Old Town Panama City, Panama

     I've been thinking about all of the places that this blog has taken me over the past seven years.  One of the early trips was courtesy of Abuelo Rum to Panama.  Besides visiting the distillery in Pese, I spent a great afternoon in Old Town Panama City.  In addition to the beauty of the sidestreets of this historic town, there was remnants of some of the damage from the battles to extract Manuel Noriega in 1989.   This picture s one of the really colorful sidestreets I ran across in Old Town Panama City.

Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez and Yolo Rum

Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez and Carlos Esquival 

     Yolo’s flagship 10 Year Old Rum is blended with rum that’s distilled and aged at Consorcio Licorero Nacional in Panama City. It’s a deep amber-brown, with notes of vanilla. The taste is rich with flavors like cake batter and toffee. On the side of every bottle is the sentence “Blended by Francisco Don Pancho Fernandez.”

     Don Pancho became the head of research and development for rum at the Ministerio de la Industria Alimentaria, which was the government owned agency responsible for the Cuban beverage industry. That’s where he picked up the nickname Minister of Rum. He worked for brands like Matusalem and Havana Club, which led to the nickname Great Grandfather of Havana Club.    Don Pancho’s career in Cuba lasted 35 years. Pernod Ricard acquired the rights to distribute Havana Club in 1993, but Don Pancho didn’t come with the brand. He moved to Pesé, Panama, a region known for its sugar cane, where he worked for Ron Abuelo and helped rebuild Las Cabras distillery with a friend named Carlos Esquivel.

     There are people that question whether Don Pancho, , the legend, exists. “If you had Googled Don Pancho when we started Yolo rum, you’d have thought he was a fictional character”. “There are conspiracy theories about him even existing, like, ‘Oh, he never existed before 1998.’ That’s because he was in Cuba.”  Guerin says that he had to educate people on who Don Pancho was. He’s modest and doesn’t seek accolades or publicity.  “The people who question him—none of that bothers him,” says Guerin. “I say, ‘We have to do this to counter,’ because I want to help fight his battles for him, but he doesn’t care.”

     Don Pancho gave Guerin the blend that’s now Yolo on the first try. “He basically told my wife that he had it ready for us when we showed up,” says Guerin. “And he told her, ‘This is the standard that all rums should be held to.’ Once we tried it, it just blew my socks off.”  .

     Guerin started a rum brand because he wanted to share the Central American rum that made him fall in love with the spirit category. Through a series of fortunate events, he ended up working with the man who helped popularize Havana Club, one of the most storied names in rum. There were probably easier paths to getting a rum brand that didn’t involve Guerin trying to convince people of his master blender’s authenticity. But hey, you only live once

Goslings Releases Papa Seal, the “Father of all Rums”

      A new, but rare rum is being released by Goslings, the rum has been hand-selected and slowly aged in single-use bourbon barrels.  The company described the rum as: “Startlingly mellow with an elegant finish carrying notes of spice, leather, banana, caramel and molasses. The expression is so refined, Goslings urges owners to savor it neat or over a single cube of ice”.

          Malcolm Gosling, president and chief executive officer of Gosling’s International Limited, said: “Our obsession has always been on crafting the finest rums possible, not the most rums. With that mantra in mind, we proudly created Papa Seal ‘the father of all rums’. My only regret is that we are forced to limit the number of people who can experience it.”  Because of the limited offering, Goslings is restricting each customer to a maximum purchase of six bottles, which cost $179 each.

     The entire output of Papa Seal rum will be restricted to 12 barrels, and of those only one has been reserved for Bermuda customers.  However, the barrel for Bermuda is extra special, because it is the first of the Papa Seal rum barrels. Bottles from the barrel will be numbered and hand-packaged in display boxes.  

Read More at http://www.royalgazette.com/local-business/article/20181211/goslings-releases-father-of-all-rums

A Few Things You Should Know About Rum

It Must Be From a Derivative of the Sugar Cane.

