Healthier Alcoholic Spirits May be "Hard to Sell" Concept

     During The Global Drinks Forum in Berlin, this was a topic of one of the meetings.  The speaker had some  very interesting points that have come out of recent research.  Take some time and read the report that came out of the forum, it is rather enlightening.  It is interesting that the effect of the social media and being embarrassed is a big a part of the thinking.

     Alcoholic drinks that use healthy cues will struggle to break into the mass market, according to analysts at Mintel.   Speaking at The Global Drinks Forum in Berlin, global drinks analyst Jonathan Forsyth noted that today's younger generation perceives a healthy lifestyle as "desirable and cool". However, he warned that these consumers tend to drink alcohol more for "taste, fun and indulgence" and "not to benefit their health".   "When it comes to this strategy, it's a very hard sell," said Forsyth. "It's a bit like selling snake oil.

     "How can you say as an alcoholic brand that you're actually going to make people healthier? This is an area only really populated by niche brands."   Forsyth highlighted Vitamin Vodka, which contains vitamin K, B and C, as well as beers in the US such as Mighty Squirrel's 5g protein beer and Barbell Brew's 22g protein beer.   According to Forsyth, the trend offers drinks companies the chance to highlight their "natural" cues, which he said give a "health halo" without making any health claims.

     "The desire for 'natural' has made gin cool again," he said, referencing the segment's use of botanicals. Some of the larger vodka brands have also used these cues, such as the Absolut Botanik RTD, which launched in Australia last year, and Smirnoff Sourced, a flavored vodka range that is made with real fruit juice and has no high-fructose corn syrup.  

     The 'better-for-you' concept is also linked to using high-quality ingredients. "When consumers were asked to define 'craft alcohol', 'high-quality ingredients' came second and a 'unique flavor' came first," said Forsyth. "Healthier can be communicated indirectly by emphasizing the use of natural, real and premium ingredients that blend together to create a unique flavor."   Moderation is also a consideration within the 'better-for-you' trend, although Forsyth said "'balance' is probably a better word".

     The analyst cited Heineken's research, released earlier this year, that suggests Millennials prefer to moderate their drinking in order to avoid embarrassment on social media.

Read More at http://www.just-drinks.com/news/functional-alcoholic-drinks-a-very-hard-sell-analyst_id121484.aspx

Billowing Fall Clouds in the Keys

After Matthew cleared out of the Atlantic the temperatures and the humidity have dropped significantly.  Beautiful billowy clouds form in the sky, highlighted by the sun make for wonderful afternoons on the waterfront.

Obama Lifts the $100 Rum and Cigar Limit for American Travelers

     American traveling to Cuba and other parts of the world that sell Cuban Rums and Cuban Cigars, because we can carry them home with us without the $100.00 limit.  In an announcement made last Friday, Obama has lifted the limits for Americans traveling abroad bringing home these wonderful items.

     The Obama administration announced Friday a new round of executive actions designed to increase trade and travel with the communist island. This is the one many Americans have been waiting for — no more restrictions on the island's famed rum and cigars. Under the new rules, travelers can purchase unlimited quantities of Cuban rum and cigars in any country where they are sold so long as they are for personal consumption. Sorry American couch potatoes: You can't order Cuban rum and cigars online and have them shipped to your home.

     The regulations issued by the U.S. Treasury Department will make it easier for U.S. companies to import Cuban-made pharmaceuticals, U.S. agricultural companies to sell their products to the island and Cubans to purchase U.S.-made goods online.

     The changes follow a series of steps taken since President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced on Dec. 17, 2014, that the Cold War foes would normalize relations after more than a half century of enmity. "The Treasury Department has worked to break down economic barriers in areas such as travel, trade and commerce, banking, and telecommunications," Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said. "Today’s action builds on this progress by enabling more scientific collaboration, grants and scholarships, people-to-people contact, and private sector growth."

