Even the Florida Keys Have Their Winter Days

     Sitting at Bahia Honda under cover from the rain and chilly temps of barely 60 degrees, chilly for the benefit of those in the northern tiers with their below zero temps.  Even though we don't have that dreaded white stuff we do once in a while have times of this gray rainy days.  The good thing is it will be gone in a couple of days and the warm will return.

What is With All This Craft Stuff?

     It seems that in the liquor industry these days nearly every new product is craft, single estate, single vintage, or something to lead you to believe that it is something that is really special.  Most of us don't have any idea what they mean anyway. 

Tito Cordero and Single Vintage 1997

     For instance what is "single vintage" mean?  No idea, well it means that it is all made from the same years crop.  Whether it is wine or any other spirit, it is the same definition.  Diplomatico introduced a Single Vintage 1997 expression a few years back, Tito Cordero, offered an honest "Single Vintage" Rum that was released in a very limited number of bottles.   If the spirit is truly a "single vintage", then it is in fact one that will not be around very long.  When they are around year after year, than it is probably not a true "single vintage".  Richard Seale of Foursquare Rum Distillery, also offered a "Vintage 1998" expression.   Both of these are true  to the spirit of the term expressions, and not just a marketing ploy.

Foursquare Vintage 1998

     In the business, there is no real hard and fast definitions for these very  ambiguous terms.  What is a "craft" spirit, or a single estate spirit?    Unfortunately. there is a lot of usage of these terms by the industry and this practice has left the consumer doubting the validity of the terms.  There have been several "class action" lawsuits about the use of these terms on the labels, but the industry seems to continue to use them.

Alexandre Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard has made some interesting statements for the use of the the word craft in the industry.  He said he was “struggling with the definition” of craft spirits, and argued that some of his company’s brands have more of a right to describe themselves as “craft” than other smaller producers.   “We need to communicate to consumers what ‘real’ craft is”, he said, continuing that it is less about the size of production than the “story” behind a brand and its people when it comes to the “craft” label.


     Until there is a real meaning for these terms as to what they really mean and how they are to be used on the label of your spirits, they are becoming a "marketing ply" in the minds of many consumers.  Lets really put the quality in the bottle that these terms are indicating is there and the problem will truly cease to exist.

Havana Club Revises Anejo Especial

     Havana Club said a new Añejo recipe, developed by Maestro Ronero, Don Asbel Morales, has been designed to provide a “sweeter taste profile and a smooth drinking experience”.   Retaining its 40% abv, the expression is a blend of aged rums which offer notes of vanilla, caramel, tobacco, cinnamon and orange peel.   Don Asbel Morales claims the new flavor derives from a “unique production process” where the rum bases are aged in young white oak barrels before being blended and aged for a second time ahead of bottling.   “At the Havana Club distillery in Cuba, we are continuously working on developing new recipes that will appeal to a wide range of rum fans around the world.”

     “The influence of the barrel ageing is evident in the flavor profile with notes of vanilla and caramel really coming to the fore, which makes it an ideal base for Cuban cocktails, particularly the Cuba Libre.”  Meanwhile, its new bottle has been designed to provide greater shelf stand-out on the back bar and communicate the brand’s premium credentials. The packaging now features handwritten-style font and oak barrel effect on the label.  “With this new recipe and premium look, we are confident that Havana Club Añejo Especial will satisfy demand from sociable young adults seeking a sweeter taste profile but for whom authenticity and high quality are equally important purchasing cues.” according to Adam Boita, head of marketing for Pernod Ricard UK.   


     “The new look bottle design will also help deliver a stronger product message and provide the brand with heightened visibility in the on-trade.”  In October last year, Havana Club reiterated its aim to strengthen its position in the on-trade with the launch of its flavored cocktail line designed to match its Anejo 7 Anos bottling.

Island Gingerito: Fun and Refreshing Cocktail

    Fooling around in the Rum Lab today, I came up with a new twist on the Mojito.  I'm looking for something that has a ginger taste and yet maintains the light and refreshing flavor of the Mojito.   One of the first things that came to my mind was the idea of using Barritt's Ginger Beer to liven up the taste, and to sweeten it with some agave nectar to give a richness that is lacking with regular simple syrup.  To balance the sweetness of the ginger beer and the sweetener I chose lemon juice instead of  the traditional Lime Juice.  I feel like this cocktail has a nice and very unique flavor that you might really enjoy.