     Sugar cane which is a type of grass that grows best in warm tropical climates, like South and Central America, the Caribbean and the Central Pacific. Once the juice is extracted from the sugarcane, it can be turned into molasses or kept in its raw juice form. On its own, it has a sweet, grassy taste that gives you a major sugar rush. Mixed with yeast and water, it begins the fermentation process.

It Has a Lot In Common Other Brown Liquors.

     The barrels! After the fermentation process, rum is distilled to extract the ethanol from the rest of the stuff in the fermented wash . After that, the alcohol is often aged in American bourbon barrels. Why? When making bourbon, the rules of Bourbon say that you can only use new oak barrels to age it. These oak barrels are then sold to rum and other spirits companies, where they are used aging rum and other spirits.

There’s A Lot Of Fire Involved.

     A good rum has a broad spectrum of flavors, from caramel and vanilla to smoke. How do rum makers achieve this complexity?   Fire, that chars the insides of the oak barrels, imparting a toasty flavor on the rum aged inside. So those notes of wood ,vanilla, and caramel you're tasting.

White Rum And Dark Rum Are More Similar Than You Think.

     After the rum has been aged to the distillery’s liking, some of the aged rum is filtered through charcoal filters to remove some of the color and a bit of the oaky flavor. This is what we refer to as white rum, the preferred rum for mixed drinks. Dark rum, its counterpart, maintains more of the charred woody flavor and is usually consumed neat or with ice.

You Can Do Your Own Quality Check.

     Good spirits depend on your senses to determine if it is a rum that you will enjoy.   Pour it into a clear glass and examine its color and clarity, dark rums will have an amber to mahogany hue, White rums should be clear and free of debris or cloudiness.  Some of the age white rums may still have a hint of color that was not complexly filtered out leaving some of the flavor of the barrel.   Take a small sip, then swoosh it around in your mouth, if alcohol the first thing you taste, that sharp burn is often indicative of a cheaper bottle.  The quality rum will give you complexity immediately of sweet, smoky, and smooth mouth feel. This is the type of rum you want to sip slowly.   The whites are best saved for quality cocktails like a Mojito or other fine mixture.

Rum: The Manual by Dave Broom

     Here is an idea for a Christmas present for your rum lover.  It will be a welcomed addition to any rum enthusiast’s library.  It is available through Amazon and is priced at only$13.59 and is a prime eligible product.

     This is a book by Dave Broom about how to drink rum of all kinds. It's about classic rums and new-generation rums, about rhum agricole and about premium aged rums, about rums from all over the world. It's about rum enjoyed with cola and ginger beer. About the best rum for a classic daiquiri. About rum cocktails that ooze style and personality. Above all, it's about enjoying your rum in all kinds of ways.

     The days of rum being seen as a minor spirit are over. The category has been reborn in recent years with developments such as the rise of premium aged rums and spiced rums. The range of rums available has widened dramatically, with tiki bars in every major city globally. Add in cachaça - Brazil's native cane spirit - and you have a hugely popular distillate. So there's no surprise that the premium rum market is growing at an astonishing rate - from 23 percent per annum in the US to 74 percent per annum in France, for example. 

     The mission of this book is to help drinkers appreciate this complex spirit, find the style they like and discover how this versatile spirit can best be enjoyed. It will help you to understand your rum - how it's produced (whether from molasses, cane syrup or cane juice) and whether it's dry, sweet, fresh or oaky. More than 100 different rums are featured and analyzed, from rich, sweet mellow Guyana rums to the vegetal peppery rums of Martinique or Guadeloupe and contemporary spiced rums. Dave Broom provides a description and graded tasting notes for each brand, allowing you to create the perfect mix every time. Finally, a selection of classic and contemporary cocktails shows just how wonderfully versatile this spirit is.

License To Swill: A Report on James Bond’s Drinking Over Six Decades

     This is a great and in depth report that covers James Bond’s vices and the use of alcohol and cigarettes.   The report is very well documented and I find it very interesting as to the things that James Bond can do after drinking several cocktails.

   Two of the authors, NK, AT watched all 24 James Bond movies in the Eon Productions series (1962–2015; online.   Alcohol-related content was identified, discussed, and recorded on a pre-printed form, and the details then transferred to an Excel file. A third investigator, PS also watched selected segments when there was uncertainty about coding decisions, with final decisions reached by consensus.

