2014 Rhum Fest Paris: Concours Awards

     The results for the 2014 Rhum Fest Paris are in and I finally have them translated into English.  There was a true international jury to access these fine rhums and rums, and

their findings will be honored for a year until next year's event.   Below are the Jury of judges.

List of international judges:

 

·         Ian Burrell (England): Global Rum Ambassador

·         Dirk Becker (Germany): Berlin Rum Fest

·         Kristina Wolf  (Germany) Rum XP

·         Robert Burr  (USA) Miami Rum Renaissance Festival

·         Javier Herrera  (Spain) Madrid International Conference Rum

·         Philip Ili Barake  (Chile) Cigar Sommelier

 

·         Peter Holland  (England) The Floating Rumshack

·         René Van Hoven  (Netherlands) Rum XP

·         Benoit Lease (Luxembourg) Consultant

·         Leonardo Pinto  (Italy) Rome Rum Festival

·         Vingtier Alexandre  (France) Rumporter

·         Stephen Martin  (France) Best Mixologist de France 2009

·         Vallanet Jérôme  (France) Mixologist

·         Michael Landart  (France) Owner at Maria Loca

·         Julhes Nicolas (France) Le Petite Salon du Rhum

·         Alexandra Bernet  (France) Consultant

·         John Gibbons

·         Marc fought (France) Baroof

·         Alexandre Jarry

·         Pierre Moreau

·         Sébastien Scarf (France) Genepi

 

These are the final results of the judging  for your perusal.

 

         Agricultural rum and juice white:

 

Gold: Heir Madkaud

Silver: The heart of cane Favorite
Bronze: Depaz - cuvée of the mountain

 

Molasses White Rums

 

Gold: Flor de Cana Extra Dry

Silver: Diplomatico Reserve Blanco
Bronze: Plantation 3 *.

 

Agricultural Rum and Juice aged in wood, straw, amber...

 

Gold: The Favorite heart of rum

Silver: Reimonencq André
Bronze: Neisson Reserve

 

Amber Molasses and Gold Rums

 

Gold: Planting Original Dark

Silver: Rum Fair Belize
Bronze: Mount Gay Black Barrel

 

Agricultural Rum and Juice 3 to 6 years old

 

Gold Tie: JM VSOP & HSE VSOP

Bronze: Depaz VSOP

 

Agricultural Rum and Juice 3 to 6 years old

 

Gold: Chairman's reserve

Silver: Savanna 3 years
Bronze: Planting Guatemala

 

 Agricultural Rum and Juice old over 6 years

 

Gold: Longueteau old XO

Silver: Nation Martinique out of age
Bronze: Karukera 1999

 

More than 6 years old Molasses Rums

 

Gold: El Dorado 15 years

Silver: The spirit of rum Travellers
Bronze: Mount Gay XO

 

 Spiced Rums

 

Gold: Rebellion Spiced

Silver: La Mauny Spicy
Bronze: Old Orleans New Cajun Spice

 

Specialities of Rum (liquor, shrubb...)

 

Gold: Dormoy Shrubb

Silver: Chamarel liquor coconut
Bronze: Chamarel liqueur coffee

 

Rum for Cocktails:

 

Gold: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusive

Silver: Blackwell
Bronze: Arcane Cane Crush

 

 Rums Arranged

 

Gold: Isautier flamed banana

Silver: Isautier Gingenbre lemon
Bronze: TI arranged CED pineapple Victoria

 

Innovation of the Year

 

Gold: Arcane Cane Crush

Silver: Nine Leaves Clear
Bronze: Mount Gay Black Barrel
 

 

 

 

Special Prize of the Jury

Rum HSE Sauternes finish

 

Marks Favorite Users

 

Gold: Plantation

Silver: Ti' arranged by CED
Bronze: Damoiseau

 

    This is an interesting group of Rhums and Rums and the catagories are very different than many events that I have seen before.  Well done to the jury and I hope you enjoy the fine winners of the 2014 Rhum Fest Paris Concours.  ;o)

