Do We Really Need Alcohol in Order to Relax?

    I read an article about a study in Scotland and it really makes me wonder about this.  I know that I
really enjoy jumping into the dinghy after work and heading over to the Hurricane Hole for a couple of cocktails, but I sometimes wonder if it is really necessary for me to chill out after work?   I do know that it is really about hanging out with a lot of friends that also enjoy getting together for a few cocktails and conversation, but I really don't know one way or the other if the alcohol is a necessity.

 

    It comes in light of a new study, Transformation and time-out: the role of alcohol in identity construction among Scottish women in early midlife, which concluded women in their thirties and forties use alcohol as a means to look beyond their everyday roles and responsibilities.  As such, drug and alcohol misuse experts claim alcohol advertising has effectively linked booze to “reward and relaxation”.

     “While recognizing that many people enjoy relaxing with a drink, we need to be wary that images portrayed in the media and entertainment industry do not make alcohol seem essential to relaxation and enjoyment in today’s culture for women in midlife, or indeed for people at any stage of life.”

 

     This really makes me wonder about the power that advertising has on our daily lives and if we really have any control over what we do or does the media really control our daily actions, needs and beliefs?  You can read more about the subject at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/01/alcohol-seen-as-essential-for-relaxation/  Then please make your own decision.  ;o)

 

 

 

  

T. Rutter Rum from Pennsylavia

    T. Rutter Rum is a very interesting unaged white rum created on the banks of an 18.2-mile-long tributary of the mighty Schuylkill River that cuts through the countryside and has become home to a winery, a brewery and, now, a distillery.  Manatawny was named by the Lenape Indians, Man'en'tau'wata'wik, "the place we meet to drink," and it means the same to us today.

     This is an unaged white rum that has been double distilled rum that has notes of an agricole style rum.  It is a very clean rum and works very well with Barritt's Ginger Beer for me,  I feel like that now matter what you mix it with you will enjoy it.  It is a clean well crafted small batch rum that makes a tasty cocktail that doesn't over power the taste of the cocktail.


     The Manatawny Still Works also produces Whiskey , Vodka and on the horizon is a new Gin expression ahead.  Manatawny Still Works was developed to produce world class spirits with character in small batches. The distillery is modern, but the practices are based on old world production with a reverent nod to the history of the region.  

     This distillery in Pottstown, Pennsylvania has regular hours for you to visit the distillery and an opportunity to purchase T Rutter Rum. You can find Manatawny Still Works on line at http://manatawnystillworks.com/about_manatawnystillworks.php

Rusults from the Brand Report

You could flip a coin – each year since we’ve been polling the world’s best bars, the champion rum has been either Havana Club or Bacardi. 

     Havana Club fell face up this year, with 27% of polled bars attesting to its selling power.  Havana Club is a marketer’s dream and nightmare – authenticity but half-owned by the Castros.   Pernod has taken things slowly, building the brand in the right way – marketing the city of Havana and all that entails rather than just flogging rum.   Bacardi was the top seller in 18 of our polled bars. Respondents were about 50% European and 20% North American – in reverse, we may have seen Bacardi dominate, such is its status in the US.  Still, Bacardi has successfully diversified its image over recent years and has a powerful package to offer bars.

     At Schumann’s in Munich, you’re more likely to be served Bacardi 8 than any other rum and at A for Athens, they told us their “primary deal” is with Bacardi, a “value-for-money choice” with product quality “above average”.  The American Bar is the Bacardi bar when it comes to most house pours. The brand’s global cocktail competition, Bacardi Legacy, is second only to Diageo’s World Class and is an effective recruiting tool for its flagship rum.  

     Plantation makes its debut in the Best Selling list this year. In previous Brands Reports it wasn’t the bestselling rum in any of our bars – now it is top in 15 of our 100.   Its owner, Cognac Ferrand, had a good 2014 and it seems its blended island rums and vintages are offering the bar market something different. 

Diplomatico, a sweeter Spanish style in the mold of Botran and Zacapa, has made a beeline for bartenders.  Spearheaded by its World Tournament bartending competition, which debuted in 2013, the Venezuelan rum is the best seller of its category at Edinburgh’s Bramble, 28 Hong Kong Street in Singapore and the Lui Bar in Melbourne, but its greater feat is shown in the trending chart – 15% of bars polled said it was the hot rum among punters.  Diplomatico, though, takes second place to Zacapa in the trending list.