     When Bond was seen drinking (the glass or bottle reaching his lips), this was deemed an “observed alcohol use event”. If the alcohol brand or bottle label was not visible, we assessed the beverage as being alcohol on the balance of probabilities. We classified other events as “alcohol use assumed” if actual drinking was not observed but alcohol was on the table in front of Bond and it was likely he had consumed some in that setting. In contrast, we did not assume that alcohol was consumed by Bond if alcohol was present but he was in a dangerous situation, eg, when his drink could be spiked. Examples of inclusions and exclusions are included to minimize the chance of missing drinking episodes, we cross-checked our data with details in a publication on Bond’s drinking.

     The Women in James Bond’s world were similarly classified the alcohol use by the lead woman character in each movie — based on the order of the cast list.   For the two greatest binge events observed, we estimated units of alcohol consumed and Bond’s blood alcohol levels, based on one standard measure of spirits being 25 mL. Blood alcohol concentrations were computed with the routinely used Widmark formula, with Bond’s weight assumed to be that of an average British man approx.. 84 kg.

     Bond’s activities after drinking were recorded for the period until he was presumed to have gone to sleep for the night. Bond’s post-drinking activities included fights, driving vehicles, gambling, sex, athletic extremes, and operating complex machinery or devices. “Alcohol used as a weapon” described instances in which alcoholic drinks were used as vehicles for drugs, or bottles were used in fights or to start fires (eg, Molotov cocktails).   Data on specific visible alcohol brands, eg, on beverage containers, on advertisements in the background, were collected. Evidence for product placement was cross-checked with a website devoted to product placement in movies and with the names of alcohol companies listed in the movie credits.

     Bond had a mean 4.5 drinking events per movie (median, 4; range, 2–9), with no statistically significant trends over the six decades.   Bond has consumed a diverse range of drink types, indicating that he is happy to drink whatever is readily available. He does, however, show a preference for cocktails and other spirits (55% of all drinks). This class includes a cocktail he designed himself (the “vesper”), for which he provided instructions to a barman in Casino Royale (2006). Also included in this category is his fairly stable level of martini consumption. He was seen to drink beer on only four occasions.        One statistically significant change over time has been the declining use of alcohol as a weapon by any character, including Bond.   Alcohol as a weapon mainly involved using bottles in fights, but alcohol was also exploited as a vehicle for drug delivery, eg, chloral hydrate in spiked drinks in From Russia with Love and The Living Daylights and, on two occasions, for starting fires, Thunderball and A View to a Kill.

     Both the lead female characters and the random sample of Bond’s sexual partners had a stable pattern of drinking across the six decades. In contrast to Bond, who has not smoked while drinking since 2002, some of his sexual partners have continued to do so, eg, Séverine in Skyfall, 2012.

     After drinking, Bond frequently engaged in a wide range of potentially high risk activities. These included fights, driving vehicles, including chases, operating complex machinery, eg, flying a helicopter, contact with dangerous animals, and sex. The latter is noteworthy, as it sometimes involved enemies, eg, Fiona Volpe in Thunderball, Helga Brandt, No. 11 in You Only Live Twice, or was undertaken with guns or knives in the bed, eg, Jinx activated a flick knife in bed during a post-coital moment in Die Another Day, 2002. In other movies, Bond was under the influence when escaping a komodo dragon, evading a tarantula, and playing a drinking game with a scorpion on his hand. An example of the extreme complexity of the mix of his post-drinking tasks include a series of contiguous events in Dr. No in 1962: Bond operated nuclear power plant machinery, destroyed almost single-handedly Dr No’s nuclear/space complex, killed Dr No, rescued Honey Ryder, and escaped the island. Similarly, on another post-drinking occasion he successfully killed the “Man with the Golden Gun”, accomplished the mission goal retrieving a solex unit, and escaped the island before it was destroyed. On yet another occasion, after drinking at lunch he chased May Day up the Eiffel Tower, jumped on top of a high speed lift, drove a stolen taxi recklessly on footpaths and through the streets of Paris “violating most of the Napoleonic code” in the process, then jumped about 10 meters from a bridge and through the roof of a barge. Performing these types of activities after drinking has not declined over time, and high stakes gambling by Bond after drinking has indeed significantly increased.

