Watermelon Pina Splash

Summer means that there are a lot of fresh fruits and melons that have ripened and make for great refreshing cocktails.  Here is an idea that will spark you palate and keep you smiling for hours.  Watermelon is a great cocktail base when mixed with other great ingredients.  This one really works thanks to the help of Plantation Pineapple Rum.

Watermelon Pina Splash

• 2 oz. Planation Pineapple Rum
• ½ cup Fresh Watermelon Piecess
• Juice of Half a Lime
• ¾ oz. Cane Syrup

Combine lime juice cane syrup and watermelon in a mixing glass and muddle lightly, add Plantation Pineapple Rum with ice and vigorously until chilled.   Pour into a tumbler, garnish with a watermelon slice.

Bacardi Visitors Centre Offering Oak Barrel Sunglasses

     Bacardi is endeavoring to be as green as possible in it operations.  In this light they have come out with sunglasses that are made from oak rum barrels that have run their course as aging barrels.  The barrels are disassembled and the staves are cut into the pieces for the sunglasses.   BACARDÍ at the rum factory outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, they chip up some old barrels for mulch or reused for planters an chairs among other uses. Today they are transforming them  by hand into artisan-crafted eye wear so customers can both drink and wear BACARDÍ.

     “With sights set on seeing a net-zero impact, the Company’s eco-friendly, reclaimed-wood eyewear innovations metaphorically promote our eco-focus and allow clients to take a new, ‘greener’ view with wearable, sustainable art that actually protects their eyes,” says Maggie Matias, managing director for the Bacardi Visitor Centre, who is based at the world’s largest premium rum distillery.   Certified craftsmen make the eye wear manually in a time consuming process of assembling, sanding and finishing the frames producing these unique wood framed sunglasses.   There are four exclusive and stylish lines of sunglasses, each pair features a carved BACARDÍ bat logo at the temple as well as Italian polarized lenses.   The wooden-framed BACARDÍ eye wear hits the mark with several designs that highlight the wood grain and texture.    Details like sharp lines, soft curves and green materials make the line of sunglasses universal for all.    The lenses come in cobalt blue or sunrise orange, while the frames, each unique, come in blond wood and dark chestnut hues.   The sunglasses will retail for US$195 each, are light and comfortable to wear and are only sold at the Casa BACARDÍ Visitor Centre Store in Cataño, Puerto Rico.

“At Bacardi, our challenge is to think in new, creative ways to help the environment and our consumers. This is just one example of how we recycle materials to give them new life and ensure that nothing goes to waste, and this is part of our long-term view for the future,” adds Eduardo Vallado Moreno, vice president for Supply Chain and Manufacturing for Bacardi in the Americas, whose responsibility includes the Puerto Rico facility.

Read More at https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/06/bacardi-release-wooden-sunglasses-made-from-recycled-oak-rum-barrels/

Rum Sales Champions for 2016

     The Spirit Business has just announced the winners of the "Brand Champions of 2016.  For the rum category in general, it has not been a really good year, with the exception of Appleton Estate, the other large international producers has posted a loss in sales.  The rum category is undergoing a huge change these days to bring more premium expressions to the market place.  Whiskey is strong right now and it is a great time for the rum people to step up to the next level and bring some attention back to the world of rum.

     Gruppo Campari’s Appleton Estate was one such brand and was the only international rum to witness any growth last year, after four previous years of flat-lining volumes. The Jamaican rum benefited from a new naming classification and packaging redesign for its core range.   “In addition, our markets also introduced a number of exciting initiatives that focused on educating both bartenders and consumers on premium rum and what makes Appleton Estate so unique,” claims KK Hall, director, global strategic marketing – rums, at Gruppo Campari.

      “Rum is one of the key major spirits categories that has not demonstrated significant  

premiumisation on a global level,” continued Hall.   “The advent of new brands in this premium space, coupled with the increased level of trade and consumer education, lends to our strong belief that the time is ripe for the category to premiumize, and we intend to get our share of this action.”

