Serenity at Sea

Serenity and good winds are what keep the world moving as you sail through life.   ;o)

Spooky Rum Lab

Just for fun we had a spooky day yesterday in the Rum Lab.    We tried to create some  new cocktails for the up and coming Halloween Parties.    We took a look at several of the more traditional cocktails of the season, most of which are vodka based and went "rummy" with some new twists to the ideas.
Most of the cocktails were ugly and seemed to be a study in "gross out" rather than in good mixocology.    We took some time to create some cocktails to fit the season, taste good, and could be garnished to your Halloween theme.

The Devil's Workshop

• 1 1/2 oz Brinley Coffee Rum
• 1 oz Creme de Banana
• 3/4 oz. Plantation Overproof Rum
• 1 oz. Half and Half

Place all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled strain into a Martini glass and grind some fresh nutmeg on top.     Garnish with your favorite Halloween do-dads.

Robert's Tea Party

• 1 1/2 oz. Plantation Guyana Rum
• 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz/ Cane Syrup or Clover Honey
• 2 oz. Green Tea (Semi-Sweet)
• 2 oz. Barrett's Ginger Beer

Place all the ingredients except the Barrett's Ginger beer into a shaker with ice and shake until chilled.     Pour into a pint glass and top with Barrett's Ginger Beer.     Garnish with your favorite Halloween do-dads.

Hallucinations

• 1 oz. Coconut Rum
• 1 oz. White Rum
• 1 oz. Melon Liqueur
• 1 oz. Galliano
• 1/4 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Place all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until chilled, strain into a Martini glass and garnish with your favorite Halloween do-dads.

     These are a couple of the really fun ungross cocktails that we were able to come up with, hope you can have some fun with them at your Halloween Party.   Happy Halloween to all   ;o)

El Dorado 8 Demerara's Latest Success Story

     The addition of El Dorado 8 year old rum rung the bell on my first taste of it from our Opici Distributor.     This is a dark auburn rum that has been created from molasses and distilled in their wooden pot and column stills that bring out the fabulous flavor of the Demerara rums.    The Rum is aged in old bourbon and whiskey barrels for 8 years before being bottled and released for sale to the public.  This rum is a bit heavier than the 5 year, and a bit lighter than the 12 year old rums.    This is accomplished by the amount of pot stilled rum in the blend.

     The rum is a very well balanced full bodied rum suitable for sipping or mixing.      On the nose, you bet the woody and spicy aromas that draw you right in.     You pick up notes of vanilla, maybe some toffee, wood, fruits, and spices on the palate.  The rum has a long lasting finish and the flavor seem to linger on for a long time.     This is a rum that we will bring into the Rum Lab one day in the near future to see what we can create with it.

     The rum is very competitively priced and is affordable as a mixer, but good enough to be sipping as well.   First class rum that fits in beautifully between the El Dorado 5 year old and the 12 year old members of the family.   ;o)  

Are our Tropical Cocktails Real?

     As a bartender in a tropical rum bar, and around tropical bartenders all of the time, I really have to question whether you are really getting the real deal or just some fruit juice, rum, and enough grenadine to make it pink and tropical tasting.

     One of the things that makes our bar different is the quality of the cocktails that we serve, in that all of the cocktails are made as close as possible to the original recipes and made from scratch, not from commercially bottled mixes.      The integrity of the cocktail is an important thing to me, even in the Rum Lab, we may start with an original cocktail, then go to work on it to improve it, but when the research is completed it is renamed as a different cocktail.    Unfortunately many people don't know the difference between a Mai Tai and a Singapore Sling, so if you put some rum fruit juice and enough grenadine to get the right color many of them are happy.  

      
     Jeff Burkhart, a Marin County, California award winning bartender and author wrote an article in the San Jose Mercury-News on the subject that I would like to quote on the subject.

