The 12 Bottle Bar: Your Home Bar Cocktail Guide

     With some 260 plus rums on my bar and a few of everything else, it can be a daunting task just to figure out what I want to use to create a cocktail in the evening or afternoon.  here is a new bar guide that I think has brought the home bar back into perspective.   "The 12 Bottle Bar
, by David and Lesley Solmonson, advises consumers to stock seven spirits, one liqueur, two vermouths and two bitters to create the perfect home bar."  It offers a brief history of each spirit style, why it should be included in your bar, and several recipes.   There is also a guide at the back of the book on how to serve cocktails and a selection of virgin recipes.
    "The 12 Bottle Bar" really makes sense to me for a small house bar.  It includes a white and Amber rum, a brandy, dry gin, Genever,  rye whiskey, vodka, orange liqueur (triple Sec), dry vermouth, sweet vermouth aromatic bitters and orange bitters.   

     "Obviously the main spirits (vodka, gin, rum, brandy, whiskey) need to be included, the choice from there is the brand.   The accent liqueurs were a challenge within themselves. My decision was primarily founded in how often is a certain liqueur used in the greatest number of cocktails or cocktails where the liqueur can act as a substitute for another. After that list, it’s back to choosing a brand. With a well-stocked supply of essential mixers this list can make at least 100 different cocktails."

     The book retails around $10 and is a really nice guide to making cocktails at home with a very minimal space and outlay for the bar stock.   Which brands of spirits you choose can raise or lower the cost of stocking your bar, but even "well spirits" work out for mixed cocktails.  If your palate is tuned to the better spirits by all means put them in your bar.

     "Genever" threw up a question flag for me, but it does make sense once you know what it is.  Genever enables bartenders to work with the authentic flavours of the past to recreate the true classic cocktails the way they were meant to taste.   The whisky-like malt tones of Genever make it also perfect to drink it straight, on the rocks, or in ‘regular’ easy mixed cocktail.  It adds the malt flavor to cocktails with out using scotch.

     I think that this is a perfect starter book for someone to put together a small home bar, and it will surprise you all of the cocktails that you can create with just 12 bottles.  ;o)

 

Beautiful Day Sharing the Ocean

     It was a beautiful day for a cruise out to the west of Key West and follow along the string of Keys that lead you out to Boca Grande and the Atlantic Ocean.   Today we were lucky enough to have clear waters and the company of a pod of dolphins.  These creatures are such wonderful mammals that love to play in the boat wakes as we travel along.  I find them to be just plain entertaining as well as beautiful..

Key West Brewing Up for Labor Day Weekend

     The 5th Annual Key West Brewfest in scheduled to happen next week here in Key West.  A full slate of events are set to keep you going all weekend long.
  See the schedule at  http://www.keywestbrewfest.com/event-information .   

    
     The 5th Annual Key West Brewfest  featuring more than 150 different beers, including many http://www.keywestbrewfest.com or call 305-295-6519.

award-winning microbrews. Events include seminars, tastings, pool parties, and meals.  The premiere  event is the Signature Tasting on Saturday, August 31 at South Beach ($75 per person for that event, advance tickets required). For more information, visit

     labor Day weekend is always a fun weekend here in Key west and the addition of the Brewfest just adds more color to an already crazy weekend.  Hope to see many of you here in Key West over the long holiday weekend.  ;o)

Just Hangin' at the Marina

     Today is a day off, and I decided to just hang out today here at home in the marina.  I find that once in a while I have to just kick back and do very little.  It is a chance to recharge my batteries and get ready for another week on Duval Street.   I love the time I spend with all my customers at the Rum Bar.   All of the excitement and craziness there, but every now and again, I need to step back and take it easy for a day or two.

     I find that by just laying around the boat and watching all of the birds and the beautiful things that surround me puts my mind back to a place of comfort and stresslessness.   Today was one of those days where I needed to just put the body in neutral and just be for a time.

     I found myself walking up and down the docks and watching the skies and the glassy water.   An unusual flock of "Frigate Birds" appeared over the marina.  I find them so fascinating, I have seen them in Mexico, the Virgin Islands and many other tropical places and they never cease to amaze me.  They look like something out of Jurassic Park, and turn out to be incredible fishermen as well.   Local fishermen will watch for them overhead as a sign of a school of fish  and a place to anchor.

