Burnt Sugar Syrup Cocktail

     Burnt Sugar adds a really nice flavor to a cocktail.  It puts a caramelly rich sweetness to the cocktail that plain sugar doesn't have.   I'm doing some experiments with Burnt Sugar Syrup that is proving to be very interesting.  The Burnt Sugar Daiquiri is my favorite so far, but  there are so many other possibilities where you can replace simple syrup with burnt sugar syrup to add depth to a cocktail.   Give this a try, it is easy to make and really adds to the flavor.    Adds a little something to a T-Punch as well. 

Bahama Bob’s Burnt Sugar Daiquiri

• 2 ½ oz. White Rum
• ¾ oz. Burnt Sugar Syrup
• Juice of ½ Lime

Place all ingredients into a shaker and shake until chilled.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime.

Bahama Bob’s Burnt Sugar Syrup

• ½ cup of sugar in the raw
• ½ cup water

Place sugar into a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat (275 deg.) without stirring until sugar begins to melt around the edges.  Stir the mixture until the mixture is all melted and a nice dark brown color.

Remove from the heat and very slowly add water while stirring, caramel will seize as water is added.   Cook over medium heat and stirring continuously until smooth.  This will take about 5 minutes. 

Transfer to a suitable container and shill in refrigerator until cooled.

Sport Event in Brazil, It's Caipirinha Time

The Rise of the Caipirinha, the Unofficial Cocktail of the Olympics 

     A few years back when the World Cup Soccer games were being held in Brazil, the Caipirinha was all the rage and Cachaca was flying off of the shelves even here in the United States.   Here we go again, this time it is the Rio Olympics and everyone is all about the Caipirinha again.  Today here in the United States, the most readily available are Leblon and Ypioca Cachacas, but if you can find it, Avua, Sabastiana, and Novo Fogo are some of the finest quality ones.

      Brazil has been turning sugarcane into distilled spirit for at least as long as anyone in the Western Hemisphere and quite possibly longer. Portuguese colonists planted sugarcane there as early as 1520 and by 1535 one Erasmus Schetz, from Antwerp, was turning the stuff into booze. By 1585, there were 192 working distilleries. That number would only go up: in 1629, it was 349. Today, the common estimate is 5,000. Estimate, because nobody knows for sure:

     The Caipirinha is a really great cocktail, closely a kin to the Daiquiri and Ti Punch.  It is a very refreshing cocktail that is given its unique flavor by the Brazilian Spirit Cachaca.   Cachaca is made from fresh squeezed sugarcane syrup and presented after distillation in many forms from the very raw high proof and unaged expressions to the ultra premium aged.  The friendliness of the cocktail is directly related to what you make it with.   

 Ciapirinha

 

• 21/2 Oz. Cachaca
• 1/2 Lime Cut into Thirds
• 1 Bar Spoon of Sugar

Place Lime wedges and sugar in a shaker and muddle.  Add the Cachaca and ice, shake until until chilled and pout into a large "Rocks Glass" with a sugar in the raw rim.  Garnish with a lime wheel. 

August: A Month of Thunderstorms in Key West

     Daily Thunderstorms has been the story of August so far.  Seems like there has been just one after the other this summer.  The don't last very long, but this year they have been very spectacular,  This one happened just before sunset giving the clouds and the buildings such intense colors.  I find these days to be just awesome and I love to sit on the deck of the boat with the camera and just shoot like a mad man.

Wednesday was Captain Tony's 100th Birthday

 "All you need in life is a tremendous sex drive and a 

great ego - Brains don't mean shit." 

     This really sums it up for this adventurous Key West legend.  "Anthony Tarracino, known to one and all as Capt. Tony, spent two years as mayor of Key West, Fla., and 60 years as one of the most colorful characters in an island city full of them. During his 92 years, he was a bootlegger, gambler, gunrunner, saloon keeper, fishing boat captain, ladies' man and peerless raconteur. He died Nov. 1 of heart and lung ailments in Key West."

  "Tarracino survived on his wits and cunning long before his arrival in raffish Key West in 1948 with $18 in his pocket. He spent more than three decades as a charter boat captain and for 28 years owned a dank, musty bar that once doubled as the city morgue."

    Captain Tony's Bar is still operating today and you can still feel his presence every time you stop by.   This is the same man that gave Jimmy Buffett his start and had so many friends here in Key West.  We really miss you my friend.