     One more step bringing Americans closer to being able to bu Cuban products in our stores here in the states again.  Very encouraging.

2016 International Old Fashion Week Begins October 14, 2016

     "Launched in 2015 on the initiative of the Maria Loca bar in Paris and Cyrille Hugon, the Old Fashioned Week is now international. The Old Fashion Week is a week dedicated to the most popular cocktail in the specialized bars of the planet.   The Old Fashion Week is an event that is open in all the establishments that lay claim to a quality cocktail culture and of course to all the people who are old enough to drink it. The Old Fashion Week involves activations, evenings and master classes organized by the participating bars and or the affiliated brands of spirits."

          During Old Fashioned Cocktail week we will celebrate the venerable old cocktail with the spirit of your choice, mine being rum, ron or rhum if you will with a recipe that makes you smile as it slides across your palate.  During the week I will introduce you to some "new" Old Fashioned Cocktails from my devious mind here in the bar on the boat.

     Keep the week in mind and help us celebrate one of the first ever cocktails recognized around the world.   This year’s festival is also promoting a charitable cause, with donations collected by the organisers sent to The Isla Foundation – an NGO based in Nicaragua that endeavours to provide better working conditions to cane cutters in the global sugar industry.

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/09/old-fashioned-week-launches-internationally/ 

Dead Rabbit from New York Wins Title of World’s Best Bar 2016 Held in London

Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry of Dead Rabbit

     The Drinks International-officiated awards, took place in Christ Church Spitafields on  October 6^th, saw a new winner, after a four-year winning streak by London bar, Artesian, came to an end.   Dead Rabbit, operated by Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, finally took the number one spot after finishing second on the list two years, they also won the award for Best Bar in North America   Upon winning the award, McGarry said: "For myself and Sean, we feel an overriding sense of completion. When we were in New York during the very dark days, when we were flat broke and there was absolutely progress, only one thing kept us going. We knew we were about to open something special, something that would be our version of The World's Best Bar.

     There were a number of other great bars that did very well in the competition, including The American Bar in London second, Dandelyan in London, third.   The rest of the list is also very impressive as well.  The Connaught Bar, also from London, made up the top four, just ahead of Attaboy of New York in fifth.    In sixth, and the highest new entry to the list, was The Gibson from London, while Employees Only of New York was awarded the Legend of the List, having had the best record of any bar over the eight years of the World’s 50 Best Bars.

     My friend Martin Cate's Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco got twenty-ninth, and The Broken Shaker in Miami Beach received sixteenth.  Congratulations to all of those that were recognized in the World's 50 Best Bars.  The entire list can be seen at http://www.worlds50bestbars.com/fifty-best-bars-list-2016/ 

What is a "Standard Drink" in Most Bars and Restaurants?

     There is a real lack of knowledge when it comes to consuming alcohol.   People feel that they can drink beer one after another, and not be consuming much alcohol into their systems.  This is simply not true.   The reality of it is that the person drinking is very likely to e consuming the same amount of alcohol as the person having a shot is they go one for one.   I've heard people tell me that they can drink a six pack of beer and think they are not impaired, but if they drink 2 or 3 cocktails they would be "smashed"   the truth is that there is less pure alcohol in three standard cocktails than there is in the six pack of beer.  In fact there is twice as much pure alcohol in the beer.

      Here is a comparison of beers, wines and spirits volume of pure alcohol basted on what is known
as a "standard serving" of each.   Look at it like this a 12 oz. cocktail with 1.5 oz. of 80 proof spirits has about 0.6 oz. of pure alcohol, and a 12 oz. beer which is rated at 5% (10 proof) alcohol also contains 0.6 oz. of pure alcohol.  Below is a chart that shows how much alcohol there is in a "standard serving" of alcoholic beverages.