   
As the day slips away into the evening the sky again puts on another display of artistry as the sun begins to head for the horizon and turn this day of bliss into night.  ;o)

The Periodista: What?

     What in the world is a Periodista?  The name is Spanish for Journalist it is a cocktail that  you probably have never heard of before.  It has the style of a daiquiri, lending some credence to the stories that it originated in Cuba during the 20’s or 30’s.   This is one of the oddities of cocktail history, a drink created in Cuba, lost for many years resurfaced in the early days of this century in Boston.   So when Devin Hahn first tried it, he could have been forgiven for taking it fora true rum classic.    There really isn't very much information out there about the Periodista. 

   Devin Hahn had been looking for an excuse to write about cocktails in Boston and with the Periodista, he found a drink offered in every other bar of the city but about which very little was known.  

According to David Hahn,  “The Periodista’s a classic Cuban cocktail, they told me.   Hemingway drank them at El Floridita in Havana.   Esquire Magazine revived it in the ‘50s. American reporters sucked back Periodistas during the Cuban Missile Crisis.   This drink was the stuff of legend.”

     The oldest known printed recipe comes from the 1948 Club de Cantineros book.    Devin Hahn suggests we prepare Charles Schumann's version, from his American Bar book (which seems to have been the only printed recipe available in English for a very long time). 

Periodista  (Charles Schumann Version)

·         45 ml Havana Club Añejo 3 años 

·         7,5 ml Triple sec 

·         7,5 ml Apricot brandy 

·         1 bar spoon of sugar 

·         Juice from ½ lime 

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

Bahama Bob’s Periodista

·         2 oz. Plantation 3 Star White Rum

·         1 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

·         1 oz. Apricot Brandy

·         ½ oz.  Cane Syrup (Sweetener)

·         Juice of ½ Lime

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge

     This is a very tasty daiquiri like cocktail that I found to be wonderful for an afternoon or early evening libation.  I found it to be very refreshing and fit my taste to a “T”.   I found that I could make it with and without the sweetener and be great for my palate.  If you want a “skinny” version try ½ packet of “Sweeta” artificial sugar.

Different Alcohols Are the Drunks Really Different?

   I don't usually just reprint an article that was done by other authors, but this on I feel warrants running.  It deals with the different effects of different alcohols on different people.  Robbie Gonzales
did a great job of looking into the subject.  I found it to be very interesting, and I hope that you do as well.

Do Different Kinds Of Alcohol Get You Different Kinds Of Drunk?

Robbie Gonzalez

When your friend gets tipsy and starts rambling about how tequila turns her into a savage party monster, and then your other friend vehemently calls bullshit, calmly put your hands up and say this: "Friends. Please. I got this." And then explain to them what I'm about to explain to you.

First off: alcohol is alcohol – which is to say that the alcohol in wine is the same as the alcohol in beer is the same as the alcohol in the unholy red-cup concoction at a dorm room game of King's Cup. That alcohol is ethyl alcohol, aka ethanol, and it'll get you drunk. The fact that liquor tends to contain higher concentrations of ethanol than wine, and wine higher concentrations than beer, means that the same volume of different alcoholic beverages will get you more/less drunk, ergo the "standard drink" rule, as defined by the National Institutes of Health:

In the United States, a "standard" drink is any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of "pure" alcohol. Although the drinks below are different sizes, each contains approximately the same amount of alcohol and counts as a single standard drink.

The standard drink model suggests that when it comes to behavioral effects, the only difference between a can of beer and a shot of whiskey is the mode of delivery. Ounce-for-ounce, an 80-proof shot of MaCallan's is a much more efficient ethanol-delivery system than a can of Bud Light. If you down a few shots of the former really quickly, you'll experience a rapid spike in your blood alcohol level, and, presumably, a rapid drop in your inhibition, sense of propriety, and so-forth. But any perceived difference between the drunk you feel from the liquor and the drunk you feel from beer has to do with the rate at which you consumed the ethanol, not the beverage via which you consumed it.

But what about hard alcohols that are comparable in ethanol concentration, and therefore equally efficient at getting you drunk? According to the Alcohol Is Alcohol argument, 80-proof tequila should have the same effect on you as 80-proof vodka, rum, gin or whiskey. Yet we all know someone who insists that tequila makes them wild, that whiskey makes them angry, or that gin makes them sad. Why is that?