Rapid Ageing: A Solution or Just Another Problem for Spirit Producers?

     Supply is a serious problem for many categories of spirits now, with maturation being the real center of the problem.   It is very simple the product must sit in barrels in ageing warehouses for several years before they can be sold as quality spirits.

     The quick rise in the demand for whiskey in the past few years has put the whiskey producers in a position of running out of product before they can produce and age enough to meet the demand.  One of the alternatives they are looking at is means of speeding up the ageing process.  Many are already adding additional oak chips to the barrels giving the spirits more exposure to wood, hopefully speeding its maturation.

     Sazerac announced plans to plough US$200 million into expanding production at the Frankfort-based Buffalo Trace Distillery following its admittance that the site struggles to meet soaring demand.   In its latest Bourbon Supply Update, the distillery said its shortages were a “real problem” and not a “marketing tactic to get consumers to buy more”.   The Spirits Business, Mark Brown, CEO of Sazerac, and Harlen Wheatley, master distiller at Buffalo Trace, said that recent innovations in the industry to speed up the whiskey ageing process will not rectify the shortages.   “We do not believe that rapid ageing is a viable solution to the current shortages,” they said. “We do not think that this approach will supplant age statements or aged whiskey in general.   “Obviously we cannot speak for the whiskey industry at large,  as for damaging the category, we believe that the most important thing is continuing to deliver to the consumer really top quality and great tasting whiskeys – it remains to be seen whether or not ‘rapid-ageing’ can meet these critically important criteria.
     Bryan Davis, co-founder of US-based Lost Spirits, has been refining a scientific process that he claims forces a chemical composition within new make liquid that is nearly identical to that of an aged variety.

For a more in-depth look at see the August 2016 issue of The Spirits Business.

     There are several rum producers that are

placing extra wood in their barrels to sped the maturation process, but this is not really a bothersome thing in my mind, other than the way that it can make the spirit overly "oaky" if it is not monitored very carefully.   I have been playing with the use of cubes of rum and bourbon barrels that have been soaked in wine and agave nectar to add flavors to the spirit as they sit in a container maturating.  My "barrel juice" experiments have worked well adding flavor and smoothing overproof rums and actually smoothing them out.

     In the past six months or so I got my hands on a small virgin barrel in which I placed overproof rum and allowed it to sit for 3 months.  I then added cubes of used rum barrels soaked for 2 months in a combination of Rhine Wine and agave nectar to the barrel and in 1 month the flavor change was pronounced.  after another month the spirit became far to "woody" and became somewhat "over done if you will".  I'm not making any claims  from these experiments, but it was very interesting to see how "time in a barrel" changes the spirit.  It is truly one of these things where a little is good, but too much ruins it.

     Maturation is the whole basis for good spirits and it

takes time.  There are means of speeding this process, but they come with problems as well.  There may come a day with our modern scientific knowledge will allow us to fully understand what goes on in the barrel and the wonderful relationship between alcohol and wood, but until then to paraphrase Sebastian Cabot form the days of his wine commercials, "No spirit before its time".

Something the United States Should Consider

     The growth of the "craft spirits" industry in the United States is being seriously stifled by the government strangle hold on licensing for stills here.   The is a movement underway in the United Kingdom that will streamline this process.  I think that after 83 years after the Repeal of  Prohibition, it is time to look again at the system of issuing licenses for stills.

         HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) has set out changes to the UK’s alcohol excise duty structure for spirits, making it easier for distillers to become licensed producers.  The proposed changed to Notice 39, which outlines what is required of a business seeking to become a licensed distiller, will benefit the increasing number of craft distillers setting up new businesses.   The proposed changes include making the application process easier to follow, clarifying the term “tax warehouse” and the application procedure to operate a distiller’s warehouse, and simplifying some of the required documents required by business owners when applying.   The document also helps to outline specific timelines for the application process, with 45 working days the standard time to complete an application and receive a license.

     “For the first time, a single HMRC public notice now covers the manufacture of gin and other spirits alongside “traditional” distilling of alcohol”, explains Alan Powell, a specialist in excise duty and co-founder of the newly formed British Distillers Alliance.   “When finalized, it will give clear guidance and direction not only to the industry but also to HMRC staff having to deal with the licensing and control of spirits producers”.  