12 fl. oz. of regular beer = 5% alcohol = 0.6 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

12 fl. oz. of malt liquor = 7% alcohol = 0.7 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

5 fl oz of table wine = 12% alcohol = 0.6 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

 3 fl oz of fortified wine = 19% alcohol = 0.6 fl oz. Pure Alcohol

2.5 fl oz of cordial, liqueur, or aperitif = 24% Alcohol = 0.6 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

1.5 fl oz of brandy or cognac = 40% Alcohol = 0.6 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

1.5 fl oz shot of 80-proof spirit = 40% = 0.6 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

0.95 fl. oz.  shot of 151 proof spirit = 75.5% Alcohol = 0.7 fl. oz. Pure Alcohol

     As you can see from the chart, if you are consuming alcoholic beverages of any kind, you are taking in a very equal amount of pure alcohol from any category.   Don't fool yourself into trouble by believing that beer has less alcohol that 151 proof spirits, because standard servings of any of these is really about the same amount of pure alcohol content.

Where Does the Rum Value Come From?

     What Rum to buy, I’m looking for the best buy for the money?  What do I really want, which one gives me the biggest bang for the money?   These are the things that cross my mind every time that I go into a bar or liquor store to by rum.  For myself, I’m going to be drinking it either neat or on the rocks, so my considerations will be different from someone that is going to be mixing it with something.

     The first thing I look for is a good eye appeal through the glass bottle.  Color and clarity are very important to me.  This is an indicator of the way that the producer took time to give you a good first impression.   I’m not talking about “eye catching” labels, but a true pure product.  I tend to steer away from products that are in opaque bottles, unless I am familiar with the rum, it makes me wonder what they are trying to hide.

     Secondly I’m looking for a brand that I know something about.  This is important, because I don’t want rum that is contrived from an unaged neutral spirit and then artificially colored and flavored to taste like real aged rum.  Most of the time, I’ll choose a rum that is made by a small batch distiller, because they are more personally involved with the rum.  I find that I can really enjoy rums that range from about 2 to 3 years in a barrel.  I do like a number of rums that have been sweetened, but what bothers me is when it is claimed not to have additives, but really does.

   The next point I look for is if there is an age statement on the bottle, what does it really mean.  Age statements to be really useful to determining the value of the rum should reflect the portion of the blend that has spent the least amount of time in the barrel.  Aging is very expensive, and truth about the age of the rum is paramount to the value of the rum.   True aged rums loose roughly 2% of the barrel per year and the cost of storage makes the rum more expensive and contribute to the real value of the rum.

     For me, it isn’t where the rum is made, but rather how it is made.  The way that it is fermented, how long the fermentation is allowed to go on.  I prefer rums that are fermented in batches rather than through a “continuous” fermentation, better flavors remain in batch fermentation.  Rums that are pot still or combination still tend to retain more of the flavor before they are put into the barrel.   Multi column stills leave almost pure alcohol or neutral spirit, thus relying on the barrels to get the flavor.  This is the method used by the large bulk rum producers; they are in the business of producing alcohol rather than rum. 

     I feel that the best tasting rums are going to be made from cane juice, or high sugar content molasses, but there are a lot of rums out there that taste very good that are made form a wide variety of sugarcane derivatives.  The source of the fermented cane derivative is less important to me that the way that it is fermented.   The rums that are made with cane juice are going to be more expensive that those from molasses or sugars, but you have to decide how much money you want to spend on a bottle of rum.  There are value factors for all price range rums.

      Your first decision is how much money you want to spend on the bottle of rum, the next is to look at the expressions in that price range.   After that it will take a little bit of research on the ones that fall into your price range.   Narrowed the list down to 3 or four and go out and try to find them in a bar where you can taste them.  It is the easiest way to make your final selection on which one is the best value for you.  You are the only one that matters, is you are after all the one that is going to be drinking it.  Do your research very carefully; there is a lot of misinformation out there, so get as much information on the rum as you can.   Once you find your “best buy rum”, sit back and enjoy it.
 

What is Needed to Market Spirits in the United States?