One possible explanation: mixers. Lots of people shoot tequila straight, whereas rum is commonly taken in tandem with something else – cola, for example. If you're combining gin with tonic, or vodka with something super-caffeinated like Red Bull, who's to say the drunk you're experiencing is due to the alcohol, and not because of what you're drinking with it?

Another explanation: congeners. Congeners are byproducts of the fermentation and distillation process, and include chemicals like acetone, acetaldehyde, and esters – not to mention forms of alcohol other than ethanol. Different alcoholic beverages contain different types and quantities of congeners, so even though 80-proof vodka, rum and gin all contain the same amount of ethanol, their congener content can vary considerably. This variation contributes mainly to tan alcohol's colors and flavors, but may or may not also have an effect on the "flavor" of drunkenness it imparts – the lackluster (but still technically valid) justification being that different chemicals affect everyone differently, in ways we may not fully understand.* Take coffee, for example: we know it makes you have to poop, but we really aren't clear on why that is.

Read more at http://io9.com/do-different-kinds-of-alcohol-get-you-different-kinds-o-1622304827 

 

"Certain congeners are also thought to cause more unpleasant hangovers, though experiments with animal models have shown that fusel oil – a congener found in whiskey – may actually alleviate the after-effects of heavy drinking, contrary to common belief."   Some rum producers spend a lot of time removing the fusel oils from rums, and others don't.  It is a belief that the fusel oil adds flavor to the mix by people in some circles.    ;o)

Reviving Old Classics with Rum

I am always looking for different ways to use rum, and taking some of the old classic cocktails and reworking them with rum yields some of the most rewarding results.  Here are three that I really like with the conversions.



Rum Manhattan

• 2 1/2 oz. Doorly's XO Rum
• 1 oz. of Extra Dry Vermouth
• 2 Dashes of Fee Bros. Bitters

Place all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled.  Strain into a cocktail glass and float a lemon zest on the top.

Rum Sidecar

• 1 1/2 oz. Plantation 20th Anniversary Rum
• 3/4 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• 3/4 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Place all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled.  Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon zest.

Rum Old Fashion

• 2 1/2 oz.  Pampero Aniversario Rum
• 3 dashes of Fee Brothers Bitters
• 1 cube of Sugar
• 1 tsp. water

In an Old Fashion Glass, muddle sugar, bitters and water until sugar has dissolved, add rum and fill glass with ice.  Garnish with an Orange peel.

 

"From Jamaica With Love"

     This campaign is the first since Gruppo Campari took over distribution of Appleton in 2013.  This is the first major new marketing campaign for Appleton Estate in some time.  The campaign was officially announced on 6 August in conjunction with the Jamaica Independence Day.  The day was commemorated by Appleton Estate in 2012 with the introduction of the  50 year old Appleton Estate Rum that commemorated 50 years of Jamaican Independence.  The video of the ad is very good and shows the real Jamaica and a great promotion for the rum.

 

 

   The From Jamaica “With Love” campaign features images and videos of the “authentic, undiscovered Jamaica”, its people and the craftsmanship behind Appleton Estate rum, each of which is accompanied by Jamaican sayings such as “Everything Come From Scratch” and “A Shut Eye See Nothing New”.

    Andrew Floor, senior marketing director, dark spirits at Campari America, said: “This new marketing campaign allows us to offer consumers a window into an authentic Jamaica – a Jamaica that delivers rum with a distinctive, rich and complex flavor found nowhere else in the world.”

     The video element of the campaign, named “Anthem”, which has been created in collaboration with Sharethrough, features music and lyrics by Jamaican musician Brushy One String, as well as Appleton Estate’s talented coopers.

     The out-of-home aspect will be rolled out to key US markets including Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Portland and Columbus.

     The ad video can be seen at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J39MQ2_MxyY

 

Take a look at what they have done and you might be surprised at the ad.  It is really a great ad and a good idea for the promotion of Appleton Estate Aged Rums.  ;o)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliant Sunsets of August, So Exciting to See

     August nights and the sun and the clouds light up the sky.  With the humidity of summer here in the Keys, sunsets are especially colorful.  It highlights the reds and the oranges as the sun drops into the ocean at the end of the day.   I sets the sky on fire and makes the clouds light up in a spectacular manner most every night.  Mother Nature shows her artistry in so many ways every day down here in the tropics, with the sky water and the land as her canvas.  ;o)

Today is National Rum Day

    Welcome to National Rum Day, a day to celebrate all of the wide variety of spirits of the sugar cane.   I do have a little bit of these fine spirits to choose from for my celebration.  I decided to offer a list of 14 of my favorite rums for different applications.  It is not fair to just say what is your favorite rum, most of us can't afford, myself included to be spending thousands of dollars to taste some of the rare and exotic rums that I have had the opportunity to enjoy.  So I thought I'd give you a list of realistically priced rums for National Rum Day.