     In conclusion, there is strong and consistent evidence that James Bond has a chronic alcohol consumption problem at the “severe” end of the spectrum. He should seek professional help and try to find other strategies for managing occupational stress. His workplace (MI6) needs to become a responsible employer and to refer him to support services, and to change its own workplace drinking culture.

Read More at https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2018/209/11/licence-swill-james-bonds-drinking-over-six-decades?utm_source=carousel&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=homepage

A Makeover for the Season’s Most Spirited Cookie

Christmas Rum Balls

     I ran across this article in the New York Times and the idea really sounded good.  You might want to give this idea a shot this year instead of the traditional recipe.

     There are plenty of ways to tweak a rum ball recipe. You could change up the nuts, swap out the sugar, add spices or cocoa, or use honey in place of corn syrup. You could drizzle in bourbon or brandy rather than rum. You could even nix the alcohol altogether, using orange juice instead (just reduce the sugar by a smidge).    One element must remain fairly constant, though: the cookie crumbs.  Pulverized wafers cookies — usually vanilla and occasionally chocolate — are the standard, because their dry, crunchy texture allows them to absorb the maximum amount of rum.

     I got the idea during a deep foray into gingerbread house making last winter. After the house was baked and assembled, and all the royal icing scrubbed off the counters and floor, I was left with a large heap of scraps that I nibbled on for a couple of weeks. I pulverized what remained into crumbs and stuck them in the freezer. I had more than two quarts, enough for several batches of rum balls and a few cheesecake crusts, in which gingerbread took the place of the usual graham crackers.  Gingerbread or gingersnap crumbs give these rum balls a spicier edge.

     The rum balls, in particular, were a hit, heady with booze and gently spiced. I liked them so much that this year, even without plans to build a gingerbread house, I decided to make the rum balls anyway. I crushed up a package of gingersnaps in the food processor, and added the chopped pecans and the rum. Then I mixed in some grated fresh ginger to amp up the spice, and substituted maple syrup for the corn syrup to give everything a warmer, deeper taste. 

Read More at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/dining/rum-balls-recipe.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FRum&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

Playful Dolphins in Grand Cayman

     Hangin out in Grand Cayman is a great experience, and at the north end of seven mile beach is the dolphin experience.  I is a great chance to watch the dolphins show off for you they seem t be so happy and are glad to show you their talents.

Special Papa's Pilar Banana Daiquiri

     As we slip into the holiday time of year lets look at something a little bit different for these holiday evenings.  Bananas make great cocktails and this is one that will make the evening or get together very special.

Bahama Bob’s Banana Daiquiri

• 2 oz. Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum
• 1/2 oz. Creme de Banana
• 1/2 oz. Banana Syrup
• Cinnamon Stick (for Garnish)

Place all ingredients into a mixing glass and shale until cooled, pour into a  Rocks glass or  Coupe glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Bahama Bob’s Banana Syrup

• 2 Bananas
• ½ Cup of Sugar in the Raw
• ¼ Cup of Water
• ¼ Cup of Melted Butter
• ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract

Cut 2 bananas into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Combine 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup water in Sauce pan, bring t a boil over a medium heat.  Allow l mixture thicken slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract and remove from heat after the syrup has thickened.

Seventy-seven Years Ago Today, The Japanese Bombed Pearl Harbor and Brought America into World War II

     Today you will find the The USS Arizona Memorial is a must-see destination for all individuals coming to Hawaii, drawing more than 1.8 million visitors each year from all over the world, but on the morning of December 7, 1941 it was a completely different picture as the Japanese planes devastated paradise and the American Pacific Fleet.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japan launched a sneak attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, as part of a plan to eliminate any potential challenge to Japanese conquests in Asia. The attack compelled the United States to enter World War II as a combatant, and to wage a costly, bloody struggle to defeat the Japanese empire.  Peter Harris wrote, “the attack dramatically altered U.S. foreign relations, sidelining isolationism as a powerful force in domestic politics and making overseas engagement the accepted norm.”