     McDowell’s No.1 Celebration, meanwhile, has clung on to the world’s best-selling rum title despite losing volume and Bacardí – rum’s former number one – continued its decline. In total, the brand has lost almost 2.5m cases since 2012.

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/06/rum-brand-champion-2016/ 

Rum Sold in Millions of Cases
BRAND	OWNER	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	% +/-
McDowell’s No.1 Celebration	United Spirits	15.63	17.76	19.01	18.29	17.80	-2.68%
Bacardí	Bacardi	19.60	19.80	19.10	18.20	17.42	-4.29%
Tanduay	Tanduay Distillers	18.70	19.60	14.00	17.00	16.50	-2.94%
Captain Morgan	Diageo	9.20	10.00	10.30	10.40	10.30	-0.96%
Havana Club	Pernod Ricard	3.84	3.81	3.89	4.01	4.00	-0.25%
Barceló	Ron Barceló	1.69	1.61	2.12	2.17	2.04	-6.08%
Old Port Rum	Amrut Distillers	2.00	1.37	1.51	1.76	1.92	9.09%
Appleton Estate	Gruppo Campari	1.20	1.20	1.20	1.20	1.25	4.17%
Cacique	Diageo	1.70	2.10	2.20	1.20	1.10	-8.33%
Bozkov	Stock Spirits Group	0.86	0.73	0.93	0.89	1.01	13.71%

How About a Quickie Sipping Cocktail?

     This is an idea for a very simple cocktail that will light up the evening .  Full flavored with a citrusie spiciness that will tantalize your taste buds.  This is a great evening sipper or just about anytime it you are looking for a refreshing little something something to chill with.

Bahama Bob's Quickie Cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz. Damoiseau VSOP Rhum
• 3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth
• 1 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• 2 Dashes of Fee Brothers Old Fashion Bitters 

Pour all ingredients into a shaker half-filled with ice cubes and shake until well chilled.   Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with a twist of lemon and orange peels.

Sharing a Close History, but Broken Up for Over 50 Years

     The United States has so many years of shared history with Cuba, but we just can't seem to bet it back together.  Even though there is a lot of rhetoric flying around right now and a lot of people in both countries that would like to see a normalization of relations, it a year and a half after the announcement that relations were being renewed and basically we have the same old separation.  There is no freedom of travel between the countries despite what you are hearing in the press.   It still takes special and expensive permits for very specific reasons other than tourism to visit.

     “The United States and Cuba, with their close proximity and shared history as European colonies, have been intertwined for centuries. However, after roughly two generations of U.S. embargoes against Cuba, few can remember a time when Americans and Cubans could travel back and forth freely and easily to explore their shared connections.”   As neighbors, the U.S and Cuba once enjoyed a close relationship, Both participated in trans-Atlantic trade before and after the American Revolution. As early as 1820, Thomas Jefferson wrote that Cuba would be “the most interesting addition which could ever be made to our system of States.” Cuba became a territory of the United States in 1898 for four years, after the U.S. defeated the Spanish in the Spanish-American War.    In 1902, the island officially gained its independence, although the Platt Amendment gave the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.   In 1934, the U.S. officially relinquished its right to intervene in Cuban affairs and even made changes to its own economic policy to favor trade with Cuba above other countries. 

    Cuba became a popular destination for American tourists, who poured into the country on Pan American Airlines flights, enjoyed spectacular productions at the Tropicana, and tried their luck at the island’s many casinos. 

         In 1959 this all changed, between the revolution, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, relations were at an all time low.  This bitterness has lasted more that fifty years and it is time to get back to normal.

     I'm looking to the day when I can jump on my boat and take the 90 mile cruise to Marina Hemingway and check in like I can into the Bahamas and when my stay is done, cruise home and check back into the United States at Customs.  I'm hoping that the politicians that are so worried about elections start working on completing the task of normalizing our relations with Cuba.