 "Many drink recipes call for essentially the same ingredients but in different proportions, or maybe with one or two slightly different variations. The Singapore Sling however, can be made really differently, which I tried to explain to Mr. Hat.
The Singapore Sling was invented around 1915 at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel Singapore. The hotel is named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, diplomat and imperialist extraordinaire, who founded the city of Singapore in 1819 after some extremely questionable diplomatic dealings involving the Dutch, the British Navy, the East India Company, a man named Hussein Shah, and quite a few bribes.
By the time bartender Ngiam Tong Boon stepped behind the plank, Singapore had been a British colony for nearly 100 years. There he mixed together a virtual mosaic of European colonialism using gin (a Dutch or British product), Cherry Heering liqueur (Danish), pineapple juice, lime juice, Cointreau and Benedictine (French), Grenadine (also British) and Angostura Bitters (invented by a German in Simon Bolivar’s Venezuelan army). Boon named his drink the Singapore Sling. Traditionally slings are a liquor, sugar, lemon juice and water, one step away from a sangaree which doesn’t have the fruit juice, and one step before a daisy which has the addition of grenadine (or another fruit cordial). Realistically his drink should have been called a Singapore Daisy, but now that just doesn’t have the same cachet, now does it?
Boon’s Sling would become world famous, slaking the thirsts of notable world travelers like Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Noel Coward. But by the time adventurer/writer Frank Buck contributed his Singapore Sling recipe to the 1935 book So Red the Nose (which also featured Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon cocktail) the drink had lost not only the Cointreau, but the pineapple juice and the grenadine as well. So began the Sling’s long march towards mediocrity. The 1950’s and 1960’s with their emphasis on premade items (think canned cocktails) further stripped the drink of ingredients, until the 1980’s when it consisted of little more than bottled sweet and sour, gin and grenadine (back, but now replacing the cherry liqueur). More recently, with the reappearance of quality products like Cherry Heering and the use of fresh juices the “new” Singapore Sling again becomes a much more palatable drink, albeit quite a bit different one than the original.
“I can make it with gin, Heering and fresh lemon juice,” I said. “We make it ‘up’ in a martini glass so the Herring sinks to the bottom, like grenadine does in a Tequila Sunrise,” I said.
Mr. Hat wrinkled his nose in distaste. Instead of responding he peered intently at the cocktail list. I switched from one tired foot back to the other, hoping that he wouldn’t order anything that contained the juices now locked up in the back refrigerator.
“I’ll have the Bramble,” he said after a relatively long pause that required another foot switch on my part. I sighed. Our Bramble was really nothing more than a version of the newer Singapore Sling, but on the rocks with raspberry liqueur instead of cherry. I opened my mouth to say something about that, but instead closed it and simply made the drink. Less than twenty minutes later I was in my car on my way home.
Most of the time in the restaurant business the customer will get the full treatment, but sometimes- say 15 minutes after closing-they will get whatever is easiest."

    

Jeff"s Mai Tai,Zombie, Rum Runner, Scorpion

• 1/2 oz White Rum
• 1/2 oz. Amber Rum
• 1/2 oz. Dark Rum
• 1/2 oz. Flavored Rum
• 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Orange Juice
• 1 oz. Guava Nectar
• 1 Orange Wheel
• 1 Pineapple Wedge
• 1 Maraschino Cherry

"Combine all or part of the rums with all or part of the juices along with ice in a glass.    Strain or don't into a serving glass with one or all of the garnishes.   Rest assured, no one will know the difference"

     I guess that really just about covers the subject.     ;o) 

    

Key West is Headed into Fall

     The heat of summer is disappearing into fall in Key West these days.   The highs have dropped from 90is down to the mid 80's .     This may not seem significant to your people that are now in the 60's but to us this is the time of year that is really wonderful.    The breezes are blowing and you can walk and enjoy outdoor activities without overheating.     I look so forward to this time of year in the keys and am enjoying our cool 79 degree evenings as well.    Season has not kicked in yet and the crowds are still at an ebb, making it easy to navigate the streets and waterways these days.

     This is sort of our vacation at home when we can do all the things that we enjoy before the craziness of Fantasyfest drop kicks us into season.     Yesterday I took a trip by dinghy through some of the canals here in Key West seeing the back side of the houses and boats that make up this colorful area.     This morning is beautiful, I have my windows open and only a fan blowing to cool the room, it is always great to get a break from the air conditioners steady whirring.    

     I guess that is why we live down here in the keys, the cold of winter and the warm of spring and fall, oh yes I do enjoy the hat of summer as well and hanging out on the water cruising around the mangroves.   I guess it is time to grab a bottle of exquisite rum and move to the aft deck and watch the sea rolling in and the sun setting as I sip a fine rum tonight.    It is very wonderful to have a good selection of fine rum from which to make a selection.     Enjoy your evening as well.   ;o)

Still Thinking about my VI trip and The William Thornton

     One of the highlights of my last trio to the Virgin Islands was the boat trip to The Bight at Normand Island and the "Willie T" (William Thornton) floating bar and restaurant.    Established in June, 1985 by Mick and Annie Gardner this is one of the most colorful and unique floating bar and restaurant in the world.     The original boat was a 1935 Baltic Trader that after about 10 years in the restaurant service sprung a leak in the middle of the night and sank on June 11, 1995 on her mooring in The Byte at Norman Island.    The boat was raised and hauled out to sea where she was sunk again in hopes of it becoming an artificial reef for divers, but the boat hasn't survived the rugged conditions and there is virtually nothing left of the old William Thornton.