     The U.S.S. Arizona which was moored next to a repair ship when the attack began, was struck by several Japanese bombs and exploded in flames as it sank. More than 1,100 service members were killed, including Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd and the ship’s commanding officer.

     President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." On that day, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. Arizona and capsized the U.S.S. Oklahoma. The attack sank or beached a total of twelve ships and damaged nine others. 160 aircraft were destroyed and 150 others damaged. The attack took the country by surprise, especially the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base. 

Heavy Metal Band Motörhead Releases a Premium Dark Rum

     Heavy metal band Motörhead has announced the launch of its new eight-year-old Dominican dark rum.   Aged for eight years in ex-Bourbon barrels, Motorhead Dark Rum is described as having emitting notes of dried fruits, vanilla, brown sugar and even a note of dark chocolate.    This is a full-bodied rum sporting a medium sweet spiciness along with notes of chocolate, vanilla, oak and nuts.  The finish is a spicy one with a medium sweetness.

     In 2015, Motörhead teamed up with Swedish distillery, Mackmyra to produce their own brand of whisky marking their 40th anniversary .  The limited-edition Swedish single malt whisky was aged for five years in new American oak barrels and finished in Oloroso Sherry barrels for six months.    

     The Motörhead Facebook page, the remaining members of the band said: “As with every beverage we develop, it’s been a hands-on affair with no detail left unchecked.”  The rum is produced by Sweden-based Brands For Fans, whose business manager Yvonne Wener said called Motörhead, “the most dedicated, wonderful guys one could ever ask for, and true gentlemen in every sense.”   The rum was officially released in Sweden through its monopoly on 1 December, but other markets can contact the company directly for distribution information at marketing@brandsforfans.se.

Nusa Caña Rum: Bringing Back the Taste of Indonesia

     Nusa Cana Rum is a unique spirit, coming from the area that was near the origin of sugarcane.  The 1500’s explorers and travelers prized the Indonesian Rums.  They were also the choice of those looking for a luxury expression and could be found in the finest “punch Houses” and bordellos throughout the world.

     Nusa Cana was created by industry experts Marc Rodrigues, Joe Milner, Andy Gaunt and bartender Sam Jeveons.   Nusa Caña is made from molasses from local sugarcane grown on the Indonesian island of Java, and yeast grown on Javanese red rice.  It is distilled twice in steel Chinese pot stills before being matured in teak casks to give the rum a “drier” finish.

     Rodrigues, Nusa Caña co-founder and formerly of Beam Brands, Constellation Brands and Diageo, said: “Indonesia’s part in the story of cane spirits, and therefore rum, is both compelling and valid. We’ve forgotten that sugarcane originates in Southeast Asia and was taken from here to the Caribbean and elsewhere.

       “We’ve forgotten that early explorers visiting what is now Indonesia discovered the locals drinking a distilled sugarcane spirit as far back as the 15^thcentury, before the word rum was even coined.  “To bring it back in a serious way, I assembled friends and industry experts from Australia, Asia and the UK to launch Nusa Caña, a tropical island rum with the vision to take the story of Indonesian rum and the Bali lifestyle we love to the rest of the world.”

Christmas on the Boat is Just Fun and Cheerful

     Here in Key West, Christmas is a bit different.  We live on boats and don't have any frost or snow, but we have a lot of color in our Christmas world.  Today Marta and I went to our local Home Depot and found the lights that were appropriate for our boat. Christmas on the water is a little bit different, but it is just as festive.  So we wrap the rails instead of hanging lights from the gutters and posts, but the effect is much the same.  I hope that you enjoy making your house Christmas festive as we do on out boat.  Happy Holidays to all pf you and I hope that you get the chance to make you world bright and fest as well.