 

 

 

 

 

Oh for the Taste of a Good Daiquiri

     The Daiquiri is said to have been invented by Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer, living in Cuba at the time of the Spanish-American War. The name “Daiquiri” is from a beach near Santiago de Cuba. The drink was originally served in a tall glass packed with iced cubes, something strong, something weak something sour and something sweet was the recipe.   It was a really easy recipe of fresh lime juice, sugar, rum and ice. This is to this day one of my favorite cocktails when I'm in a bar that really knows how to make them.   El Floridita and Sloppy Joe's in Havana make some of the best I have ever enjoyed.  The drink was available only in Cuba until 1909,  U.S. Navy medical officer, Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C..  Over the next two decades the cocktail gained popularity here in the states. 

     The Daiquiri has taken many turns over the years, but it was changed by Constante Ribalaigua in the 1930's with the addition of finely shaved ice and stirring with a mixer that resembles on that was found in an American soda shoppe of the time.  This was the advent of the "Frozen Daiquiri" and the beginning of a set of legendary daiquiri's from the El Floridita.  One of the more famous ones was the "Papa Dobles" Constante created for "Papa" Hemingway, where he removed the sugar and doubled the rum to suit Hemingway's taste.

A favorite of President John F. Kennedy and  Earnest Hemingway, the daiquiri became increasingly popular in the 1940′s with wartime rationing of whiskey and vodka made them hard to come by.  Franklin Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor Policy,” opened up travel, relations and trade with Cuba, Latin America, and the Caribbean, making rum readily available.

     Today there are a lot of "slushie" machine "daiquiri's" out there, but only a few can still create the fine taste and texture of an original daiquiri.   Take the time to mix on at home, it is one of the simplest of cocktails.  Whether you make it frozen, chilled or on the rocks, it is a classic and flavorful rum cocktail that never goes out of favor with people that drink them.  ;o)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Windy and Rainy Evening: Good Sleeping Weather

     The great thing about living on a boat is the easy motion and how it really helps you sleep literally like a baby.   The other night a blustery storm that was more about the wind than the rain blew through and kept the boat rocking all evening long.  I slept like a log and felt so good in the morning that I had to write about it.  ;o)

2014 Miami Rum Renaissance Festival Starts in Two Weeks

  

     The 2014 Rum Renaissance Festival is literally just around the corner.  If you haven't gotten you tickets this is time to get it done.  There is a special BOGO offer happening right now for the VIP tickets.

     The festival will open to the public on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, from 3 - 7 p.m. VIP ticket holders can access the festival at noon each day. General admission is $50 each day and VIP admission is $75 per day. In addition, a three-day VIP ticket is $150 per person. The festival is offering a special "friends and family" BOGO special in VIP tickets. Until April 14, use code FFD14MRF when ordering and you'll receive two VIP tickets for the price of one. All tickets are available online at rumrenaissance.com or by calling 877-855-3378.

     No matter which tickets you are looking for, or which days you are going to be there get you tickets now.   I'm still looking forward to meeting many of my readers and answering questions from the "Ask and a RumXP" booth or just circulating around the floor.   The seminars, the rums and all of your question that can be answered by the rum producers, distributors, bartenders and journalists.  This is the largest and most fun rum event, don't you miss it.   ;o)

Why Do Americans Love so Much Sugar in Their Cocktails?

     This is a question that I ponder most days when I am behind the bar.  It bothers me that people that
visit the bar are so hooked on sweetening their drinks to the point that they can not taste the flavors of the liquor that they bought the cocktail for.   I know that I use the diet mixer to avoid the sugar and calories, but retain some of the sweetness for taste.   I guess the ones that leave me wondering are the ones that buy expensive aged spirits and bury them in a sugary cola or other mixer.

     When I started my Weight Watcher program several years ago, I became aware that there was almost no sugar in natural white rums and if I stayed away from sugared mixes I could still enjoy my rum and loose weight.   I came across an article this morning that really put things into perspective as to the amount of sugar that is being added to my cocktails without the customer realizing it.
    