    I thought this trough pretty thoroughly and here are the top 14 rums for enjoyment at a realistic price well except for the Ultra Premium Rums.

Mixing White Rum:               Ron Llave Blanco
Premium White Rum:            Matusalem Platino
Mixing Dark Rum:                 El Dorado Dark
Premium Mixing Dark:          Flor de Cana 7 Year Old
Mixing Spiced Rum:              Bacardi Oakheart
Premium Spiced Rum:           Siesta Key Spiced
Mixing Flavored Rums:         Cruzan
Premium Flavored Rums:      Brinly's Gold Shipwreck
Mixing Overproof:                 Wray and Nephew Overproof
Premium Overproof:              Plantation Trinidad Overproof
Sipping Rum:                         Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
Sipping Rum:                         Angostura No. 1
Premium Sipping Rum:         Doorly's XO
Ultra Premium Rum              Origenes 30 Year Old

     These for the most part are readily available in most states at the corner liquor store if there is a rum selection there.

     In general the mixing rums are for everyday bar use and the premium for those very special cocktails that you can brag about at your parties at home.  I hope that you enjoy National Rum Day today as much as I plan to.  ;o)


 

What Could Go Wrong with This?

 

An alcohol delivery service, with underwear models, in L.A.

 

LA Times

by Jenn Harris  

     What's better than having your favorite alcohol delivered to your door? Having it delivered by a model in his or her underwear, of course? 

     Saucey, an L.A.-based alcohol delivery app, and MeUndies, an L.A.-based company that sells underwear, have teamed up to bring you your favorite liquor and clean underwear. The two necessities will be put together in handy Sleepover Packs.  

     The packs will be available beginning Friday for one week only. They will include everything you need for a sleepover, including a fresh pair of underwear, socks, a T-shirt, sunglasses, a hangover-fighting vitamin from Drinkwel and your choice of alcohol and mixers.  

     A representative for Saucey says that when you place your order using the Saucey app, you'll receive your goods within 20 minutes. And when you order Friday, some of the lucky customers will have their packs delivered by actual underwear models in nothing but their skivvies. The models will be delivering liquor from 4 to 9 p.m., and the regular alcohol delivery service will run from noon to 1:45 a.m.      

    Read more at http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-alcohol-delivery-models-underwear-20140813-story.html

     This seems like a very interesting concept, that could do very well in larger cities.  In fact there might be a pretty big market for such an enterprise.  Today we have strippers that show up, so why not alcohol and foxy male or female models to liven up your party or whatever.   ;o)

The Bahama Mama: Finally a Believable Origin

   The "Bahama Mama" is a favorite tropical cocktail that can be found all over the Caribbean.  The story about Oswald Greenslade in "The Spirits Business" I feel like has found a realistic source for the famed cocktail.

     "It all began at the young age of 14 when Greenslade left his school books behind and eventually entered the lucrative hotel business. Ultimately, Greenslade found his way into the magical world of concocting flavorful spirits. He said that at first he was just going to try it and see if it fits. Well, he's been trying it ever since and obviously it fits!"

     "Approximately two and a half years ago, "Slade," as he is affectionately called decided that he wanted to give back some of his expertise. Consequently, he began compiling his life work. Greenslade explained that he took pen to paper and started recording what he had stored in his mind. He said, "Learning to use the computer was my hardest obstacle." According to Greenslade, "There were many sleepless nights of remembering, writing and researching." The result of his endeavors can now be appreciated in his colorful and informative book, One More Cocktail."