Island Gingerito

•      1 ½ oz. El Dorado Spiced Rum
•       Juice of ½  Lemon
•       2 oz. Barritt’s Ginger Beer
•       8 to 12 Mint Leaves
•       ½ oz. Agave Nectar

Muddle the mint leaves with the agave nectar and lemon juice. Add ice and garnish with a lemon wedge and a mint sprig.

" Aren't Spirit Calories the Same as Food Calories?"

     There has been a huge push for the calorie labels to be put on your favorite spirits, wines, and beers, but what will be the real effect of this push.  Recently there was an interesting article in The Drinks Business, taking an interesting look at another side effect of the new labels.

     Labels carrying calorie information on beer, wine and spirits are causing an increased number of people to swap food for alcohol, prompting concern among health experts.   Dubbed by doctors as “drunkorexia”, an increased number of people are swapping their food calories for alcoholic drinks which contain little or no nutritional value, according to The Times.   Worrying also is that people therefore will tend to drink on an empty stomach, making the effects of alcohol more acute.

      Adrienne Key, consultant psychiatrist and lead clinician for eating disorders at the Priory Hospital, Roehampton, said that calorie information on drinks products was harmful for those with eating problems.   She said, “Recently the advertising of the number of calories in a glass of wine and other drinks, designed to help the population as a whole control their intake, has led to a minority adapting their diets to cut out food to allow for a drink. When someone already has a low weight, it quickly becomes an issue.”

Read More at http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/02/calorie-info-sees-rise-in-drinkorexics/

     There are always side effects from everything, but drunkorexia is an interesting point that makes me wonder.  I wonder how much people will really be tempted to trade booze for food in reality?   I hear that this is a popular concept among college age people, but there are several other youth concepts that most of them grow out of.  Surely there is some validity to this idea, but  " Aren't beer calories the same as food calories"?  ;o)

 

 

White is the New Gold

     It seems in the past few years white rums have been pushed back to the role of :red-headed step child" of the rum business.  It was the mass produced mixer, not something that you could sip or savor on its own.  It was just something that you used to produce a buzz.   Today many of the rum producers have put some real effort into creating new white rums that are truly sipable.

     One of the first that I got to enjoy as a stand alone white was Diplomatico Blanco.  This is a truly fine white rum that will stand on its own and yet quite flavorful.   This is an aged rum that is filtered to remove the color and still retain the flavor of the barrel.  Tito Cordero has put a lot of effort into the rum and the results are "clear" when you decant it into a glass, either neat or on the rocks and sip it.

     Plantation 3 Stars rum is another fine example of the sipable white rum.  Alexander Gabriel  has skillfully blended the best rums from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad.  The distinct rum styles of these islands developed over centuries of rum production has brought its own special character to Plantation 3 Stars Silver Rum  Aged Trinidad rum imparts its classic elegance, Barbados delivers sophistication with a balanced mouth feel and Jamaica conveys its unmistakable structure and rustic edge.


     Bacardi has brought a couple of truly shippable rums to the table as well.   Bacardi Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron launched initially into Duty Free market earlier this year.   This  blend of rums up to three years old, filtered through coconut shell charcoal, offers a sophisticated flavor that can be enjoyed over ice.    The Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron followed the launch of NEO, a carbon-filtered white rum aged up to eight years and part of the op of the line Facundo Rum Collection.

     Santa Teresa, Matusalem, Havana Club, Flor de Cana, Brugal, and 10 Cane have all brought a shippable white rum to the table in the past few years.  I wonder if this is going to be a new trend for the category.  ;o)

Captain Morgan is Introducing Flavored Rums

     For the first time under the flagship brand name of Captain Morgan, you will see three flavored rums on the market.  Captain Morgan has ventured into flavored rums under the "Parrot Bay" brand before, but this is the first as "Captain Morgan".    The are bringing on line pineapple, grapefruit, and coconut  flavors that will be mixed with their new Captain Morgan White Rum.

       Dan Kleinman, vice president of marketing, rums for Diageo North America, said: “This summer, we’re looking for consumers to flip over their hammocks and have a little fun with their Mojitos and Daiquiris by enjoying our new pineapple, coconut and grapefruit extension".

     I think that these expressions are aimed squarely at the young flavored spirits crowd and try to gain ground on all of the new flavored vodkas and whiskeys.   “After last year’s successful launch of Captain Morgan White Rum, we wanted to expand our offerings in the category. These flavors allow adult fans to diversify their cocktails, providing them with a taste of the Caribbean no matter where they may be responsibly enjoying our products.”