Read More at https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/08/hmrc-sets-out-new-spirits-legislation-to-ease-licence-applications/ 

   Anything that will streamline the process is a huge plus for the craft spirits industry and allow more craft distilled spirits to be available to the American public.  It is also time for the government regulatory system to get the distilled spirits people similar rules as does the craft beer industry.

Egg Whites in Cocktails

     Here is a new idea, following some of the ideas from the thirties and forties world of cocktails.   There were many cocktails that used egg whites to a body and flavor to their cocktails.  I remember what adding egg whites to a Brandy Alexander back in the late 60's did for its flavor.   I have been doing some experimenting out in the lab with the concept of using egg whites in rum cocktails and I am pretty happy with some of the results.

     This is a dry cocktail that is very refreshing and flavorful.  I hope that you enjoy it.  If it is too dry just add a little cane or agave syrup to the mix and it will give you a little sweeter version if that suits your palate.

Elder Eggtini

• 2 ½ Oz. Brugal Extra Dry Rum
• 1 Oz. St. Germain Liqueur
• 1½ Oz. Egg White (lightly whipped)
• ½ Oz. Lemon Juice

Lightly whip the egg whites and add to the rest of the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.  Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon zest.

A New Approach to Classifications for the Rum Category

     Richard Seale of Foursquare Distillery in Barbados is trying to put rum into classifications like those of  the whiskey producers.  For years Richard Seale has been on a campaign to purify the rum category.  His rums are those of purity and wants rum to become an honest spirit with rules.   We can still make rums like we are with his system, but the public will better understand what they are really getting in the bottle.

     Richard Seale has devised a new structure for the way rums are labelled, named after his business partner Luca Gargano of rum importer Velier.   Seale said: "We are proposing a new rum classification. "We have to get away from talking about rum in terms of color and country styles, which are meaningless."   Seale is looking for real classifications for the category like whiskey category has followed for years and other spirits exist by as well.

This is how their "Gargano Classification" would work:

• Pure Single Rum – this would apply to all pure pot-still rums and would be the equivalent of single malt whisky

• Single Blended Rum – blends of pot-still and column-still rums, the equivalent of blended whisky

• Traditional Rum – traditional column-still rum, similar to grain whisky

 

• Agricole Rhums  - “Appellation d’ Origine Controlle"  for rums produced on the island of Martinique that meet certain local standards. 

• Rum – all other rums.

     This is an idea that the rest of the producers in the rum industry should take a serious look at, it has real merit that would be good for the entire industry.

     

Looking to Get Back to Bahia Honda

     Weather, work and waves have kept me away from Bahia Honda for better than six weeks now.  I'm really missing the great views, kayaking and the great ambiance of the park.    The old rail and highway double decker bridge is always a staple view for anyone that visits the park.  Combining the bridge and sunset, priceless.

New Tattoo Skin Patch Measures Alcohol Levels

A team of researchers at University of California San Diego has designed a “temporary tattoo” with an electronic sensor that allows drinkers to measure their alcohol levels.

      We depend on our phones for everything else, now we can have them tell us when we are to drunk to drive or just plain its time to go.   I do like the  simplicity of this device, in that it is not a huge bulky unit.  If the person wearing it will listen to what it is telling them and call a cab or uber to get home, then this will be a huge help in keeping the intoxicated off of the road.  I fell that the less cumbersome the devices are, the more apt that people will use them.  This only takes a patch and a smartphone.  I only hope that the people that use this are smart enough to listen to the device when it is time to stop.

     The new alcohol sensor skin patch could measure alcohol levels within 15 minutes.   The University of California San Diego researchers have created a wearable skin sensor that can accurately and quickly measure a person’s blood alcohol level from sweat and transmit the data wirelessly.   The tattoo releases a drug called pilocarpine, which generates sweat on the surface of the skin, allowing the device electrochemically detects the alcohol level. The portable electronic board then transmits the information to a mobile device via Bluetooth.

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/08/new-tattoo-skin-patch-measures-alcohol-levels/

Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival St Maarten 2016

     November is just a few months away, it is definitely time to start putting your plans together to be in St. Maarten for this years Caribbean Rum and Beer Festival.   This year the event is being moved outdoors allowing for larger booths and an easier access to all of the booths and events that are a part of this wonderful festival now in its sixth year.