Diageo was one of the first to go ‘super-premium’ with rum – a phrase previously reserved for other categories – and bartenders have long been convinced.  Topping the Trending charts means consumers in the world’s best bars are too.
Read More at http://www.drinksint.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/5079/Brands_Report_2015:_Rum.html

Rums of the "Spanish Style" of Rum Making

Mixability is helping the Spanish-style spirit to a renaissance. Lucy Britner explores the background

     Spanish Settlers brought with them to rum’s heartland their knowledge and love of brandy and sherry. So rum-making Spanish style is sometimes influenced by the solera system of maturation. It is also largely centred around South and Central America. 

     Diplomatico marketing manager Javier Herrera Toral describes Spanish-style rum as ‘smooth’. He adds: “Basically, most of the rums with this origin are easy-going, with a smooth palate and are easy to sip.”

     Several places are important to the history of Spanish-style rums, which came into their own in the 19th and 20th centuries. Spaniard Don Juan Serrallés imported a still to Puerto Rico in 1865 and Spanish drinkers back home enjoyed the Rom Barrilito brand, as did some Americans. The commercial stage was set, though some boast production before 1865. 

     Venezuela is a key country for Spanish-style rums and Santa Teresa claims to be the oldest rum brand registered there – its 1796 expression carries the year of the hacienda’s incorporation. 1796 makes use of the solera system and today the company also has a social program called Project Alcatraz that aims to rehabilitate gangland criminals. 

     Diageo looks after two Venezuelan, non-solera rums – Cacique and Pampero.   Cacique – meaning ‘chief of the tribe’ in Spanish – has been around since 1959.   Pampero is slightly older, having been launched in 1938.    Both count Venezuela and Spain as their key markets and Pampero is also big in Italy.   Also in Venezuela is Diplomatico, which doesn’t employ the solera system but does make use of Spanish drinking habits. 

     Toral says: “All the rums blended in Diplomatico are aged separately until they achieve their optimum age. The first ageing is always done in 180-litre American white oak barrels, which were used first to age bourbon or Scotch. Some of our rums are aged in a second stage in Spanish sherry and Pedro Ximenez barrels. Blending is the last stage.”

     Heading north, Nicaragua is home to Flor de Cana – Spanish for ‘sugar cane flower’. According to the brand, the first distillery was built at the San Antonio Sugar Mill in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, in 1890. In 1937, an independent company was founded within the plantation called Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua and it launched the brand Flor de Caña in that year. The company describes its ageing process as a “unique slow-ageing method” in American oak barrels and the brand does not use the solera system. In summer last year, the brand revamped its packaging to pay closer attention to its heritage and age statements. 

     Further north, Guatemala was better known for coffee until commercial distillers became established in about 1914. The 20th century also saw the creation of Industria Licoreras de Guatamala, the company which makes the Botran brand and Diageo joint venture Zacapa. It’s a massive operation. Zacapa is known for its maturation at high altitude in what is called the House Above the Clouds and the solera system is employed, creating a blend of old and new rums in the same way that many Spanish brandies are produced.

 

 

 

   With his eye on the prize, Spanish emigrant Don Facundo Bacardi bought a distillery in Santiago (Cuba) in 1862. He was the pioneer of dry, light Cuban rum. In the words of Dave Broom: “You could call it a Spanish style – but I wouldn’t advise it in front of a Cuban distiller”,  Wise words. Havana Club set up shop in 1878 and the rest, as they say, is history.

http://www.drinksint.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/4502/Rum_Report:_The_Spanish_Style.html?current_page=1

Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez

     One modern master of the Spanish style of rum is Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez.  His history of rum making in Cuba with Havana Club, Abuelo Rums, and on his own rums working with Carlos E. Esquivel G. at their Pilsa Distillery in Panama.  "Don Pancho" makes his rums in the true Spanish style and his newest expression "Origines" are an expression of his  lifelong belief in true rums of the Spanish heritage.

    The Spanish style of rum making is one that has a long history and provides the world with a true rum that stands alone without additives and the flavor of the rum comes directly  from the skills of the distillers and the blenders.  ;o)

 

 

 

Football has the Smoltz to Sell Adult Beverages at the Championships

     I find this article to be very interesting, in that when the control of the championships is taken away from the NCAA, the profits from sales of adult beverages is allowed and that always leads to higher profits of the organizers.   This is a very interesting article that kind of makes this very clear.

     Spectators at the men's basketball Final Four last April at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., could buy burgers, sodas and even Texas-shaped waffles. But they could not buy alcohol. The N.C.A.A. does not permit alcohol sales - or even its advertising - at the 89 championships it administers. 

