a tower with a screw pile foundation, finally completed after several budget problems related to Federal Government issues.  Completed in 1853 and was the first to use a hydraulic lamp and a first became automated in  1938.

    The tower's open construction allowed the light to survive many hurricanes since it's reconstruction.  Though suffering minor damages in several storms, it stood strong until the tower was severely damaged by a fire in 1989.  The tower was reconstructed and put back in operation in 1998.

     This is a great place fore fishing and diving, and just a really cool place to visit and enjoy a day on the boat.  ;o)



Remembering Your Favorite Bars From Your College Years

    Ever sit and wonder to those old bar's from your college years, the ones you don't remember leaving, but always return to the next opportunity?     I was thinking about Marino's Club, in Arcata, California the other day and went and did some research into it.   It was disappointing to find that it burned to the ground on July 25, 2001.

     The venerable old building was built in 1891 as the Union Hall Association.  "Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Banducci and Pritchard opened a bar on the site, but within a few years Marino Orlandi replaced Pritchard in the partnership, and in the late 1930s Marino bought out his partners. Then in 1947 he bought the building and converted the upstairs into apartments. Included in the bar were two alleys and the establishment was called the Arcata Bowl."

Beautiful Place in it's hay days

     It was the place in town that you took your date, it was a classy place that allowed you to impress her and just have a really fun evening.   They made all the classic and famous Tiki cocktails of the day.  The late 1960's I'm talking about.   It was probably one of the most memorable bars of my youth.

Sad Ending for a Fine Establishment

    Have you visited your old haunts lately?   Give it a try, it can be a blast or you might find that the era is gone, but in Arcata, the still talk about Marino's Club to this day.         It is fun to take a trip back in time to visit in your mind to the places that you learned a lot about life.  It is not so much fun to find that it has been lost and now just a memory in old photographs.  One of my fraternity brothers wrote "At night they used a lighting that made white clothes glow.  At the time I thought that was very sophisticated."   It was the little things that you always remember the most.

 

July 25, 2001

 

 



  

Get Your Alcohol in Vapor Form, What's Next?

     There is a new and different way to enjoy your cocktails these days being introduced here in the United States.  Vapshot is an interesting and  refreshing new way to enjoy mix drinks, cocktails or shots.  You can have as straight shop or put a mixed drink into the container and just add the vaporized alcohol to the mix.   "Vapshot is served in specially designed containers, which are pressurized and premixed with various spirits. When served, you simply twist the cap and a portion of the liquor will instantly vaporize right before your eyes."  " The process brings out the true flavor of the liquor, making it an aromatic and pleasant experience."  The vapor is taken in by using a straw drawing out the remaining liquor left in liquid form for you to drink as with any normal cocktail.

 The Vapshot comes in two styles, one for home use and the Vapshot Mini for personal on the go use.  “Vapshot Mini is small and portable so it’s is ready to hit the road when you are. Use it by your pool, on your boat or even when you’re camping.   They have a good video on their website at http://www.vapshot.com/vapshot-mini-1.html 

 

     This is an odd system, but OSHA has shown that it will work at safe levels.  I really don't know if I'm willing to spend $700 to vaporize my cocktails.  A few months ago they introduced "powdered alcohol, today it's vaporized alcohol cocktails.  What is next?  Maybe in leaf form so we can smoke our cocktails and compete with the marijuana industry.  Now you can watch your alcohol go "up in Smoke"  ;o)

    

Celebrating the 115 Years of Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

1939 Cuba

     Today is Ernest Hemingway's 115th birthday.  It makes me think of all the places, people and events that made up this incredible life.   Born in Cicero, IL (Chicago), then traveled all over the world to have his live end in Ketchum, ID  

     Learned to hunt and fish at a family cabin in Northern Michigan, an ability that would follow him through out his life.  He was on the high school paper mostly writing about sports.  Later he would get a job with the Toronto Star, where he feels like he learned to be a writer.  "On the Star you were forced to learn to write a simple declarative sentence. This is useful to anyone. Newspaper work will not harm a young writer and could help him if he gets out of it in time."



WWI 1918

     Served as a ambulance drive for the Italian Army during WWI until being injured.  He also received the Italian Silver Medal for Bravery.  he covered the Spanish Civil War as a correspondent and the same during WWII including such battles as the D Day Landing.

     From his early short stories to the novels his writing followed the lessons he had learned working as a newspaper writer, simple and easy to read and understand.  This is the formula that mad his books so well liked and finally earned him a Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.

Ernest, Gregory and Patrick in Cuba

     He was married four times and lived all over the world, but he has really left his mark on Key West, Paris, and Havana.  The houses that he lived in in Key West and Havana are revered and visited daily by hundreds and hundreds of people.  The displays of his "stuff" and his lifestyle make for a very interesting visit.

Marlin Fishing in Bimini

    Happy Birthday to the Man, he lived larger that life and he remains as the "man's man" even 53 years after his passing.