     The 6th Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival is returning to St Maarten on 4-5 November 2016. The one of a kind event is an expo of rum & beer beverages, combined with the 2016 CAB Taste Contest, workshops, cooking demos, cocktail competitions, rum & beer seminars, music, entertainment and pure fun. 

  

     “This will be our second year here in St Maarten.” Explained Festival Director Ms. Cheryl Collymore, “Last year our exhibitors and patrons were so enthusiastic about how everything had come together that we just knew we had to come back to this amazing island. We are excited to be back and will be adding new activities such as an evening of rum and gastronomy at a local restaurant, the ‘Rum & Cigar’ zone and the ‘Chocolate, rum & beer pairing’ segment.”

   In the run up to the event the Festival organizers have been in discussions with both the St Maarten Tourism Bureau and the St Martin Tourist Office to promote the event to the international market to attract long stay visitors to the island.   Hosting the Festival in St Maarten means an increase in global media attention and arrivals from exhibitors, trade representatives, international rum & beer VIP judges and visitors who are excited to attend the festival in a beautiful Caribbean island.   Ms. Collymore stated “We recognize how the Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival brings significant benefits to the host country, and we are pleased to work closely with a number of local stakeholders with the intention of making this year’s Festival the biggest and most entertaining yet.”

For further info visit the website www.rumandbeerfestival.com

Self-Driving Cars Will Lead to Less DUI and More Alcohol Sales

Mercedes Benz Self Driving Car

    In an article in the Huffington Post, a prediction that self-driving cars might first of all cut down the number of drunk drivers on the road, but might in fact lead to more drinking overall.   This is an interesting concept, but I really question the validity of the overall research.  It is a "Utopian" idea, but the majority of the people that get drunk driving citations cant afford the high priced cars that will have this self-driving capability.  It would be great it it would truly happen, I can only see one way for this to happen and that would be to outlaw all people driven cars.

MORGAN STANLEY RESEARCH 

     Of course, the prediction that more self-driving cars will equal higher sales of alcohol is at least loosely based on the assumption that the type of person who drinks and drives is also the type of person who goes for the safer alternative when it’s available.   Sadly, a report published late last month in the American Journal of Epidemiology indicates that may not necessarily be the case.   The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California and Oxford University, found that ride-hailing services like Uber have had little to no effect on decreasing drunk-driving deaths, a conclusion that contradicts Uber's own research on the matter.

Nissan Self -Driving Car

     Morgan Stanley estimates that if, as a result of self-driving cars, each member of the global drinking population consumes just one more drink per month, the global market could expand by an estimated $31 billion. If we assume that each person in that group has two additional drinks per week, then ― health care costs aside ― the total market could grow by an estimated $250 billion:

Read More at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/self-driving-car-alcohol-sales_us_579f7c43e4b0e2e15eb68a8c

Rum Growth Expected to Drop Over Next Five Years

     This is not a good headline to see first thing in the morning.  What I am hoping is that people are going to be drinking more of the premium rums and less of the large production types.   I know that as I find the better premium and ultra-premium rums I am buying to sip, I tend to drink less volume and enjoying the quality spirits in smaller volumes more.   I feel that too much of the tampering and flavoring of the product, especially in the high volume expressions has taken its toll.  It is time to make the product a bit better overall.

     The latest joint research from just-drinks and The IWSR has predicted that the global rum market will decline over the next five years.   A new Just Drinks / IWSR Report has forecast a compound annual drop of 0.5% between 2016 and 2021, representing a decline of almost 3.7million cases, with rum's top three markets – India, the US and the Philippines – all expected to record falls. The predicted five-year dip follows a decline of 0.8% in 2015 to 141.8m nine-liter cases, with nine of the top 20 markets and four of the top five registering declines.   Between 2010 and 2015, the sector registered a compound annual growth rate of 0.6%.   The report notes that, while only two of rum's ten largest markets – Cuba and the Dominican Republic – are set to grow over the coming five years, the heaviest declines will be seen in high-volume, low-value markets.

     While overall category volumes are on the decline, the report notes that the super- and ultra-premium rum categories are "still expanding at a healthy rate". Nevertheless, in premiumization terms rum continues to under perform compared to rival spirits categories, such as Scotch whisky and Cognac, with the super- and ultra-premium price segments accounting for less than 0.5% of sales.