     The new flavored expressions will arrive for the summer, and be presented at 35% abv.  They are expected to cost around $16.00 a bottle here in the United States.  You can read more about this at http://www.bevnet.com/news/spirits/2015/captain-morgan-rum-introduces-new-beach-themed-flavor-varieties/

Houston We Have Landed

    It was a rough and windy ride from Key West to Bahia Honda this wee, but the rest and relaxation time made it well worth the trip.   The wind even gave the birds a little trouble as they lit on the rocks at the entry to the Bahia Honda Marina.  ;o)

Hemingway's Footprint in Cuba Part 4: Hemingway the Writer

The Memorial at Cojimar

     Ernest Hemingway needed the income from his writing in order to support his many other adventures.  He was a war correspondent, a magazine and short story writer and most of all a Nobel Prize winning novelist.  All of his writing outlets were widely read and enjoyed.  His inspiration for many of his writings was his location and what he was doing at the time.  Cuba was no exception.  Inspiration for his most famous book The Old Man and the Sea, was the fishing village of Cojimar, just outside of Havana.

 



Ambros Mundos

    His third wife, Martha Gellhorn, inspired him to complete his most famous novel, For Whom The Bells Toll,  which he started in March 1939 and finished in July 1940.   It was published in October 1940.   Consistent with his usual pattern of traveling around when he was working on a manuscript, he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls in Cuba, Wyoming, and Idaho.   For Whom the Bell Tolls became a Book-of-the-Month Club choice and sold half a million copies within a few months.  It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and re-established Hemingway as a literary icon.

Finca la Vigia

    The monies earned from For Whom the Bells Toll allowed him to purchase his beloved Finca la Vigia in 1940.   Hemingway lived in the house from mid 1939 to 1960, renting it at first, and then buying it in December 1940 after he married his third wife Martha Gelhorn.  Hemingway paid $12,500 for the property.   This was the place where he seemed to be able to remain inspired better than any other when it came to his writings.



Pilar at War

    In the years prior to the United States entry into World War II, he convinced the Cuban government to help him refit the Pilar, which he intended to use to ambush German submarines off the coast of Cuba.   After war was declared by the United States he went to Europe to be a war correspondent again.   In 1947, Hemingway was awarded a Bronze Star for his bravery during World War II.  Hemingway was recognized for his valor, having been "under fire in combat areas in order to obtain an accurate picture of conditions".    With the conclusion of the war, he returned to Finca la Vigia in January of 1946, where he began work on The Garden of Eden, finishing 800 pages by June.     During the post–war years, he also began work on a trilogy "The Land", "The Sea" and "The Air", which he wanted to combine into a single novel titled The Sea Book.  Both projects stalled, and  Hemingway's inability to continue was "a symptom of his troubles, believed to be bipolar, something that was not known in those years. 




The Tower at Finca la Vigia

     Hemingway met 19-year-old Adriana Ivancich in Venice.    The platonic love affair inspired the novel Across the River and into the Trees, written in Cuba during a time of strife with his then fourth wife Mary Welsh, published in 1950 to negative reviews.    The following year, furious at the critical reception of Across the River and Into the Trees, he wrote the draft of The Old Man and the Sea in eight weeks, saying that it was "the best I have written in all of my life" .  The Old Man and the Sea became a book-of-the-month selection and established Hemingway an international celebrity and won him the Pulitzer Prize in May of 1952.

     In October 1954, Hemingway received the Nobel Prize in Literature.  He modestly told the press that Carl Sandburg, Isak Dinesen or Bernard Berenson truly deserved the prize, but the  prize money would be welcome.    As he was suffering pain from the African airplane crashes, he decided not to travel to Stockholm.  He sent a speech to be read instead.

    Shortly after he received the Pulitzer Prize, he headed off for a safari in Africa.  Following two near fatal airplane crashes trying to get to Entebbe,  Hemingway and Welsh finally arrived in Entebbe to find reporters covering the story of his death.  He briefed the reporters and spent the next few weeks recuperating and reading his erroneous obituaries.

     He returned to Cuba in 1957 where he began to assemble a group of papers recovered from the

Then there was only the Empty Room and the Typewriter.