Summer Sunsets at the Hurricane Hole

     One wonderful thing about the summer is the late sunsets.  I'm off work and at one of my favorite hangouts on the water and get to enjoy these beautiful sunsets nearly every day.   Yesterday was no exception.  I just hope that you can enjoy your last vestiges of daylight like I get to.  ;o)

National Daiquiri Day

     Today is National Daiquiri Day here in America.  I really can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than by enjoying an original Cuban Daiquiri.  The daiquiri’s broadly accepted history credits a U.S. engineer Jennings Cox with creating the daiquiri.  


     Following the Spanish-American war of 1898 he was sent by the Spanish-American Iron Company to manage mines in the Sierra Maestra region of Cuba .  As you'd expect the conditions were harsh, yellow fever was endemic so the engineers were given good wages and a tobacco ration, plus Cox also negotiated a monthly ration of the local white rum.  One of the mines that Cox worked in was located in the village of Daiquiri, for which the cocktail was named.   

La Floridita Daiquiri

* 1 1/2 ounces rum (Matusalem Platino)
* 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
* 1/4 ounce simple syrup (Cane Syrup)
* 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
* Splash of fresh grapefruit juice
* Lime wedge for garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a blender with about 4 oz. of ice and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds) pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime wedge.

     This is the original “Frozen Daiquiri” and was the fourth attempt by Constante Ribalaigua to create the  Daiquiri Floridita in Havana.    Jennings Cox created the original Daiquiri, a shaken version that contained rum, limon verde, and sugar, all shaken over ice.   Hemingway himself was a diabetic, and could not drink cocktails with sugar, so Constante, head barman and owner of El Floridita came up with a special Daiquiri for “Papa”.    Hemingway as the story goes told Constante to take the Daiquiri Floridita and drop out the sugar and double the rum, and Hemingway’s  “Papa Doble” was born.

     Hemingway proudly owns the El Floridita house record of 16 double Daiquiris.  He didn’t want sugar in his Daiquiri; those 16 drinks, if traditionally made, would have involved nearly two cups of sugar.  If the alcohol didn’t kill him, the sugar certainly would.

 

Papa Doble

* 3 ounces rum (Matusalem Platino)
* 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
* 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
* Splash of fresh grapefruit juice

Combine liquid ingredients in a blender with about 4 oz. of ice and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds) pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime wedge. 

     Enjoy your National Daiquiri Day the way you want to, but if you haven’t tried a daiquiri, then find a place that can make you a real one or just make your own, but do try one.  ;o)

The Spirits Business Announces the Top 10 Best Selling Rums for 2013

     I find it interesting every year as the top ten lists of spirits sales are announced what has transpired in the past year.  Here is what the Spirit Business has found to be the results of the marketing and the promotions to get you to try and hopefully consume their rums.

     However, the brand didn’t quite make it into our list of the world’s best-selling rum brands, beaten by 200,000 case sales of its nearest rival.

     Ask many of the  rum producers and they will concur that 2013 was somewhat transformational for the category, despite overall declining volumes among the top-selling brands.

    The category continued to experiment with flavors and ageing methods and also continued its ascent up the premiumisation ladder with the launch of an increased number of sipping variants.

     Growth could be clawed back this year as, according to data agency Euromonitor, global rum volumes will experience a solid 17% rise between 2011 and 2009 to 1.7 billion liters.

     Based on figures outlined in The Spirits Business‘ “Brands Champions 2014” – where the exceptional category performers are picked out from among the million case selling brands – we identify which are the most popular rum brands across the globe.

    The number one spot could soon by usurped as top-performing Philippines rum Tanduay, which declined to publicize its results for the past year.

10. Appleton

2013 case sales: 1.2m
2012 case sales: 1.2m
Growth in 2013: 0%

Sales of Gruppo Campari’s Appleton Estate have remained remarkably steady for the past few years, with 1.2m nine-liter case sales every year since 2008. However, as some other top-selling brands experience declines, 2014 marks the first year that the Jamaican rum has entered into the top 10 best-selling rum brands list. The distillery released the world’s oldest commercially available rum, the Appleton Estate 50 Years Jamaica Independence Reserve, in June 2012. One month later, Italian drinks group Campari acquired Lascelles de Mercado, the Jamaican company that owns Appleton Estate, for US$414.8million. 

9. Montilla

2013 case sales: 1.5m
2012 case sales: 1.7m
Growth in 2013: -12%

After experiencing slight to stagnant growth over the past five years, Pernod Ricard’s Montilla rum, experienced a 12% decline, dropping from sales of 1.7m cases to 1.5m cases. However, the brand still managed to climb one place to ninth best-selling rum brand. The rum, consumed predominantly in Brazil, has yet to repeat its pre-recession success and smash back through the 2m case mark. The rum was launched in 1957 and is named after the the municipality Spanish Montilla.