Read More at http://www.just-drinks.com/market-research/global-rum-insights-market-forecasts-product-innovation-and-consumer-trends_id260118.aspx

Guadeloupe Loupe: Really fun Summer Cocktail

A summer afternoon needs a really refreshing cocktail.  The Guadeloupe Loupe fills the bill perfectly.  This combination of Damoiseau VSOP Rhum along with the citrus, ginger and the tarragon cane syrup gives this a definite sweet tart flavor that is so very refreshing.   These hot days call for a cooler that will take the edge off of the heat and tis one really does the job.

Guadeloupe Loupe

1 ½ Oz. Damoiseau VSOP

Juice of ½ Lemon

½ Oz Grapefruit Juice

¼ Oz. King’s Ginger Liqueur

½ to 1Oz. Tarragon Cane Syrup (according to taste)

Top up with Club Soda

 Shake well untilo chilled and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice cubes and garnish with a tarragon sprig.

Tarragon Cane Syrup

½ Cup Sugar in the Raw

½ Cup Boiling Water

6 Large Tarragon Leaves 

Combine the sugar and boiling water.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the tarragon leaves and steep in hot simple syrup for 20 minutes.   Strain into a clean jar, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Paul Yellin's Cane Rhum Bar and Caribbean Kitchen Opens Tomorrow

     My friend Paul Yellin has brought what was a disaster back to be his very special Cane Rhum Bar and Caribbean Kitchen.   Formerly Big John's Tavern, Paul got the place after a fire destroyed the interior of the building.  From the ashes you now have Cane Rhum Bar and Caribbean Kitchen.  Paul tells us that the doors open tomorrow at 4pm for the first time.  He has been working on the reconstruction of his dream place for quite some time now and I'm sure the evening will be a very special one.

     “Chef Paul Yellin, the man behind the East Bay eatery, hasn’t been shy about his plans to return Charleston to its rum roots and offer locals a taste of authentic Caribbean fare.  When last we spoke with Yellin, he talked about sharing the flavors and feel of Barbados, while providing an alternative to the “bourbon and bacon” that holds such prominence in the local food scene”.

     Paul has assembled some 60 wonderful rums, rons, and rhum to stock his Rhum Bar and a menu of very unique and wonderful sounding cocktails for those that like cocktails made with the quality ingredients that they were intended to have.  Paul's selection Rums coming from America, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, and the West Indies; Rons from Columbia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, and  Venezuela; and finally Rhums from Brazil, Guadeloupe, Haiti, and Martinique. give him a very awesome group of cane spirits from which his customers cam choose.

Read More at http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/Eat/archives/2016/07/26/cane-rhum-bar-and-caribbean-kitchen-announces-official-opening-date

     I'd like to wish Paul Yellin all the best in his new venture and I hope that Cane Rhum Bar and Caribbean Kitchen takes off like a rocket and does well for the long haul. 

No Black Tot Day in My Navy

     Today is officially "Black Tot Day", but not in Bahama Bob's Navy.   The vessels of Bahama Bob's Navy are celebrating the arrival of Pusser's Gunpowder Proof Rum to Florida today.   Morning Grog on Sanity Too to start the day, followed by this evening's the introduction party starting at 7 pm at the Rum Barrel on Front Street in Key West.  Today all the sailors in my Navy are drinking Pusser's Gunpowder Proof Rum in the true style of the British Sailors.

     The unique component of Pusser's Gunpowder Proof is rum distilled from vintage wooden pot stills, a process that provides a depth of flavor far beyond that of mass-produced rums distilled from “modern” semi-automatic metal column stills. The two existing wooden pot stills, first put in use in the early 1700s and located in Guyana’s Demerara River Valley, impregnate the rum with esters (naturally occurring organic flavoring compounds) far beyond those of any other rum. What results is a truly unique, award winning taste.

     The name “Pusser’s” is nothing more than a corruption of the word “Purser,” the Royal Navy ship’s supply officer who retained the stocks of rum. Before hydrometers, the ship’s Purser would test rum strength by mixing a few grains of gunpowder with rum to see if it would ignite under the heat of a magnifying glass. If it did that was 'proof' the rum was “at strength,” if it was not, the Purser was threatened with bodily harm for “watering down” the rum. 

     Join us tonight at the Rum Barrel for an evening of great rum tasting a chance to try some unique Pusser's Gunpowder Proof cocktails and some fun giveaways.   The party starts at 7 pm upstairs on the Quarterdeck of the Rum Barrel.  Admission is FREE.

"Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide" is Online

     Great News, The original Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide is back.  It is on line and it is very well done.   I have always thought that the Mr. Boston Guide was the best one around, and had the most accurate recipes, especially when it comes to the classics.

    Mr. Boston used to be the barkeep's best friend. The unmistakable, narrow, cherry-red books were once found behind every bar. The first edition of "Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide" was published in 1935, just as America was again able to properly quench its thirst after Prohibition. More than 65 editions would be published.

     Around the time that American bartenders became "mixologists" and cocktails got complicated, Mr. Boston fell from favor.  A few years back, the New Orleans-based Sazerac Co. bought Mr. Boston, which also sells a line of cordials and spirits.   Thursday July 21 Sazerac relaunched the Mr. Boston guide as a free, web-only tool.  Sazerac plans to make Mr. Boston bigger than ever.   The website:  www.mrbostondrinks.com offers more than 10,000 cocktail recipes from the post-Prohibition era.

     It took the Sazerac Co. five years to get out of the Mr. Boston publishing contract.   While they waited, they found copies of all but 17 editions of the Mr. Boston guide and entered the 10,539 cocktail recipes into a database.   "We've been restoring it like you would a Van Gogh," said Mark Brown, president and CEO of Sazerac.   Now, you can search every one of those recipes at mrbostondrinks.com. When there is more than one recipe, the site lets you see each version to learn how the cocktail changed over time.

     Recipes can be searched by name or main ingredient. A "discovery" page lets you browse by style, era, occasion, city of origin and even color. Create an account, and you can review the recipes and build a personal collection of your favorites.   The site also has a guide to techniques and glassware, a glossary of ingredients and historical information.

     The Mr. Boston guide is a record of how America drank for 80 years. And the Sazerac company plans to keep the guide alive for at least another 80 years.   Although they likely won't print another guide, Sazerac has big plans for Mr. Boston. First, they want to find the remaining 17 editions and enter those recipes. They will create videos demonstrating cocktails and techniques. They plan to commission articles on cocktails. And users will be able to add new drinks, which will be considered for inclusion in the guide.   

     If you have a question, almost any question about mixology or bartending in general, this is the site you need to visit.  

Grog: The World's Original Cocktail

     Back in the late 1600's and the early 1700's rum was known as "Kill Devil", mostly because of the firey burn it had.  In fact it was just plain rough.   In the early days of rum rationed out to the sailors of the British Admiralty it wasn't much better.  Most of the rum was more truly a distillate rather than a rum.  It was unaged and most of it was more like moonshine in its strength.

     Admiral Edward Vernon was credited for Grog being the mandatory drink of the  British Navy in 1740  when Vernon was issued the infamous "Captain's Order Number 349.   This stated that all rum should be mixed with water,  a dash of brown sugar,and lime to make it more palatable. The sailors christened the weakened beverage after the admiral, from the grogram cloth cloak that he wore.
     
     Grog has gone through a lot of modification over the nearly 300 years that it has been around, but the original recipe with just a cinnamon stick dropped in as a garnish and adding a dash of spice to the mix.


 Gunpowder Proof Rum Grog

• 2 oz. Pusser's Gunpowder Proof Rum
• 4 oz. Water
• 1/2 oz. Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
• Juice of 1/2 Lime

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until chilled and strain into a tumble filled with fresh ice.  Drop in a cinnamon stick to garnish and enhance the flavor.

Bahama Bob’s Grog Syrup

• 4 cups Dark Brown Cane Sugar
• 4 Cups Water
• 1/8 Cup Ground Cinnamon
• Juice of ½ Lemon

Place all ingredients into a sauce pan and slowly bring to a boil.   Reduce heat to a slow boil for 5 minutes. Put into squeeze bottles and chill for a couple of hours before using.   Lasts about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. 

How Did the Rum War Over Havana Club Begin?

     Havana Club is an iconic brand that as we approach normalization of relations with Cuba has become a valuable property that was thought to be worth nothing in 1973 here in the United States when the trademark was about to expire.  The story of the rum war between Bacardi and Pernod Ricard is loaded with a history of bad decisions and revenge.