Republic National Distributing Company Is Eyeing an Expansion With Digital Distribution Merger

     Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC) has teamed up a small digital distributor to boost its tech capabilities and expand operations across the US.   RNDC, which is the second largest US wholesaler and currently operates in 22 states, has joined forces with small California based online distributor Liberation Distribution (LibDib) in a “strategic alliance” that will allow the two companies to expand into new markets using a web-based three-tier distribution system.  The deal will see RNDC tap into LibDib’s technology and data collection capabilities, sharing data and technologies to provide both customers and suppliers with market access, modern selling tools, and a unique and diverse portfolio, while LibDib is set to use RNDC’s extensive logistic capabilities to grow beyond its New York and Californian heartland and allow spirit and wine makers the chance to access wider markets.

     The two companies are currently working together to integrate the technologies and complete the expansion.   LibDib launched in March 2017, with a plan to try and level the complicated United States  liquor market and allow smaller producers better access to the market.   Cheryl Durzy, the founder, claimed at the time it was the first alcohol distributor that offered an online platform compliant with the America’s three tier system.  LibDib would allow boutique wineries, craft spirits and micro-brewers to set up their own distribution.

Tom Cole, CEO of RNDC said technology was evolving the US drink industry at an incredible pace, and innovation is the key to the future of wholesale alcohol sales and distribution.   “As part of our commitment to providing consistent value and service to all our stakeholders, the combined force of RNDC and LibDib will offer new, fully three-tier compliant solutions at both ends of the distribution process,” he said. We are very excited to work together and further evolve both of our businesses.”  The specific markets being targeted have yet to be revealed.

Read More at https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/11/us-wholesalers-eye-expansion-with-digital-distribution-merger/ 

Key West Winter Temps and Winds Have Arrived This Week

     The winter Temps of the high fifties arrived this week.  Along with the low temperatures came some strong winds and beautiful sunsets.   This made for a nice outing on the dinghy the other night.  The cold colors of the ocean along with the dry windswept clouds make for a beautiful ride.

December 5th is the 85th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition

Key West Speakeasy Raul's Club, once where the Speakeasy Inn is on Duval Street

     Next week on December 5^th, we celebrate the 85th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.  This was America’s failed experiment into restricting the consumption of alcohol, while the days of the speakeasy and bootleg alcohol trafficking have been left far behind us,  a new era of Prohibition-like ideas are once again showing their ugly heads in public discourse and debate.   Some of laws that surround the use of alcohol continue to loosen.   While some local level, states and municipalities continue to walk back restrictions on where and when alcohol can be sold.   An anti-alcohol agenda fueled by rhetoric promising increased safety and better health is being advanced by a new group of activists, researchers and policymakers.

     Utah will become the first state in the country to lower the legal blood alcohol limit for driving from 0.08 to 0.05. While proponents masquerade the policy as “tough on drunk driving”, the move, in practice, is an affront on moderate and responsible alcohol consumption.   It takes very little alcohol to reach a 0.05 BAC. A 120-pound woman can hit that level after consuming little more than a single drink, while a 160-pound man will round the threshold after two.   It’s clear where the problem lies, and it isn’t with someone who enjoys a glass or two of their favorite beer, wine or spirit before heading home.   herefore, although lowering the legal limit may sound good on paper as a strategy to save lives, the policy will only divert limited traffic safety resources from focusing on the truly dangerous and legitimately drunk drivers on the road. All while suppressing moderate and responsible social drinking at bars and restaurants.

     Prohibition during the 1920’s and 1930’s was a huge mistake that brought about serious consequences in this country.  This year we get the privilege of celebrating 85 years since the repeal of Prohibition.  Hopefully those that are trying to bring it back will look beyond the simplistic rhetoric and look at the reality of banning something that the majority of Americans still find enjoyable.  The key to the issue lies in the way people handle themselves, not a bunch of laws. 

Ready -to Drink Cocktails - The New Spirits Carry Along

2012 Tico Libre Ready-to-Drink Cocktail

   Over the past 5 or 6 years there has been a real interest in the “ready-to-drink cocktail market.   At the Rum Renaisance Festival in Miami in 2012 when Tico Libre introduced their rum and cola pre-mix cocktail, I saw that there would be a serious market for this kind of beverage. 