     But on Monday night, about 80,000 fans will flock to the same stadium for the first College Football Playoff title game, between Oregon and Ohio State, and they will be able to select from an array of beer, wine and spirits. They can even order a Cowboyrita, the signature drink at the Dallas Cowboys' home field, made with 100 percent blue agave tequila. Alcohol was also sold at the six bowls affiliated with this season's inaugural playoffs. 

     Fans who care to imbibe can thank the powerful Football Bowl Subdivision, the only N.C.A.A.-sanctioned group whose championship is not governed by the N.C.A.A. It therefore essentially gets to play by its own rules. In recent years, the championship was conducted by the Bowl Championship Series, which also permitted the sale of alcohol.

 

Read more at  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/sports/ncaafootball/signs-of-college-footballs-clout-beer-sales-and-travel-aid-.html?_r=0

I hope this works out, because it could take some the financial weight of the football program off of the school and allow the playoffs to help support itself.   ;o)

January Beach Day at Bahia Honda State Park

     With all of the singe digit temperatures on the news today is sure nice to know that we have a place here in America immune from all of the snow and freezing weather.   Bahia Honda State park in the lower Florida Keys is such a place.   For the past few weeks I have hopped into the boat and "camped out" at Bahia Honda, enjoying the near 80 degree temperatures and the company of some good friends.  It is a wonderful place to go and decompress for a day or two and just relax is the quiet and beautiful surroundings.

     This past weekend, it was the beach that really surprised me.  The warmth down here for the past few weeks has brought the water temperatures back up to the mid seventy's making it very easy to get into the water again.   Taking long walks along the beach and listening to the waves roll in has a very nice therapeutic effect.  Watching the people frolic in the water and the just plain enjoyment of being able to do this in January is pretty spectacular.



     If you are among those that are snowed or frozen in right now, come along and enjoy my virtual
tour of Bahia Honda State Park Beach.  You can pretend that you too are here and walking the sands as the waves lap at your feet as you amble down the beach.  ;o)

Starting 2015 with a Beautiful Sundown from Key West

     The beauty of the evening looking out from my "back porch" never ceases to amaze me.  The colors of the sky along with the shadows of the sun low in the sky make for a spectacular 20 minutes each evening.  This is the time when I kick my feet up in the air and just let the world slip away,chilling out, letting the evening take over.

The Serious Problem of Binge Drinking Being Addressed

     Binge drinking here in America is becoming a serious problem affecting more that a few of the younger people.  There is a large group of people in the ages of 35 to 64 that live in the heart of America's populations that suffer from this alcohol poisoning regularly.  It is something that all of us consumers of alcoholic beverages should be aware of and avoid the pitfalls of binge drinking.  Below is an article from "The Spirit Business" that gives you an idea of the severity of this issue.

    According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the deaths are a result of binge drinking – drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time – which can impact the brain, heart rate, breathing and body temperature.  The CDC’s Vital Signs report states that three in four deaths involve adults aged 35-64, and most deaths occur among men and non-Hispanic whites. However American Indians and Native Alaskans experience the most deaths from alcohol poisoning per million people.  More than 38 million US adults report binge drinking an average of four times per month and consume an average of eight drinks per binge drinking session. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on one occasion.

     “Alcohol poisoning deaths are a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers of excessive alcohol use, which is a leading cause of preventable deaths in the US,” said CDC principal deputy director Ileana Arias.  “We need to implement effective programs and policies to prevent binge drinking and the many health and social harms that are related to it, including deaths from alcohol poisoning.”  The CDC also emphasized the wide differences in alcohol consumption between states, stating that while there are 46.5 deaths per million residents in Alaska as a result of excessive consumption, there are 5.3 per million in Alabama. The greatest number of deaths have occurred in the Great Plains, western United States, and New England.

     As part of the study, CDC scientists have analyzed deaths from alcohol poisoning among people aged 15 years and older using data from the National Vital Statistics System for 2010-2012. However, researchers emphasis that the report may not be conclusive, as alcohol-related deaths are often underreported.