Colorful and Crowded: Port Au Prince

     Haiti and especially Port Au Prince are the highest density populations in the world.   I have to think back to my visit there when I start complaining about how crowded Key West can be at times.  The crowds of tourists that are here for special occasions are only a short term event, not like the daily situations in Port Au Prince.   Life in Key West is just fine, what crowding?

Bahama Bob’s “Rhum Brooklyn”

     Taking an old classic recipe based around rye whiskey and converting it to a rhum cocktail requires an understanding of both spirits.  The Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel has a spiciness and fruity flavor similar to rye whiskey, but a purer flavor that brings the cocktail to life.   I really enjoy recreating classic cocktails that were originally based on some form of whiskey to rum or rhum, they most always have a richer and more full bodied clean flavor.  

     The unusual combination of ingredients, make this cocktail one that offers a complex and moderately dry drink that is best enjoyed in the evening.   It resembles a Manhattan, but with the addition of Maraschino liqueur and bitters. It largely fell into obscurity after the end of Prohibition, but it experienced a resurgence in the 1990’s.   Today it is again slipped into obscurity again, but none the less a very fine cocktail.   The Bahama Bob’s Rhum Brooklyn is a cocktail that lets the Rhum Agricole carry the load of the cocktail.   In a Manhattan the sweet vermouth is the prominent character, here the dry vermouth takes a more subtle role behind the dominant rhum agricole flavors.   The Luxardo Maraschino and Angostura Bitters roll in after the initial spice and fruitiness of the Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel and provide a lovely mixture of aromatics, and an unmistakable cherry and fruit funk.

   Bahama Bob’s “Rhum Brooklyn”

• 3 oz.  Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel
• 3/4  oz.  Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 oz.  Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/4 oz.  Angostura Bitters

     Combine ingredients with ice and shake until well-chilled.  Strain      into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with an Orange Twist.

Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel: Wonderful for Sipping or Premium Cocktails

     As a result of my exploration of the aged agricole rhums of late, I came across theis Clement Rhum Vieux Select Barrel expression.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of the flavors and the long lasting finish of this really flavorful rhum.

    While the production of most rums is unregulated, resulting in a veritable Wild West of methods and standards, rhum agricole is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, an appellation with standards defined by the French authorities in the same way as for example, Roquefort .  Making  for greater consistency than can  usually be found among other styles of rums.    Only rhum from the French West Indies (mostly from Martinique) can be called rhum agricole.

     Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel has achieved the depth of flavor and satisfying mouth-feel in their Select Barrel Rhum Vieux Agricole.   The Clément distillers in Martinique choose only the finest casks to create this expression.   There is plenty of natural sweetness, balancing the earthiness of the grassy notes of the rhum agricole perfectly.  This full-bodied rum is very dry and slightly vegetal, the agricole process yields more flavors from actual sugarcane juice than molasses-based rums.   I enjoy the intensity of the sugarcane and the select barrel aging process.  That has given you these silky notes of crème brûlée and burnt sugar, cocoa, cardamom and cinnamon making this such a fine tasting expression.

Manifesto Of Madrid by The Recovery And Defense of the Rum Industry.

This is what rum is made from and nothing else

     In the past couple of years there has been a developing controversy over adding things to the rum.  The one thing that I have really liked about rum was that there were very few rules, the only real rule was that it was the be made from a derivative of the sugar cane.   The addition of flavors, spices and color would not bother me as long as the manufacturer would label the bottle letting us know what they have added.   A rum's flavor has a different appeal to different people, with some people liking sweet rum or flavored rum and others that prefer dry  unaltered
rums.  What I really have a problem with is the cheating on the very basis of what makes rum rum.

     While others look at the "Manifesto" put together in Madrid last May as being hypocritical, I am seeing it as a start that might lead to a resurgence of real rum.  Bourbon has very strict rules, but you are seeing the appearance of flavored bourbons, but the basis of the spirit is very much in tact.  This is where I believe the industry needs to get their act together.  The basis of rum must be sugarcane, and nothing else.  Rum is not suppose to be a neutral spirit made from just about anything that ferments, but rather a very special spirit based on sugarcane.