  

     Alcoholic Ready-to-drink beverages are primarily spirit-based drinks. These drinks are served in a premixed form and are ready for consumption at any time. The main market is driven by the youth, but for those of you that don’t have a home bar, these are ready to drink at any time and can be kept ice cold lake a beer in the refrigerator.  For a day on the water, at the beach or just a picnic, these can be dropped into the cooler and enjoyed as easy as popping the top on a beer.

 

    Diageo, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Global Brands, Halewood and Suntory Spirits are just some of the major players that have invested in the Read-to Drink Cocktail Concept and the numbers are growing.  The companies are producing both Spirit Base and High Strength premixed cocktails to the delight of a fast growing market from North America across Europe al the way to Asia. 

The Beautiful Wildlife of Key West

This is Our Cock-O-the Walk

     Key West is one off those interesting towns, but we already know that.  One of the unique things here in Key West is that it is a wildlife sanctuary.  What does this really mean?  It means that animals are protected.  We have chickens, cats, iguanas, egrets and herons that all walk freely on the streets of Key West.  They are our neighbors and they must be allowed to go about their lives without being harmed by people that visit or live here.

Eddie the Egret

     Some can be a real pain, but we get to share our island with them and I find it to be very nice.  Most places have pigeons and other pests, but here in Key West we have chickens, iguanas and Herons.  I like the ones that live with us, thank you very much.  Key West is a bit different, but that is what makes us so special.

Holiday Time Honey Ginger Hot Toddy

     Holiday Season has arrived and and so has the cold weather.  It is time for a great hot Toddy, mine of has to be rum based, imagine that, so here is an idea that I feel fits the season and helps soothe the symptoms of a cold at the same time.  

      Give this idea a try it is good for warmth and comfort on a cool fall or winter evening.

Bahama Bob’s Holiday Season Hot Toddy

• 2 oz  Siesta Key Spiced Rum
• 1 oz. Bahama Bob’s Ginger syrup
• ¾ oz.  Fresh Lemon Juice 
•  Orange Zest and Fresh Nutmeg

Fill a coffee or glass mug with boiling water and add the syrup,rum and lemon juice.  Stir until blended and float an orange zest and grind fresh nutmeg on the top.

Bahama Bob’s Simple Ginger Honey Syrup

• 1 Cup Water
• ½ Cup Clover Honey
• 1 Ginger Root Chopped into ¼ inch pieces

Place water and ginger into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add honey and stir it in.  lower heat and stir until the honey melts into the solution.  Simmer on medium low heat for about 15 to 30 minutes until flavor is to your taste.  Cover and allow to cool to room temperature.  Stain into a suitable container and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Fire in the Marina, Boat Owner's Worst Nightmare

Serious Fire, but the Marina Was Lucky

     Thanksgiving night about 6:30 pm a group of us that live here in Sunset Marina were gathering to
enjoy our Thanksgiving dinner and get together when someone shout that there was a boat on fire.  For all of us there this was a hugely frightening experience.  Luckily the wind was blowing from the North and away from all of the rest of the boats in the marina.

     The neighbors around the fire grabbed hoses and kept the sides of the boat next to the burning boat cool.  The burning boat was almost immediately fully engulfed.  The garden hoses could do little except to protect the boats that weren't ablaze.  When the fire department quickly arrived, they were able to get the fire under control, but the boat sank almost immediately after the fire was extinguished.

The Skimmer to Remove the oils

     Putting the fire out was only the beginning, getting oil control booms around the dock area that the boat went down was the next priority.  This was accomplished almost as quickly as they got the fire under control.  If not for their getting this don there would have been diesel oil throughout the marina.  The next morning the smell of diesel was throughout the marina, but the oil was contained within the booms.  The hazardous waste crew arrive and they put a skimmer in the containment area and were able to remove the diesel and motor oils coming from the boat.