    The United States is different when it comes to marketing spirits.   There is a different approach to things that make it necessary to “work outside of the box” to get to the customers here.   “Alcohol is a lifestyle industry,” says Spiros Malandrakis, senior industry analyst for Euromonitor International. “It’s not about flavors at the end of the day. It’s about music, it’s about movies, the Mad Men effect. It’s what people aspire to or dream about. Sometimes these things can easily be lost when just looking at dry figures.”   If ever there was a market more apt for such a lofty, dreamy, fantastical but also very true analysis, this is it. America – manufacturer of dreams, purveyor of the aspirational lifestyle – is a region where drinks trends are as diverse as the ethnic and cultural make-up; as nuanced as the individual state laws that govern consumption and production. And crucially, it is where consumers – and consumer trends – can be as fickle as Hollywood.

     In the United States, we are driven by our “lifestyle” rather that logic when it comes to our spirits.  We are looking for a brand or category that speaks to us about how the way that we live is the cool way.  We don’t need scientific data we want to be shown the way to fun and the right places to be.   So while US consumers seem to be in an exploitative mode, they are seeking out niche expressions and are willing to spend more on premium products.   Categories are becoming less important than the quality of perceived quality of the products. Drinks companies looking for growth now have to target an occasion, a moment or a demographic in order to draw new customers

     Several major factors stand out when you talk about appealing to Americans.  First is branding and promotions that are directed to specific cultures.   Ultra-premium Tequilas and Mezcals are expected to grow 16.5% by 2020, while the celebrity-backed Brandy and Cognac category, which continues to be name-checked in songs sung by the likes of Jay-Z, is set to grow by 14%, according to Euromonitor.   Perceived value is another major factor.   Things like imported spirits are felt to be more valuable than domestic ones.  This has led to the hybridization of many spirits.  Blending of local and global brands giving a perceived international flavor to the spirit seems to be a current trend.

    Americans prefer lighter and sweeter spirits, the addition of flavors to the spirits creating a new way to get customers to move to a different spirit.   Seasonal flavors at a feeling of freshness that is also big in the eyes of Americans.

     It is my feeling that all of those ideas are very true, but the most important in my mind is the authenticity of the spirit.  Is it a true aged product or something that is colored with sweeteners added to give this “looks like aged”?  Real premium spirits are fermented, distilled, and finished legitimately and not contrived.   New expressions that take aged spirits and finishing them in different types of barrels are very popular now, and are a great way to provide new premium flavors that are true to the spirit.   This is what I feel is really necessary before you start marketing a product that is really not “real”.

A great article was written on this subject recently and you can read more on the subject at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/10/lifestyle-is-key-when-marketing-us-spirits/

Late Summer at Bahia Honda

    Late summer at Bahia Honda offers so many beautiful sights and experiences as you kayak around the island.   The flat seas and the clarity of the water gives you a new experience with every stroke.  Bird life is becoming more varied as they migrate south this time of year.  The crowds are gone and this is the perfect time to stop at the park and enjoy the warm water and the beautiful beaches.

Feeling Very Fortunate to Date, but Matthew Still Messing With Us

     Hurricane Matthew has caused absolute havoc in the central Caribbean, The Bahamas, and the Southeast Coast of the United States.   Here in the Lower Keys, we have hardly even had any rain from Matthew and the strongest winds barely touching 20 mph.   There is a rub to this though.  It seems that Mathew wasn't happy with it's first pass by South Florida and the Bahamas, so it is planning a second trip through the area.

     There is a bit of a silver lining to the story though, they are predicting that Matthew will be degraded to a "Tropical Depression" when it comes back by.

     We have been very fortunate, but I really have

to feel for my friends in the Bahamas and along the east side of Florida.  They will be facing a lot of work as they go through the next few months.  It will be a full time job to put their lives back together following such a devastating storm.  What the wind doesn't break, the flooding will eave soggy.  The last thing these areas need is a revisit by Matthew even if it is only a "Tropical Depression".  It will still be carrying a lot of rain, slowing the recovery efforts.