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/01/six-us-adults-die-from-binge-drinking-every-day/?article-source=newsletter&source=334&date=2015-01-07

    

 

 

Sherry and Rum: New Cocktail Partners

     "Sherry is more than just your grandmother's drink for so long that the conceit itself seems old enough to be your grandmother. And yes, the fortified wine-made from grapes grown in Andalusia, Spain, and allowed to mature in a series of oak casks-has, over the last several years, entered heavy rotation among bartenders with a sense of history and a taste for well-aged ingredients. Yet, in the hearts and on the home bars of a large number of their customers, Sherry has yet to regain a foothold. "

     There is a reluctance due to the misperception that all Sherries are sweet, but this is not so.  There are only a few of the wide range of styles that are actually sweet.    For mixing, Sherries that come from the dryer end of the spectrum mix well.   For many years now, rums have been aged in portion in the sherry barrels from Don Pablo Pedro Ximenez, although this is one of the sweeter Sherries, the idea for mixing sherry with rum seems like a viable idea.   The dry Sherries have a natural, but subtle sweetness from their aging process that make the mixing with rum work out so well.

 

Bahama Bob’s Dry Sherry Daiquiri

·         2 ½ oz. Matusalem Platino Rum

·         ¾  oz. Dry Sherry

·         Juice of a Half Lime

 

Place all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice cubes and shake until chilled, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wedge. 

     I really like the way that the rum and the dry sherry play very well together in the daiquiri.  This is a dry daiquiri that gives you a full bodied blend of flavors that both the sherry and the rum contribute to.   If you need a bit of a sweeter cocktail you can add a sweetener to the mix.  This is my first exploration into the blending of Sherry and Rum, but I feel like there is a real good series of cocktails that can come out of this latest Rum Lab experiments.  ;o)

What Cost Freedom?

Cuban Chug Lying Inverted on the Sand Bar

     Another little break from daily life in Key West at Bahia Honda State Park today.  Walking out to the beach brought me an image of a Cuban Chug upside down on the sand bar.   It brings to mind what does it take for the citizens of Cuba to jump aboard one of these 18 to 24 foot boats made up of scrap sheet metal, odd boards and cast off engines, props and steel rods and head across 90 to 120 mile wide Florida Straights?

The Bottom of the Crudely Constructed but Seaworthy Chug

    I travel around the keys in everything from my 11 foot dinghy to the 51 foot boat that I live on, but to head out on the ocean in the middle of winter where you could hit 20 foot seas, wind, rain and lightning, that is quite a different thing.   One has to be a strong desire in addition to fearing for their lives for these Cuban refugees to head out on such a perilous journey bring them to America.   It makes me wonder, if these people are willing to put their lives on the line to make the crossing in order to be here in a country that most of its citizens take their  freedom for granted.

The Gateway to Freedom for the Cuban Refugees

     I have seem many of these vessels throughout the keys from the Marquesa Keys all the way to Key Largo, but I guess that I will never know personally how bad things are in order for people to jump into one of these "chugs" and head out across the ocean to freedom.

The Mojito: A Cuban Classic

     The Mojito is traditionally a cocktail that consists of five basic ingredients: white rum, sugar,or sugar cane juice, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint.   The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular on the island.   The Mojito is a combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus, and mint flavors is intended to complement the potent kick of the rum, and has made this clear highball a popular summer drink.  

     The History of the Mojito is one that has many origins, but they stay centered around the island of Cuba.  The most important this is that it is a Cuban cocktail that is really refreshing and very popular down here in the tropics.



Bahama Bob's Mojito

• 2oz. White Rum
• Juice of 1/2 Fresh Lime
• 3/4 oz. Sugar Cane Syrup
• Club Soda

     When preparing a Mojito, lime juice, sugar or cane syrup and mint leaves are placed in the a 12 oz. tumbler.   The mixture is then gently muddled  with a smooth wooden muddler, the mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and not be shredded.   Then ice and rum is added and the mixture is briefly shaken to blend and chill the mixture.   Finally, the drink is topped sparkling soda water and garnished with mint leaves and/or lime wedges.  The mojito is one of the most famous rum-based highballs.

A Little Drinking at Work Could Actually Make You Better at Your Job

     I find so many interesting concepts that I hope that you can enjoy and I feel that sharing them with you is fun.  Living in Key West, the concept of drinking before or at work is not that uncommon, but this I find to be very interesting.  This is from "The Huffington Post" and written by Kate Bratskeir.

     Most corporate offices don't condone drinking on the job, but a case may be made for reconsideration. As it turns out, a little bit of alcohol really can support creative thinking.

     Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that a certain level of inebriation can help get the creative juices flowing. In the study, participants whose blood alcohol level (BAC) was slightly under .08 percent performed better in a creative task than did their sober counterparts. (The intoxicated group, however, underperformed when they were assigned memory tasks.) The researchers determined that a person's "creative peak" is reached when the person hits a BAC of .075 percent.