8. Madira

2013 case sales: 1.8m
2012 case sales: 2.0m
Growth in 2013: -10%

Another brand which experienced a significant decline in 2013 is Madira rum, which slipped from 2m case sales, to 1.8m. Owned by Indian drinks group Tilaknagar, the brand’s decline comes just one year after witnessing a staggering 43% uplift in volumes, making it the fastest growing rum brand of 2012, and the fastest growing spirit on the year’s list of Brand Champions.

7. Cacique

2013 case sales: 2.2m
2012 case sales: 2.1m
Growth in 2013: 5%

Venezuelan Cacique rum, owned by drinks giant Diageo, is the top-selling rum in its home market and has also gained in favour across the world. Amid a wealth of declines in 2013, Cacique managed to report volume growth of 5%, from 2.1m to 2.2m. Launched in 1959, Cacique means “chief of the tribe” in Spanish. The brand, a blend of several rums which have been triple distilled and aged for two years in white oak barrels, includes Añejo, 500, and Antiguo variants.

6. Contessa

2013 case sales: 2.5m
2012 case sales: 2.4m
Growth in 2013: 4%

Owned by Indian drinks company Radico Khaitan, Contessa XXX Rum experienced a return to growth after four years of flat sales. In August last year, Radico revealed that its profits had grown almost 11% thanks to the performance of its premium brands, including Contessa rum.

5. Brugal

2013 case sales: 3.5m
2012 case sales: 4.1m
Growth in 2013: -13%

Brugal rum, owned by UK drinks group Edrington, saw the most significant decline out of the entire million case-selling rum brands in 2013, falling 13% from 4.1m case sales to 3.5m. Despite being the number one best-selling rum in the Caribbean and Spain, Brugal failed to meet expectations in Southern Europe last year, causing Edrington to adjust its view of future cash flow. Despite its struggles, Brugal’s sales grew 22% in the US, driven by those in New York, Boston and Chicago.

4. Havana Club

2013 case sales: 3.8m
2012 case sales: 3.8m
Growth in 2013: 2%

Pernod Ricard’s Havana Club rum continued to experienced success in 2013 with a 2% uplift in sales. Despite missing out on the key US spirits market due to sanctions over trade with Cuba, Havana Club remains one of the most well-known rum brands in the world. The brand experienced a blow in 2012 when a long-running trade mark battle with Bacardi over its own Havana Club rum title –  a US-based rum brand produced in Puerto Rico – came to a head and the US government refused to let Pernod Ricard’s Havana Club renew its trademark in the country.

3. Captain Morgan

2013 case sales: 10.3m
2012 case sales: 10.0m
Growth in 2013: 3%

Jumping from fourth to third place on this year’s best-selling rum brands list is Diageo’s category colossus Captain Morgan, which experienced a 3% lift in case sales in 2013, from 10m to 10.3m. The brand has pushed ahead with its innovation strategy in recent months, challenging Bacardi’s dominance in the white rum market market with the release of Captain Morgan White Rum. It also enhanced its premium credentials with the launch of a limited edition Sherry Oak Finished Spiced Rum last year. However, the brand has experienced its fair share of set-backs in recent months. In March this year, Diageo launched legal action against Heaven Hill’s Admiral Nelson’s rum, alleging it uses “copycat” branding. Meanwhile, in February this year, Diageo was forced to pull an advertisement for Captain Morgan in the UK after the ASA ruled it linked alcohol and “aggressive behavior”.

2. McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration

2013 case sales: 19.0m
2012 case sales: 17.7m
Growth in 2013: 7%

Moving up from third to second place this year is McDowell’s No.1 Celebration rum, owned by Indian drinks company United Spirits. McDowell’s is the fastest growing rum brand among the million case sellers, experiencing an increase of 7% in 2013, moving even closer to the 20m case milestone. The brand was launched in 1991 with case sales of just 100,000, but has grown rapidly in years since to become to second best-selling rum brand, hot on the heels of world’s number one. The McDowell’s umbrella also has brands included in our list of the best-selling Indian whiskies and the most popular brandies.

1. Bacardi

2013 case sales: 19.1m
2012 case sales: 19.8m
Growth in 2013: -4%

Despite a 4% decline in 2013 to 19.1m cases, Bacardi has retained its place as the world’s best-selling rum brand. The Bermuda-based company – the world’s largest family-owned drinks firm – continued its foray into the flavored rum category last year and also boosted the super-premium end of its portfolio with the launch of The Facundo Rum collection, a limited edition range of aged sipping rums. It remains to be seen if Bacardi can cling on to this position next year if Philippine brand Tanduay rum discloses its results.

You can Read more at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/07/the-worlds-10-best-selling-rum-brands/

     I hoe that this slow down in 2013 will be followed by a growth of the category in 2014.  With the move to more premium rums and the overall quality of the rums being produce, I feel that it category is due for a resurgence in 2014.  ;o)