   Rachel Berman, a registered dietitian and director at About.com Health, thinks that even with labels, consumers will still have to be savvy shoppers to understand what they're really getting in their drinks.    "I'm a fan of transparency when it comes to labeling the amount of calories in beverages. However, including nutrients like fat and protein may make it a bit tricky, since the presence of those nutrients may make alcohol look healthful," she told Fox News.

     "Bar drinks can also vary widely in calories and sugar content. For example, a Cosmopolitan (a favorite of any Sex and the City fan) made with a sugar-free mixer and only vodka can have as little as three grams of sugar. But a bartender using triple sec and cranberry juice can craft a Cosmo that contains about 12 grams. A margarita made from standard commercial mix, versus fresh limes, can have as many as 576 calories and 55 grams of sugar. That's like eating three and a half Krispy Kreme glazed donuts."

     "A glass of wine, beer, or a spirit straight-up will be your best bets for a low-sugar beverage. It's typically what's added into your alcohol that contributes excess sugar and calories," she said.

     "Some people are surprised to learn that spirits like vodka, white rum, tequila and whiskey, while high in calories, contain no sugar or carbs. So it's important to pay attention to the choice of mixers. Not surprisingly, a little juice or a splash of sugary soda can really add up."

 

Read more at  http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/04/08/sugary-cocktails-what-really-in-that-drink/

 

      The next time you order a Naked Turtle, Shellback, flavored spirits, or even Captain and Coke, you might as well be dipping a piece of chocolate frosted cake in the cocktail, there is really that much sugar involved.   Diets don't mean that you have to quit drinking quality spirits, but rather just look at the sugar content of what you are drinking.    Just like quality vodkas and gins, good white rums have virtually no sugar.   There are many of these honest white rums that you can use for mixing with water, soda or diet mixers and maintain an extremely low sugar intake.   Be aware of what all is going into your cocktails, this will allow you to have your cocktails and have the weight keep falling off as well.  ;o)

   

 

 

 

Rum and Tonic?

     So many times I'm asked what do I drink when you are out?  It is very simple really, Ron Llave Blanco Rum and Canada Dry Diet Tonic with Lime.  Then the response, I thought you were a rum connoisseur?  Actually I am, but when I'm out at a bar it is very hard to find quality rums to sip, so I enjoy clean white rum and diet tonic, add a squeeze of lime and turn me loose.
    

     The Gin and Tonic was originally made to prevent and treat malaria. In India and other tropical regions, malaria was (and in some places continues to be) a persistent problem. It was discovered in the 1700′s that quinine (a natural white crystalline alkaloid found in the bark of the cinchona tree and still used today as an ingredient in tonic water) had fever-reducing, antimalarial, painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties, and could be used to prevent and treat the disease.

     The drawback?  Quinine had a very bitter and unpleasant taste. British officers in India in the early 19th century took to adding a mixture of water, sugar, lime and gin to the quinine, thus making the drink more palatable.  Soldiers in India were already given a gin ration, and the sweet concoction inevitably made sense. The Gin and Tonic was born.

 Read More at  http://chilledmagazine.com/Whats_Chilling_Right_Now-detail/delicious-variations-of-gin-tonic-cocktails/

  

     Living like a pirate down here in the Tropics of America, (Key West) I have to be concerned with malaria and scurvy, a good dose of tonic (containing quinine) and some good fresh lime juice and my health is all cared for.   The fact that I like the taste and it has very few calories are the real reasons for my imbibing it. 


Bahama Bob's Daily Prevention Cocktail

• 2 oz. Ron Llave Rum Blanco
• Canada Dry Diet Tonic with Lime
• Juice of 1/4 Lime

Place all ingredients except the lime into a 12 oz. glass filled with ice shake until chilled and squeeze juice from a 1/4 lime into the mix and discard the shell of the lime.  No garnish necessary.

     Sit back of the aft deck or the bar on the dock and relax and enjoy your medicine.  ;o)