Lifting the boat from the bottom

     Saturday Morning the crane arrived and proceeded to raise the boat from the bottom.  after it was
raised, the fire marshals and the arson squad went over the boat to find the cause of the blaze before releasing it for salvage.  It is on a barge now and ready to head to the boatyard in the morning.  I really doubt that there will be much that will be salvageable, but that is the next step in the process.

Sitting on the barge with the Fire Marshals

     You don't realize the potential for damage that a marina fire can have until you see something like this.  We were very fortunate, if the wind had been blowing out of the south like it normally does, the entire dock could have been involved and the damage much greater.  Fortunately there were no injuries or loss of life in the fire.  The boat damage was only to the boat that was on fire.

Welcome to "Cyber Monday"

     Today is Cyber Monday, should this be a National Holiday or something?  Or is it just a day where the employees spend their day at work ordering their Christmas presents online.  Where did this come from? "Cyber Monday" was created by marketing companies to encourage people to shop online. The term was coined by Ellen Davis and Scott Silverman, and made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled 'Cyber Monday'.   It quickly became one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.

     It never ceases to amaze me the number of excuses for sales that will get you to spend your money during this time of year.   Black Friday, Red Saturday and lets not forget Cyber Monday.  It won’t be long before every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas will have a name so you sill run out and take advantage of all the sales.   Americans are just born shoppers and can’t resist a sale.

     Happy Cyber Monday, enjoy your day starring at your computer or smart phone to buy up all of those specials.

I'm Missing Daylight Savings Time

     It is that time of year when the day ends too early.  Getting close to 5:30 sunset and the day iturns into night.   I wish that the United States would follow the lead of several of the states and keep daylight savings time year round.

The Holiday Season is Officially Upon Us

     Thanksgiving and Black Friday are behind us and Cyber Monday is ahead, so it is defiantly here.  Yesterday the stores were jammed and as long as the Internet doesn't break on Monday, this is going to be a fun time this year.

     Last year here in the Keys we were still reeling from Irma and it did have a huge effect on our Holiday season.   This year with most of our worlds back in shape we can get into the holidays deeper than we could last year.   I'm hoping that everyone can have a wonderful holiday season this year, especially those in the panhandle that were hit so hard by Michael.  I feel for them, those of us that went through Irma know their plight.

     The most important thing is to get together with the people that are closest to you and have a whole lot of fun this season.   Happy Holidays to all.

Drop In the Tablet and You Have a Flavored Fizzy Cocktail

     Here is something that could be very helpful on a day out on the water or just away from a bar.  This will give you the fizzy flavor of a real cocktail by just dropping a tablet into the cocktail.  Kind of like the days when I was a kid, you could take a “Fizzy” tablet drop into a glass of water an you got yourself a carbonated soda.

      “Making cocktails can be timely and complicated, so we created Fizz to make sure you get the perfect cocktail every time and to bring the theater back to drinks at home as part of our on-going brand mission to bring disruption to the food and beverage category.   Whether you're hosting a party, bringing the fancy plates out for dinner or just want to fix yourself something nice, pop one tablet into a glass of your fizz of choice to watch the color and flavor transform before your eyes.  We recommend pairing your Cocktail F.I.Z.Z. with a glass of Prosecco, Champagne or G&T; equally delicious when dropped into a non-alcoholic drink of choice. Designed to dissolve completely into your drink. The perfect flavor balance, giving your glass the freshness of Elder flower, fresh Rhubarb and a sweet quench of Tropical Passion Fruit.

     Can't decide which Cocktail F.I.Z.Z. to get? Well, not only have we facilitated cocktail making, we've also facilitated decision making!   Cocktail F.I.Z.Z. is non-alcoholic. F.I.Z.Z. responsibly. 1 tablet per drink. 100% vegan.  Desiccant grains are enclosed in the cap to keep the Cocktail F.I.Z.Z. dry. 

Available from Smith & Sinclair’s website as well as Harvey Nichols and John Lewis, the tablets are vegan and cost £5.99 or US $7.70 for a pack of 10.

Happy Thanksgiving

     Today is a day for family and close friends, I hope that your day is a fun one and you get to eat, drink, enjoy the family.  Oh There will probably be some football involved, Just enjoy the day however you celebrate it.