     My thoughts are for a rapid deterioration of Matthew and a chance for those who suffered through the fury of the storm can get their world back to a comfortable place quickly.

   

Grandma's Pumpkin-Apple Pie Swizzle

     My Grandma used to make a pumpkin-apple pie every fall when I was a kid.  It always had such a great flavor I just had to create something in a cocktail that offers a flavor that takes me back to the days when the smell of pies baking would seep out of her kitchen as the leaves changed colors.

     This is a Pumpkin- Apple Pie Swizzle, and it really fits the chilling evenings of fall and gives you a nice warmth in the tummy like a good shot of rum and a piece of Grandma's pumpkin-apple pie would.

Pumpkin-Apple Pie Swizzle

• 1 Heaping Bar Spoon of Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Heaping Bar Spoon of Apple Sauce
• 2 oz. Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Pumpkin Spice Creamer
• 1 oz. Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Pie Syrup
• ½ Tsp. Allspice
• ¼ Tsp Nutmeg
• ½ oz. Lemon Juice
• 2 oz. Cartavio 12 Year Solera

Place all of the ingredients except the rum in a bowl and swizzle until you get a smooth mix.  Spoon 4 Bar spoons of the mix into a shaker filled with ice, add rum and shake until chilled.  Strain into a chilled Collins glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Pie Syrup

• 1 ½ Cups of Dark Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 Cup of Water
• ½ tsp. Lemon Juice

Place Sugar and the Pumpkin Pie Spice in a pan and heat on high and stir lightly until the sugar begins to melt.  Keep stirring and very slowly add the water.  Keep stirring and lower the temp to about 225 degrees and bring to a slow boil while stirring for five minutes.  Pour into a dish that can take heat and cold and place in the refrigerator until cooled.  Pour into a pouring dispenser and put back into the refrigerator until ready to use.  It will last about a month in the refrigerator.

Halewood Has Announced it Has Purchased a “Significant Stake” in the Bajan Trading Company

     United Kingdom drinks group Halewood Wines & Spirits has acquired a "significant stake" in the Bajan Trading Company, parent company of Rum Sixty-Six through its new craft spirits joint venture.  Bajan Trading Company is connected to the Seale family.  Richard Seale, master distiller of Rum Sixty-Six at Foursquare Rum Distillery in St Philip, Barbados.   “Rum Sixty Six offers a fantastic platform for Halewood to invest at the premium end of the rum category,” said Stewart Hainsworth, CEO of Halewood Wines & Spirits. “In addition to a compelling brand story, Foursquare has the capabilities to create spirits which are unrivaled among golden rums.”  Earlier this year, Hainsworth told The Spirits Business that his company was "actively looking at rum brands" for potential acquisitions.

    Based in Merseyside, Halewood Wines & Spirits was founded by the late John Halewood in 1978. Today, still owned by the Halewood family, Halewood International Holdings PLC is the United Kingdom’s largest independent drinks manufacturer and distributor.   Halewood shows sales of over 21 million cases each year and exporting to 75 countries.   Employing 1,000 drinks specialists worldwide, the Halewood Wines & Spirits group has five operations outside the United Kingdom, including South Africa, China, Thailand, Ireland and Romania. In addition their global brands, Red Square, Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, Lambrini and Whitley Neill, Halewood International offers full service support for Agency Brands in the United Kingdom and international markets.

RUM SIXTY SIX Family Reserve is small batch distilled, tropically aged 12 years in small American white oak casks and bottled at Foursquare Distillery, one of the last family-owned distilleries in the Caribbean. Halewood is planning to expand the Rum Sixty Six by adding a six-year-old and a cask strength 12-year-old expression to the portfolio in 2017.