Ritz Hotel he left behind after World War II into his memoir A Moveable Feast.   Hemingway  ended a period of intense activity in 1959.  He finished A Moveable Feast, extended  True at First Light to 200,000 words, added new chapters to The Garden of Eden and spent some time developing  Islands in the Stream.   The last three were stored in a safe deposit box in Havana as he focused on the finishing touches for A Moveable Feast.   It was during this period that Hemingway started sliding  into depression from which he was unable to recover.  The Finca Vigia became crowded with guests and tourists and Hemingway was becoming unhappy with his life there.    Hemingway bought a home overlooking the Big Wood River just outside Ketchum, Idaho and left Cuba for the last time.    ;o)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Hemingway's Footprint in Cuba Part 3 Following His Drinking Trail

La Tarraza in Cojimar

     Ernest Hemingway did a lot of things while in Cuba over the years, but he was probably most noted for his ability to consume large volumes of booze.  There are several establishments that he was known to frequent while in Cuba.  Some of the stories are true, and others are just made up for the benefit of the current owners to draw in customers   There are two establishments that I believe that he really enjoyed visiting.  The El Floridita in Havana and the La Tarraza in Cojimar.  These places, from what I've seen and read, were his "go to" watering holes.

Hemingway's Table at La Tarraza

     The La Tarraza is located in the fishing village of Cojimar just to the northeast of Havana where Hemingway kept Pilar.  Hemingway and Captain Fuentes would return from fishing trips and head straight for the La Tarraza for food and drink.  Today his table set for him and Captain Fuentes is still sitting in the corner with the views of the bay where Pilar would sit at anchor.





El Floridita

Daiquiri Central at El Floridita

      While living at the Ambros Mundos was the time that he discovered the El Floridita and its daiquiri.    Upon arriving at the corner of Obispo and Monserrate Streets, he was struck by the charm of the El Floridita, which called to him from its grand bar of precious hard wood. Owner, Constante Ribalaigua's wife, says that Hemingway came into the bar to go to the toilet. When he came out, the drinks that everyone was drinking attracted him. He tasted one and said: "That's good but I prefer it without sugar and double rum".   So Constante prepared it to his taste and served it to him saying, "There it is Papa". That's how the cocktail, which was named after him - the Papa Doble - was born.  Later grapefruit juice was added and that gave way to the "Hemingway Special".  

      El Floridita was his place to just relax and bring some of his many celebrity friends.  He could be found with the likes of the Duke of Windsor, Gene Tunney, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gary Cooper, Luis Miguel Dominguin, Ava Gardner, Tennessee Williams and Spencer Tracy.

     He was known to haunt several other places around Havana like Sloppy Joe's, where it is said that he took his friend Josey Russell and suggested that Josey rename his place in Key West after Sloppy Joe's in Havana.  He was also said to have visited the La Bodeguita del Medio, where he would supposedly drink his Mojitos.  This story has come into question in recent years, but the framed note still hangs on the wall.



     Like everything else that Ernest Hemingway did, he did his drinking in an epic manner as well. As you wander the streets of Havana today you can still sense his presence and follow his pathway through the bars and restaurants.  ;o)

Sign in La Bodeguita del Medio

Hemingway's Footprint in Cuba Part 2 Fishing and Pilar

Anita in Key West

     During his days in Key West, fishing the Gulf Stream between Cuba and Key West is where Hemingway spent a great deal of time.  Along with his friend Josey Russell and others, he learned the ins and outs of fishing very successfully along the Gulf Stream.  The Ernest Hemingway "Mob" would all get together for fishing expeditions to the Marquesas and the Dry Tortugas on Josey Russell's fishing yacht "Anita". 

Pilar at Finca La Vigia

     Hemingway took his first sport fishing foray with his friend Charles Thompson, native and owner of a hardware store who loved fishing and hunting.   Going to the Marquesas, some 25 miles to the west of Key West. Ernest was ecstatic — he was finally fishing for sailfish, swordfish, tarpon, and marlin in the Gulf Stream. They fished by day, dined on fresh fish and conch by night.


Gregorio Fuentes

     Finally in 1934, Ernest Hemingway stopped off in New York to take a few meetings, after which he promptly went to Coney Island to visit the Wheeler Shipyard and make a down payment for his customized yacht.   Hemingway required modifications to the 38-foot vessel.  He added a live fish well and a wooden roller spanning the transom to aid in hauling fish aboard. He also requested extra large fuel tanks so he could stay at sea for longer periods of time. The boat had two motors - a 75hp for traveling and a 40hp for trolling.  And he requested a flying bridge.  The finished yacht cost $7500 and was brought to Key West and christened Pilar, a nickname for his wife Pauline.  