     Enter The Problem Solver, a new beer that aims to make it easier for drinkers to find their "creative peak." The drink comes equipped with a scale for drinkers to weigh themselves with; the bottle is labeled with an indicator for drinkers to determine how much they need to drink to get to their sweet spot. BAC changes from drinker to drinker -- while a heavier person tends to require more alcohol to increase his or her BAC, a smaller person may be deemed a "light weight." The Problem Solver simplifies having to do all the math. This drink has a 7.1 percent alcohol content, which is comparable to most malt liquors, and is taken into consideration when calculating BAC.

     As for taste, the company describes the brew as a "handcrafted Indian Pale Ale brewed to tickle taste buds and brain cells. It has a refined bitterness with a refreshing finish." The product's slogan is smart, if lacking a little taste: "Finally, you can drink to solve problems," it reads on their website. They do warn that drinking more than the proper amount will not, in fact, enhance your creative thinking, but reduce it.

Read More at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/alcohol-creativity-the-problem-solver_n_6368810.html

 

The New Year Brings Rum Festivals

     The advent of 2015 brings the beginning of the rum festivals all around the tropics.   The year starts off with three very fine events around the tropics.  Take a look and maybe take one of the events in this year.

     Rumbahamas is the first event of the year, from Friday February 27th through Sunday March 1st at the historic British Fort Charlotte overlooking Nassau Harbor just outside of Nassau, the Bahamas.  The event includes Food and rum tastings with many of the top rum producers present to share their expressions with you and talk to you about their products.  There is a rum competition, entertainment and great food displays making this event a fun and exciting.   The combination of rum and the Bahamas is always a fun time, don't miss this event if you can help it.




     Rum Trade Festival is next in Telum, Mexico.  The Casa Manga Resort on the
Mayan Riviera is the site for this event.   The event runs from Friday March 6th through Saturday March 7th, opening at 9am and closing at 5:30 in the evening.   In addition to the rum tastings there will be rum and cocktail competitions.   This is a first ever event on the Mayan Riviera and should be a really fun one.



     April brings the long established Miami Rum Festival held at the Doubletree Miami Airport Convention Center from Friday April 17th through Sunday April 19th.  This annual event is the "World's largest gathering of rum producers, experts, and enthusiasts."   The event brings a very large number of rum brands to the rum grand tasting, along with a rum competition, seminars, and a industry gathering on Friday.

     This is just the beginning for rum festivals in 2015, so get started early, get you reservations and tickets early and enjoy the fund times with all of the Rum Festivals this year.  ;o)

When the Land Meets the Sea



     There is always something new that appears in front of me as I wander around one of the Florida Keys.  Usually it relates to the birds, fish, and the flowers, but once in a while the blending of the land and the sea offers a view that is just captivating.    I wandered upon this view on Tuesday and I had to share it with you, a perfectly framed by nature photo.  ;o)

Heavy Demand on the Cooperages for Barrels

     With the current growth in the demand for bourbon whiskey, there has been a huge growth in the demand for new "American Oak" barrels.   There has been a shortage of the much needed barrels recently, but the real question is where do these barrels come from?

     Making these barrels is a very old craft, almost an art, called cooperage. The Scots-Irish who settled in Appalachia could do this: Cut the white oak boards into staves, steam them to bend, make metal hoops to hold the barrel tight. 

     You can see this process is the small town of Lebanon, Ky. This cooperage is one of several owned by a company called Independent Stave, which is based in Missouri and is the largest maker of whiskey barrels in the world. 

     As the barrels take shape they are carried, rolled, and conveyed - sometimes overhead - to the different work stations. Starting out as a collection of oak staves, they are fitted together, steamed, bound with steel and seared with flame before arriving at the end ready for inspection. 

     "The barrel has water and air in it," says Leo Smith, the supervisor for the last stop on the production line. "They're looking for any kind of leak or defect in the barrel. ... He's going to put a plug in that barrel where it's leaking, a small plug in it, and stop that leak." 

     The plug is a simple piece of cedar, whittled by hand.

 

You can read more at http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/12/29/373787773/as-bourbon-booms-demand-for-barrels-is-overflowing 

 

     The real good news is that the more Bourbon that is produced the more barrels that will be available for the rum industry that uses a good portion of the once used bourbon barrels.  Rules, rules, rules, Bourbon can only use new barrels and can not refill them.  They are sold to the producers of other spirits that will make use of them for resting their spirits.  These barrels are a big part of the production of every aged spirit that the world knows today and will always be.  ;o)