Read more at http://jeralynlashsands.blogspot.com/2013/07/oswald-greenslade-self-published-author.html

    Greenslade's book, One More Cocktail contains more that 1000 recipes for his cocktails and makes for a very interesting reading and a helpful book of true Bahamian Cocktails.   Currently, Oswald is working at "The Poop Deck" restaurant and bar in Nassau, where he is still creating all of those famous cocktails, in addition to selling and signing his books for his customers.  This man is  a very special one with so much ability and talent.  he seems to be able to accomplish anything that he sets his mind to.


      "My name is Oswald Greenslade and I have been a bartender in The Bahamas for over 50 years. For the first time ever, I am sharing all my original cocktail recipes with you. Not only am I giving you the secrets to many years of success, but I am also going to share with you a brief history lesson of The Bahamas."

     "I hope you relish this unique insight of The Bahamas and enjoy the new drink recipes I now pass on to you."

    "And, remember - It is Better in The Bahamas!"

   "As you do".

     Oswald Greenslade
     Professional Mixologist/Bartender

     Read more and order Oswald Greenslade's Book at

http://www.onemorecocktail.com

Bahama Mama

·  2 oz. Dark Rum.

·   1 oz. Light Rum

• 1 oz. Coconut Rum
• 2 oz Orange Juice
• 2 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• 2 dashes Grenadine

Place all ingredients in a 16 oz. glass filled with ice and shake until chilled, garnish with a Maraschino Cherry and an  Orange Slice.

I was not able to get what I can verify as being the accrual original recipe, but this one seems to be the most consistently written

Great Key West Morning

     I woke up this morning and came walking down the dock to see a very unusual site just at sunrise.   Looking at the sun up against the clouds I noticed a rainbow through the center of the cloud and a Full moon to the left. 

     It is great to see any one of these events, but all three at the same time, this is a great morning.  It just reminds me why I live here in Key West, and find it like starting the day with a new canvas each morning.  There is never a shortage of things to do or see, between the people, the island and the waters that surround me I can find something of great interest every day.

London's Savoy Hotel Celebrates it's 125th Year of Operation

     One of the most famous hotels in the world, the Savoy on the Thames in London has been a hangout for man international celebrities since it opening in 1889.

     This week, London’s iconic Savoy Hotel celebrated its 125th anniversary. Situated in Westminster City, the luxury hotel was built by impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte and opened to much fanfare in 1889, since it was the first luxury hotel in the city boasting electric lights and lifts, en-suit bathrooms and a constant supply of hot water. In 1890, Carte hired the hotel’s first famous manager, César Ritz, who later became the founder of the Ritz Hotel. Rich and famous visitors from across the globe have long frequented the hotel, drawn by its consistent quality, luxury and style.

     While one side of The Savoy faces the Strand, the other looks out across the River Thames, giving guests an idyllic view of the city. This painting by artist Harold Oakley shows the Savoy in 1904, with its ornate original balconies.

     The Savoy was the first hotel in the UK to install electricity-generated lifts, a feature only previously seen in opulent American hotels. The hotel was built on a plot of land next to The Savoy Theatre which opened in 1881. The plot was originally purchased by Carte to house an electrical generator for the theatre, making it the world’s first public building to be lit entirely by electricity.

Marilyn Monroe

 

     The hotel kept records of its guests’ preferences, so that it could provide them in advance. For Coward, the staff made history by taking the first photographs of a hotel guest's toilet articles so that they could lay them out in his bathroom exactly as he liked them. They made sure to provide a fireproof eiderdown to Barrymore, as he always smoked while reading in bed.

 

Her Majesty the Queen Mother

 

 

     Her Majesty the Queen Mother can be seen arriving at The Savoy’s famous driveway. The hotel was also the first sighting of her daughter Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who attended a wedding reception in 1946.

See More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/08/the-savoys-125-year-history-in-pictures/10/

Joe Gilmore

     One of the very famous parts of the Savoy Hotel is the American Bar, named for the fact that it was the first to introduce American style cocktails to Europe.  The American Bar was the hangout for many famous writers such as Ian Fleming, Noel Coward, Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde.

     Joe Gilmore was one of the more famous head barmen at the American Bar, he served from 1954 until 1975. Among his many creations was the "Moonwalk" to honor Neil Armstrong's achievement.   His hangover cure was two aspirins and a "Corpse Reviver".

 

 

     There were movie stars like Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Errol Flynn and even Bob Dylan spent time there.  This is a part of a list that would fill an entire blog page.  Today the celebrities still flock to the Savoy to be seen in the elegant atmosphere of the Savoy.