     Today the new William Thornton, a steel hulled boat that was found in Florida is back on the original mooring and the party is still going on on a daily basis.     The new Willie T opened for business on January 6, 1996.      There is a huge lunch crowd there every day and the party at Happy Hour is legendary.   Prior to an accident in 2006, the practice of people of all ages jumping from the "poop deck" atop the bar area into the beautiful and warn blue waters of The Bight.     The use to be a Willie T t-shirt for the women that jumped off naked, but since the accident this practice has come to an end.     The menu is known for it's homemade conch fritters, chicken and seafood rotis, bar-b-que and fresh fish.     The bar is the center of debauchery  on the aft deck where body shots and "shotskis" are flowing.   The "shotski" is a water ski modified to hold 4 shots for synchronized guzzling.    

     The customers are as varied as the unusualness of the boat, Yachties arrive on their dinghy's boaters raft up to the Willie T and a full group of locals all for this floating parking lot around the Willie T as the come searching for food, drink and fun each day.     The life on and around the Willie T's slogan, "You're a long time dead"- encouragement to have fun and live or today, fits the aura of the venerable old ship perfectly.    

     I'll get to return to the Willie T in November and I really can't wait for my next visit there.   ;o) 

Koloa Rum and the Kilohana Plantation on Kauai, Hawaii

Koloa Distillery

     The Koloa Rum Company is nestled on the tiny island of Kauai in the Hawaii.    Rum is deeply seated in the history of Kauai, Captain James Cook and his crews of the H.M.S. Resolution and the H.M.S. Discovery were believed to have brought rum to the island when they first made landfall in 1778.     The Koloa Plantation and Mill established in 1835, first harvested sugar cane in 1837 and they produced  some two tons of raw sugar the first year.     Like in many other sugar producing regions the rum production quickly followed the sugar production in order to get rid of the waste from the sugar production.     These days the island's "tall cane" still is in production in the rich volcanic soil and fed by the water from Mount Wai'ale'ale.    This area is said to be the wettest spot on the earth and the pure mountain water nurtures this very sugar rich cane to maturity.

     Koloa Rum Company was established on the grounds of the Kukui Brands facilities in 2008.   This is still the primary location for the bottling and distillation of the rums.    Koloa Rum Company is the first and only legal distillery on the island.      The rums are twice distilled in a 1210 gallon Liberty Coppersmiths still that was built in 1947 and refitted for use by the Koloa Rum Company.    The Koloa Rums are made from locally grown sugar cane and produced as a single batch premium rum.    The first barrels of rum were bottled in September of 2009 to coincide with the opening of the Tasting Room at the Kilohana Plantation.    The combination of the finest sugar cane and the pure water that is naturally filtered by the volcanic strata and stored naturally in the aquifers, makes this a very special and flavorful rum.

     The tasting room is is the Kilohana Plantation, a full operational plantation in Kauai that offers a wide variety of experiences for it's visitors.    The narrow gauge railroad offers a chance to view the plantation.     Ike, the1939Whitcomb Diesel locomotive pulls the mahogany coaches modeled after the personal car of King Kamehameha as it winds through the plantation with the whistle blowing and the steel wheels chattering.    

     The Koloa Tasting Room is a must visit at the plantation, where you will be able to sample the award winning Koloa Rums.    This is a highlight of the tour and you won't soon forget the fine rums or the entire Kauai experience.     ;o)

    

Fantasyfest is Fast Approaching in Key West

Have you decided what you are going to be this year at Key West's Fantasyfest yet?

Siesta Key Spice Rum Lab Approved

     Siesta Key Spice Rum is one of the newly arrived group of spice rums to appear this summer.     This is a very flavorful spice enhanced quality rum, this is where it became tough to create new cocktails around this rum.   The flavors of the rum are strong and do not play well with many of the usual suspects in mixed cocktails.     The good news is when you find the right ingredients the rum really shines and the cocktails are real winners.    The rum likes to be mixed with several regular rums, amaretto, ginger beer, cream of coconut, lime juice, sour mix, and pineapple juice.