     The Arechabalas introduced Havana Club with Americans in mind in 1934.  The name of the Cuban capital was spelled in English, rather than the Spanish "Habana."   Soon Havana Club was served in places such as the Stork Club, a high-society night spot in Manhattan.      The Arechabalas,  according to Gjelten, sympathized with dictator Fulgencio Batista, whom Fidel Castro overthrew.  Soldiers showed up at the Havana Club office on New Year's Day 1960.   The late Ramón Arechabala was a sales manager, while one of the top executives, his uncle José María Arechabala, or "Pepe," was in Spain.  "From now on, I am Pepe, and you people will do as I say," declared a military commander, as Ramón Arechabala recalled in court testimony in 1999.

     "I say, 'Okay, no problem, whatever you say,' " he testified, "because he was armed with a machine gun."   Ramón Arechabala,  went on to sell cars in Miami.   In 1973, he realized that the Havana Club trademark was due for renewal.   He asked his uncle whether they should file the paperwork.   His uncle said no. The family did not have enough money to produce rum in the U.S. and mistakenly believed they couldn't renew the trademark without making rum.   "He told me we could not do anything right now with it, because, 'Let's wait because we might be going back to Cuba any moment,' " Arechabala testified.

     In 1976, a state-owned Cuban enterprise secured the American trademark for Havana Club.   It was a cunning yet hopeful investment in the day when Cuban rum might once again be poured on the other side of the Florida Straits.

The rum war was declared nearly 20 years later, when two things happened.   In 1993, news broke that Pernod Ricard had struck a deal to become equal partners in Havana Club.   In 1994, Bacardi filed its own application for the U.S. trademark for Havana Club.   Bacardi paid the Arechabala family $1.25 million for any rights to Havana Club that the family still possessed, plus a fraction of any sales of Havana Club.  Ever since, Bacardi and Pernod Ricard have battled on legal, regulatory, political and commercial fronts.

     This seems like a battle that will never be settled, it looked like it was settled back in the early 2000’s when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bacardi, but with the easing of relations with Cuba it has reared its ugly head again.

Read the entire story at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/havana-club-v-havana-club-inside-the-rum-war-between-bacardi-and-cuba/2016/07/22/57c32a06-2cb4-11e6-9b37-42985f6a265c_story.html

Black Tot Day, Sunday July 31, 2016, the 46th Anniversary of Rum Being Removed from British Navy Ships

     For over three centuries, until 1970, all Royal Navy vessels would ring out their ship's bells just before noon every day. The famous call, 'Up Spirits' would go out, calling sailors to report to deck and receive their daily 70ml ‘tot’, or shot, of rum.

     Sunday marks the 46th anniversary of Black Tot Day, and here in Key West we are celebrating this day by introducing the newest Pusser's Rum, Gunpowder Proof at the Rum Barrel.  We are having a free event at 7pm Sunday evening to introduce this award winning new expression from Pusser's Rum.  This is British Navy Rum presented at the original admiralty strength of 54.7% ABV.

     The original ration was beer, but when it was not available, or as often happened it would often spoil easily, it could be substituted by a pint of wine or half a pint of spirits depending on what was locally available.   In later years, the political influence of the West Indian planters led to rum being given the preference over other spirits.

    The half pint of spirits was originally issued neat; it is said that sailors would "prove" its strength by checking that gunpowder doused with rum would still burn, verifying that rum was at least 54.7% ABV, thus the term “Proof” came about.

     The practice of compulsorily diluting rum in the proportion of half a pint of rum to one quart of water was first introduced in the 1740’s by Admiral Edward Vernon, known as Old Grog, because of his habitual grogram cloak.   The ration was also split into two servings, one between 10 am and noon and the other between 4 and 6 pm.   In 1756 Navy regulations required adding small quantities of lemon or lime juice to the ration, to prevent scurvy.    The rum itself was often procured from distillers in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the British Virgin Islands.   Rations were cut in half in 1823 and again in half, to the traditional amount, in 1850.   The last rum ration was on 31 July 1970 and became known as Black Tot Day as sailors were unhappy about the loss of the rum ration.  There were reports that the day involved sailors throwing tots into the sea and the staging of a mock funeral in a training camp.

     This is the perfect day to introduce this wonderful new expression to Florida.  Come join in the celebration at the Rum Barrel on Front Street, here in Key West.  We start at 7 pm, join us to taste this expression and try new special cocktails made from Pusser's Gunpowder Proof Rum.  The party celebrates the newest Navy Rum on the day that the rum was removed from the British Navy Warships.