A Unique New Strawberry Rum From Shropshire Spirits Company

James Crone, Director Distiller

     I love to find out about small distilleries that really take the art of distillation seriously and put their own stamp of uniqueness to their spirits.  The Shropshire Spirits Company in Halesfield, UK is just one of these distilleries.  Owned and operated by James Crones, head distiller and director puts his ideas on the table and creates  unique spirits made from locally produced products and botanicals.

     Shropshire is a historical area of the United Kingdom with roots going way back to the 10th century.  The earliest industries of Shropshire took their rise from its abundant natural resources; the rivers supplying valuable fisheries; the vast forest areas abundance of timber; while the mineral products of the county had been exploited from remote times.  As the forest areas were gradually cleared and brought under cultivation, the county became more exclusively agricultural. In 1343 Shropshire wool was rated at a higher value than that of almost any other English county, and in the 13th and 14th centuries.  Said to be the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the county has so many resources, making it a perfect place to have a craft distillery. 

Salopian Strawberry Rum

     Distillery is small and humble but still produces high quality Spirits available across the county of Shropshire and beyond.   Everything starts quality fruits from the farms of rural Shropshire provide the flavors of the Spirits.  The selection and preparation of these is one of the most important stages in our process.    Shropshire Spirits Company founder and owner, James Crone said, “I’ve been working on this rum for a good six months to ensure the flavors are right".

     First shown at the Cosford Food Festival, the new Strawberry rum was an instant hit with those in attendance.    The launch at Cardiff Rum Fest, on 1 October was well received.  Salopian Strawberry Rum is created by fermenting strawberries and rum together before the mixture is distilled in a traditional copper pot still.   Described by those in attendance as having flavors of strawberry, molasses and caramel.

Shropshire Spirits Company Stills

   This is a unique method of flavoring white rum that gives it a unique flavor.  Fermenting the UK Cane Molasses and locally sourced strawberries together then pot distilling them to get this very special rum.   Because of the size of the distillery, I doubt that it will ever reach the United States, but if you get the opportunity to try this expression, I believe that it will be a very flavorful one.

Pumpkin Pie Daiquiri for Fall

     Fall is here and that is the time when we get to enjoy pumpkin stuff.   Here is a pumpkin daiquiri that fits into the season perfectly, fall cocktails are some of the most flavorful and the always a favorite pumpkin make the season wide open for new ideas.   

     Give this idea a try, there are others that I am working on now.   Halloween and Thanksgiving are the perfect times for new pumpkin flavored cocktails and I'll be bringing you some new ones throughout the fall.

Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Pie Daiquiri

• 1 Heaping Bar Spoon of Pumpkin Puree
• 1 ½ oz. Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Pumpkin Spice Creamer
• ½ oz. Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Pie Syrup
• 2 oz. Afrohead Aged Rum

Place all of the ingredients except the rum in a bowl and swizzle until you get a smooth mix.  Pour into a shaker filled with ice, add ice and shake until chilled.  Strain through a sieve into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Pie Syrup

• 1 ½ Cups of Dark Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 Cup of Water
• ½ tsp. Lemon Juice

Place Sugar and the Pumpkin Pie Spice in a pan and heat on high and stir lightly until the sugar begins to melt.  Keep stirring and very slowly add the water.  Keep stirring and lower the temp to about 225 degrees and bring to a slow boil while stirring for five minutes.  Pour into a dish that can take heat and cold and place in the refrigerator until cooled.  Pour into a pouring dispenser and put back into the refrigerator until ready to use.  It will last about a month in the refrigerator.

What Aging is Required for a Spirit to be Called Rum?

20th Anniversary

18 Year Old

     A Spirit can be called rum if it is derived from a derivative of the sugarcane, but in most of the world there are no aging requirements.  Where there are age statements on rum bottles, what is i t really telling us?   This is the real question in the rum category.  If the rum is one that comes from a single crop of sugar cane, fermented, distilled then placed in a barrel and aged for a number of years before being bottled then the number of years in the barrel would be a true age statement on the bottle.  The problem comes when rums of different ages are blended to create a rum, which age was placed on the bottle.