Pilar at Cojimar

     After his break-up with Pauline, Hemingway took his boat and moved to Havana and into the Ambros Mundos Hotel.  Pilar would have a new home in Cojimar, a small fishing village to the northeast of Havana.   There along with his friend and Captain Gregorio Fuentes, they would terrorize the fish between the Dry Tortugas, Cuba, Florida and the Bahamas.  Fuentes would captain Pilar until Hemingway left Cuba in 1960, and would finally pass away in Cojimar on July 13, 2002 at the age of 104. Their adventures together on Pilar were the inspiration for Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea.

     At the start of World War II, Hemingway volunteered for patrol off of Cuba looking for Nazi U-Boats.  In 1942 and ‘43, Roosevelt asked for volunteers to patrol off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts—as many as a thousand boats were assigned. The United States didn’t have enough Navy ships to cover these areas. The volunteers became known as the Hooligan Navy. 

     Hemingway was the only American civilian to patrol off of Cuba, where he was living at the time, and he had to get through a lot of red tape. But he was part of a huge surveillance network in place. You just never knew when the subs were going to come up. When ships in the Hooligan Navy spotted U-boats, they’d call for backup from the military.

   

Hemingway and Castro

    In May of 1960 just before Hemingway's final departure from Havana, he would receive a fishing award from Fidel Castro.   He left Cuba for the last time in July of 1960.  His beloved fishing yacht, Pilar has been restored for a second time and is on display at Finca la Vigia in San Francisco de Paula, just outside of Havana.

Hemingway's Footprint in Cuba Part 1 The Timeline

     After seeing an article in the Caribbean Journal, it reminded me how big Ernest Hemingway's footprint really left in Cuba.  From his first visit, a 3-day layover awaiting departure for Spain accompanied by his wife and two sons, until the day he left Cuba for the final time in 1960, his presence was huge.  

Pink Ambros Mundos

     On his first visit he stayed at the Ambros Mundos Hotel in Havana, a place he would call home when he returned to Havana in 1932.  Biographer García Marquez, said., "the writer's first refuge in Cuba was room 511 of the Hotel Ambos Mundos that he chose exclusively for the privileged view of the city that he could contemplate from the windows."     Hemingway would complete For Whom the Bells Tolls in Room 511.  Hemingway would remain at the Ambros Mundos Hotel until 1939 when he purchased Finca la Vigia - located just outside of Havana and in San Francisco de Paula - with the proceeds from For Whom The Bell Tolls.

   In 1960 when Philip Bonsall, the U.S. ambassador to Cuba and a frequent visitor, dropped by to say that Washington was planning to cut off relations with Fidel Castro's fledgling government, and that American officials thought it would be best if Hemingway demonstrated his patriotism by giving up his beloved tropical home. He resisted the suggestion, fiercely.   It is interesting that he only lived for about one year after departing Cuba for the final time.  

The Front of Finca la Vigia

     This is the first of a series that will give you a summary of the huge footprint that Ernest Hemingway left on Cuba.   : o)

Ernest Hemingway's "Papa Doble"

     The "Papa Doble" as it later became known was the favorite cocktail of the infamous writer Ernest Hemingway when he visited the El Floridita in Havana in the 1930's.  The cocktail has reappeared in many forms and variations over the years, but you can still enjoy the cocktail as it was originally made upon your visit to the El Floridita, hopefully soon, as they are promising travel opening up to Cuba in the near future.

    Phillip Greene in his book "To Have and Have Another", he talks about the cocktail and its origin.  He really has it right in my opinion. 

"E. Henminay Special" Daiquiri

• 2 ounces white rum
• 1 teaspoon grapefruit juice
• 1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur
• ½ ounce lime juice

"Frappe" (chip or crush) some ice, add to shaker, then add remaining ingredients. Shake well, then pour contents of shaker into a chilled cocktail glass.

     "Hemingway was the inspiration for this classic cocktail with the intentionally misspelled name served at Havana's famous Floridita bar, which the writer frequented in the early 1930s on visits from his home in Key West. The drink made it into the bar's 1937 cocktail manual, and a decade later, it evolved into the "Papa Doble," named for Papa Hemingway."

     This is not a daiquiri for the faint at heart, it is bold and very tart, but if you don't have to drink "sugar bombs" as your cocktail of choice, you might really enjoy this one.