   

MADRID MANIFESTO FOR RECOVERY AND DEFENSE INDUSTRY RON On May 31 in the days of the V International Congress of Ron that was held from May 30 to June 2 in the capital of Spain, the rum sector both consumer and manufacturing joined around a manifesto, which includes the defense of this distillate, which can only be sugarcane.  This is the starting point from which this manifesto is born due to the use of alcohols are not sugar cane by other more profitable because their production costs. Alcohol sorghum, rice, beets, vinous, etc ... is used for mixing with cane alcohols, which produces consumer deception. This practice used, it is difficult to certify a product with this mixture of alcohol, today control mechanisms are insufficient to certify this practice to 100%. The first to sign this manifesto was the master Ronero of Havana Club, Don José Navarro, followed by the Director of the International Congress of Ron, Don Javier Herrera and so different company representatives Legendary, Distilleries San Bartolome de Tejina, Savio, Decanter de Caldas , Centennial, Saint James, Bold, etc ...

In the V Congress Ron Madrid was a success both brands and professionals, this year attended Santa Teresa, Havana Club rums of Venezuela DOC (Santa teresa, Ocumare, Diplomat, Veroes, Old Oak), Cubaney, Quorhum, exquisite, President, Unhiq, Magec, Fortin, Origenes, Cihuatán, Malteco, Malecon, Legendary, Pampero, Centenario, Saint James, Dillon, JBally, Bold, Marka's, Neat Glass, Lallemand, Tomsa Distil, Applic Etains, Cubers, DeltaGrup, Cocktail Shop, Don Q, Trois Rivieres, La Mauny, HSE, LONGUETEAU, Lambreo, New Growe, Caliche, 1423, Worthy Park Estate, Tiger, Cool Cup, BarBusiness, La Ronronería, Bacardi, Guajiro, Cocal, Aguere, Davidoff Coco Real, Finest Call, Monin, Sanz and Leblon.

Read More at http://congresodelron.com/ 

     This is a good start that needs to be follow up on and the industry needs to be policing themselves to keep the quality of the rum high and especially with the trend toward premium expressions there is the chance that producers could be offering spirits that look like premium aged expressions that have never spent much time in a barrel.   The French have a set of rules for their rhums, and it might be time for the rest of the rum world to get behind a set of rules and good product labeling.

Lemon Drop Daiquiri

     Sitting in a bar the other day, a group of ladies on a bachelorette party, sat down at the bar and ordered the classic vodka cocktail called a lemon drop.  Thinking about this as I watched the bartender fix them, I thought this mike make a really good and simple daiquiri.  I headed back to the aft deck bar on the boat and went to work.  It has actually turned out to be a really tasty and refreshing cocktail.  It is a sweet-tart citrusy refreshing cocktail that lends itself very well to the hot weather that has suddenly been set upon us.  This is a great addition to your summer cocktail menu.




Lemon Drop Daiquiri

• 3 oz. Matusalem Platino Rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• 3/4 oz. Fresh lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz. Sirop JM

Place all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.  Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass that is rimmed with "Sugar in the Raw" and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Bar Brawl Breaks Out Because Someone Farted.

     This could only happen in Key West; where else would a fight break out over flatulence.   I guess it is the weather, still rainy from Colin and all.  This is the craziest excuse for a fight that I have ever come across.  When you mix alcohol with stupidity, you end up with this kind of happenings. 

     A bar fight at Sloppy Joe’s, one of Key West's most famous watering holes wasn't over a spilled drink or sleazy advance on someone's wife, but rather someone’s flatuation (fart) that led to the scuffle.  According to the police report, a fight broke out between two couples this week when someone, remained unidentified, allegedly broke wind inside Sloppy Joe's, on Duval St. Key West, FL.  "The argument was due to someone farting," police were told by Richard McBride, the man who went to the hospital for a dislocated shoulder after the Monday night scrap.