Cask 21

Solera 23

     For whiskey, in the U.S., an age statement is required if the whiskey is less than four years old. After four years age statements are voluntary. In Europe, an age statement is never required but a grain distillate must be aged at least three years to be called 'whiskey.'   The U.S. has no minimum age requirement.   It has the age statement requirement instead.   Although age statements are voluntary, they must be true. For the statement to be true, it must give the age of the youngest whiskey in the mix.   Only if a product is single barrel or bottled-in-bond will it all be the same age.   In practice, an age-stated product will mostly contain whiskey at or just over the stated age, with a little bit of older whiskey, but you never know unless the distiller tells you. 

Agricoles

     Rum in much of Central and South America must spend 2 years in the barrel to be called rum.  This is the exception rather than the rule.  The other rum is age statements can be anything from the oldest to the youngest rum in a blend.   The use of the numbers on the bottles are confusing, because they could be a number referring the the year the rum was first made or an anniversary of when they introduced it, and nothing to do with the age of the product.  Agricoles have rules that control their entire process including the aging process.  There some that use a number to refer to the number of rums used to make up the blend.    

    I think you can see the issue, there is no consistency of the spirit.  I like how whiskey works the issue or no age statements at all.  I feel that misinformation or questionable use of numbers to confuse the customer are bad for the category and need to be ended.  It is time for the category to put some standards down so we the consumer have a clue as to what we are buying.

Enjoying our Natural Aquarium in the Keys

     Boating in the Florida Keys a little bit of chum, clear water and you get quite the selection of fish to watch in your personal aquarium.  It never ceases to amaze me what appears in the water when we are at anchor down here.

Back Out on the Water for Some Aqua-Camping

     It has been over 7 weeks since we have been able to get out on the water and camp for a couple of days.  The weather, the waves and work have kept us pretty much dock bound.   Today we broke the dock lines if you will and it was back out on the water we went.   Cruising to Bahia Honda is always a fun ride, it is filled with interesting sights along the way.

 

     Upon arrival, it is time to tie up and get the kayak into the water so we can
have our cocktail hour on the bay watching the sun set.  This is such a relaxing time for the two of us and a time that we have missed.   It is funny how just moving up the keys 30 miles can really take the stress and tedium of you everyday life away.  I know how much tedium can there be in Key West.   Actually it is more than you would think.   We call it “getting off of the rock”, and it is more necessary than you might think.  This is a small island, there are only a limited number of things and places to see and do.  The change of seeing and doing something just a bit different really helps a lot.  

     Spending a couple days in a different bed and seeing different places and things helps me to resets your mind back so it is really easy to return and make things happen in a better and more enjoyable way.    It really doesn’t matter where you live you need this kind of a break to keep things happening in a productive manner.  

     I hope you get your chance for a quick getaway every now and again, and

it does for you what our “aqua-camping” does for us.  It is time and money well spent to maintain your balance between day to day fun living and just surviving.  Give it a try even if it just entails going across town or to the lake for a day or two.  Whatever makes your life feel good again is all it takes.

You First Taste Your Cocktails with Your Eyes

“Before we dive into cocktail presentations, we must have a delicious-tasting cocktail to start with!   A very good drink is most important—and be executed well—before we can move on to other elements of the cocktail experience.”

    One of the most important factors to a fine cocktail is how it appears to the customer.  If you look at what people picture on their Facebook or Twitter pages it is the cocktails and food that is most appealing to their eye.   These are the pictures that they share with their friends and family as to how good what they are eating and drinking is before they ever get to taste it.

     The best chefs and mixologists in the world work as hard on the appearance of their creations as they do on what is going into them.  First is the ingredients and the mixing of the cocktail, next is the selection of the glass that it is to be served in. and third the importance of garnish to finish the mix all adds to the taste appeal of the cocktail long before the first sip.  “Amazing garnishes to presentations should enhance the drinking experience, not merely add fluff and glitter to it.  Many garnishes don't just add eye appeal, but also add supplemental flavor.  With this in mind make sure the items of garnish also add a positive note to the overall flavor of the cocktail.  There are no "universal garnishes", but rather each cocktail calls for a garnish that enhances the experience for the customer and not just something that is tossed on top.

Unique Glassware

     The eye appeal along with the palate appeal is a combination that has to be addressed on every cocktail if you want your customers to enjoy the complete experience of your creation and return for a second visit and tell their friends about your skills.  

Havana Club Set to Enter U.S. Market the Minute the Embargo Disappears

New Label

     Cuba’s Havana Club rum is set to enter the U.S. market “even if it were to open tomorrow,” according to executives of the firm that exports 75 percent of its production.   “We’re well prepared. We’ve spent 16 years waiting for the opening of that market, which is the world’s biggest for rum,” master rum distiller Jose Navarro told a press conference in Havana, to which he presented the new image of the iconic firm’s rum that is aged for seven years.

Old Label

     Early this year, the mixed Cuban-French company, Pernod Ricard-Cuba Ron that markets Havana Club worldwide won the legal battle it has fought for more than 20 years with Bacardi for brand rights in the United States.  Until that litigation was resolved, Bacardi sold the brand in the U.S., while Pernod Ricard has marketed it in the rest of the world since the mixed company was formed in 1993.

     Havana Club International CEO Jerome Cottin-Bizonne said Monday that the company is preparing to open new markets, “including the U.S.,” which will only be accessible to a Cuban product once the embargo is lifted that the United States has imposed on the island for the last 50 years.

     Though the two countries announced the beginning of a diplomatic thaw almost two years ago after five decades at daggers drawn, the embargo remains in place and its elimination is the chief demand of the Cuban government within the new relations.

Read More at http://world.einnews.com/article/346648830/L3UdntEbPocsMhS5

October 14 - 22 Old Fashion Cocktail Week

     On the 14th through 22nd of October, bars around the world will host Old Fashioned Week through a number of events, masterclasses and collaborations with affiliated brands.   The festival first launched in 2015 based on an initiation of the Maria Loca bar in Paris and Cyrille Hugon, founder of Rhum Fest Paris and Rumporter Magazine, but it has now been transformed from an exclusive French event to a global cocktail festival.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

     The first documented definition of the word "cocktail" was in response to a reader's letter asking to define the word in the May 6, 1806, issue of The Balance and Columbian Repository in Hudson, New York. The May 13, 1806, issue, the paper, the editor wrote that it was a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar, it was also referred to at the time as a “bittered sling”.   J.E. Alexander describes the cocktail similarly in 1833, as he encountered it in New York City, as being rum, gin, or brandy, significant water, bitters, and sugar, though he includes a nutmeg garnish as well.

     By the 1860s, it was common for orange curacao, absinthe, and other liqueurs to be added to the cocktail. The original concoction, came in different proportions, came back into vogue, and was referred to as "old-fashioned.  Most popular of the in-vogue "old-fashioned" cocktails were made with whiskey, according to a Chicago barman, quoted in the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1882, with rye being more popular than Bourbon. The recipe described is a similar combination of spirits, bitters, water and sugar like it was seventy-six years earlier.

     The first use of the name "Old Fashioned" for a Bourbon Whiskey cocktail was said to have been at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen's club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky.    The recipe was said to have been invented by a bartender at that club in honor of Colonel James E. Pepper, a prominent bourbon distiller, who brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City. 

     During Old Fashioned Cocktail week we will celebrate the venerable old cocktail with the spirit of your choice, mine being rum, ron or rhum if you will with a recipe that makes you smile as it slides across your palate.  During the week I will introduce you to some "new" Old Fashioned Cocktails from my devious mind here in the bar on the boat.

     Keep the week in mind and help us celebrate one of the first ever cocktails recognized around the world.

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/09/old-fashioned-week-launches-internationally/