     Richard McBride, 53, and his girlfriend Sandra Stoner, 55, both of Naples, said they were caught up in a physical altercation after the argument arose "over a fart," Officer Igor Kasyanenko noted in his report.  The couple said they were drinking with friends at the bar when Stoner traded words with an unidentified woman before getting out of her seat and confronting her in "an aggressive manner," police said.   An unidentified man tried to pull the woman away as others began to step into the dispute, including McBride, who pushed the man, according to the police.   The man retaliated by striking McBride in the face and McBride responded by tackling him, Stoner told police at the scene.       The unidentified couple took off and police said they couldn't find them.  

Read More at http://www.keysnet.com/2016/06/11/508726/bar-brawl-breaks-out-breaking.html

Cuban Bartender Wins Havana Club Grand Prix

Bartender Amaury Cepeda has been crowned winner of the 11th biannual Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix, held in Havana, Cuba.

     Amaury Cepeda of Taberba Yaybu Bar in his hometown of Santi Spiritus,Cuba, impressed the judging panel winning the two-day final with his cocktail “Cunyaya”; made with Havana Club 3 Year Old, Havana Club Essence of Cuba Island Fruit, honey, sour orange, and fresh sugar cane juice.   Thirteen finalists were tasked with creating “the next rum classic serve” by combining Cuba’s cocktail tradition, authenticity and local ingredients with their own personal experiences.  Cepeda’s winning cocktail was inspired by the traditions of the slaves brought to Cuba in 1515, and created after a five-day brand experience with seminars, workshops and masterclasses.   Of his win, Cepeda said: Of his win, Cepeda said: “Cuban cantineros must have all their senses in their cocktail; their heart, their soul and a profound respect towards bartending. I am very proud to have won the 11th Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix and I am very looking forward to starting my collaboration with Havana Club. Above all, I am excited about having the opportunity to continue to better myself!”    He will now undertake a global rum project with Havana Club, where he will have the freedom to create his own rum, write a book on the spirit or even launch his own rum pop-up. 

     Second place went to Veilandas Povilas, from Lithuania, one of the few women present in the competition, who showed great charisma and skills during the two-day contest   Manan Krause, from Germany, won the third place while the People´s Choice award went to Danish Kleist Terkel.

     Havana Club International and the Cuban Bartenders Association organized this event that is held every other year, and has won steadily a reputation as a hard to win competition.

     The judging panel featured mixologists from the World’s 50 Best Bars including Hidetsugo Ueno from Japan; Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni from Argentina; Alejandro Bolívar from Cuba; and Thanos Prunarus from Greece; along with cocktail and tiki expert Scotty Schuder; winner of the 2014 competition, Andy Loudon; and renowned spirits writer, Dave Broom.

Read More at http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/cuba/5182-cuban-bartender-wins-havana-club-cocktail-grand-prix

This is Not What I Wanted to See

     This is not the view out the back of the boat that you want to see when you are out on a day of cruising and looking for that suntan.  It is a nasty looking thunderstorm that is approaching from the rear, an indication that it is time to head for the docks.  It is still a better day than one in the North, warm and wonderful, but a little scary though.

Is It Winter Time Again Already?

     This year has been the craziest weather year that I can remember.  We really didn't have a spring and summer only lasted about a week and it is tropical storms, winds and thunderstorms again.   The temps have gone from the low 90's back to the low 80's and the wind is howling around.  

   "El Nino" is a crazy man that has really messed up the weather in the northern hemisphere this year.   "The current El Nino, which started last year, is now considered one of the two strongest on record since climate scientists started keeping track in 1950, said Ron Miller, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Spokane."   "El Niño is an ocean phenomenon that mimics a really hot bathtub of ocean warming in the Pacific Ocean. It spurs ocean thunderstorms the size of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri combined. “These happen every day, 24 hours a day for three months,” Christopher Anderson, assistant director of the climate science program at Iowa State University says.   Now they say by August El Nino will die out and be replaced by La Nina, where the "bathtub cools down and produces  winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest.  In other words it is another mess as we head into winter in 2016.

     Hurricane season has arrived and we have had our first tropical storm pass by, bringing a ton of rain to the gulf and central and northern Florida.  The major player in the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season is likely to be La Niña.   Cooler-than-average waters are predicted to develop in the tropical Pacific (La Niña). These cool waters affect weather systems around the globe over time.  "Provided La Niña begins to develop late in the summer and strengthens during the autumn, we should see a corresponding uptick in the number of tropical systems in the Atlantic basin," according to Hurricane Expert

Dan Kottlowski. "However, it is not like flipping a switch and all of a sudden the Atlantic is buzzing with hurricanes."   The impact of La Niña may not be felt until the autumn.   During the first part of the summer, the warmest waters in the Atlantic basin are usually found from the western part of the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeastern coast of the United States.   "While warm waters remain a concern, features that helped to breed Bonnie and Colin should retreat northward through midsummer," Kottlowski said. "Early season systems tend to gravitate toward fronts and ahead of plunges of cool air."

     It all sounds like more weather chaos for the rest of 2016 to me.  I just know that the oceans have been rougher than normal so far this year and are finally beginning to warm up enough to go swimming.   Don't mind me I just need a rum cocktail and head out on the aft deck and watch the rain and the 78 degree weather this morning.   

This Story Just Won't Die, More Twists and Turns than a Roller Coaster

A bill recently proposed by US lawmakers may further complicate Pernod Ricard’s ambition to launch its Havana Club rum brand in the United States.

     I can't believe that this story in the past month has made so many legal twists and turns.  Now we have the legislature getting involved attaching it to a financial bill to get it through.  This has got to come to a close soon, it is becoming ludicrous.  Come on people, make a decision and just stick with it.

If passed, a financial bill may further complicate Cuba-made Havana Cub rum in the US

At the end of last month, the House of Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2017 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which stated a number of legislative provisions.   Among them was a provision that would prohibit “funds to approve the licensing of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was confiscated by the Cuban Government without express consent”.

     The bill – which provides annual funding for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Small Business Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other related agencies – is currently being considered by a subcommittee.

If passed, the bill may prevent Pernod Ricard from launching its Havana Club rum in the US. The brand is currently poised to launch in the market if a long-standing trade embargo between the Cuba and US is lifted.

     However, Bacardi markets its own Havana Club rum, made in Puerto Rico, in the US and so has launched a legal battle against its rival.  In February this year, Pernod Ricard confirmed the trademark for its own Havana Club rum, owned by Cubaexport, had been officially renewed in the US until 2026.   The following month, Bacardi asked a US district court to “strike” the Havana Club trademark from the official register in the latest move in a battle with Cubaexport over the rights to the brand name in the country. 

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/06/bill-may-challenge-havana-club-us-trademark/

Bahama Bob's Ti Thunderstorm

     While in St. Croix last week, I found that the mangoes were just beginning to ripen and I had the opportunity to enjoy a couple of them as a great munchy.  This got me thinking about using them in a cocktail.

     The Damoiseau 110 White Rhum is one of my favorite agricoles.   It has the big bold flavor that really brings a Ti Punch to life.  This is a variation on the Ti Punch, exchanging the lime for the lemon and adding the mango makes this a real winner.  Really fits what I was looking for to blend with the wonderful flavor of the mangoes.

Bahama Bob's Ti Thunder

• 2 oz. Damoiseau Pure Cane Rhum 110
• 3 pieces of Fresh Mango
• Juice of ½ Lemon
• ¾  oz. JM Syrop

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mango,  lemon juice, and simple syrup. add ice and rum and shake until fully chilled.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon wheel.