   Two of my favorites caught me a little off guard , they were exceptional in the complexity and the long lasting flavors.

Siesta Key Alexander

• 1 oz. Siesta Key Spiced Rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Coffee Rum
• 1/2 oz. Amaretto
• 1 oz. Cream of Coconut
• 1 oz. Half and Half

Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake til chilled, strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.  Top with fresh ground nutmeg, and an orange wheel.

Siesta Key Nutty Sour

• 1 1/2 oz. Siesta Key Spiced Rum
• 1 oz. Amaretto
• 1/2 oz. Sweet and Sour.

Place all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake til chilled.   Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

     These are a couple of the 5 or 6 really exciting cocktails that we were able to produce with the help of our lab mice yesterday.   This is a great rum, but we found that to create a really good cocktail with spiced rum takes some work, spices don't all play well with other things or spices.   Enjoy the cocktails and the very fine new Siesta Key Spiced Rum.   ;o)

Siesta Key Spiced Hits the Rum Lab Today

     Mike Streeter of the Rum Connection is bringing a bottle of Siesta Key Spiced Rum to the Rum Lab today for experimentation.     This is the first time we have tried to work with a spiced rum in the lab and I'll be interested to see how it is going to work out.     As usual I'll be creating some ideas for new cocktails using this really fine spiced rum and the "Lab Mice" will help decide which of the cocktail will be usable and which one don't make the cut.

     This afternoon's project is going to be a interesting and challenging one, because with the rum providing so much flavor on it's own, you have to blend it with things that are complementary to the flavors and don't clash it.     Sometimes you can get some really great tasting combinations and other times not so much.    I always enjoy a challenge and it is through these challenges that you create some really special new cocktails.     I'll have a full report of what the results of today's Rum Lab adventure tomorrow.     ;o)

Iggies Beach Bar and Grill, a must see in St. Thomas

Iggie's is on the top of our agenda as we head into St. Thomas in November.      This fabulous beach bar is on of the best beach bars in the Caribbean.    With the live music nightly and the cocktails flowing freely, this is the place to be on St. Thomas.     I have a couple of friends that now live in Key West that both worked at Iggies that tell me they will shoot me if I don't stop by for some fun there.     The sign says "365 days of fun" and I guess that I'm going to find out if this is truly the case.   I do believe it is as my friends have told me.

Captain Jack and his crew

     There are regular theme  parties that shouldn't be missed at this Bolongo Beach Resort Bar.  Plus the "All You Can Eat Crab Night" on Tuesday and the "Wednesday Carnival Extravaganza" complete with limbo, steel pan, and Mocko Jumbie shows  that draw huge crowds .   The Pirate Party is probably one of the bigger ones each year.      

     Iggies has it's "Bands in the Sand" concert every night , plus Karaoke, and Televisions carrying all your favorite sports nightly.     You can mingle with the locals or hang with the tourists, either way you'll have the time of your life on a Bolongo Bay night at Iggies.     The cocktails and the food there is always interesting, from their famous Spinach Crab Artichoke Dip to the oysters, mussels, shrimp and burgers.   No matter what your reason it would seem that a trip to St. Thomas would not be complete without an evening at Iggies.

       I can hardly wait for November and my arrival at St. Thomas and hitting Iggies for some fun and frolic in the beautiful St. Thomas nights by the water.     When are you going to Iggies?   ;o)

Prichard's Buzz

Prichard's Buzz

   The nice little cocktail that has risen out of the need to have a good cocktail for the "White Russian" crowd that will put a smile on your face and graduate you into the world of rum.     In a collaboration with the Rum Connection  http://rumconnection.com/uncategorized/prichards-buzz/ we have a video on how this simple cocktail is created.     This cocktail has a honey warm flavor that blends perfectly with the Prichard's Fine Rum and half and half.



Prichard's Buzz

• 1 1/2 oz. Prichard's Fine Rum
• 3/4 oz. Agave Nectar or Clover Honey
• 1 oz. Half and Half

Put all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake til chilled.  Strain into a rocks glass and serve with a lime an orange wheel.

     This was another creation of the Rum Lab from last week.    This week there will be a surprise rum in the lab to be blended, stirred and shaken into some wonderful new cocktails for the book and for a future promotional event.    Watch for this week's Rum Lab edition.     ;o)

Rainy Day In Key West

     My day off today and it's raining, hmmmmmmmmmm  I guess that I'll just have to do some creative indoor work today.    Let me see, write my blog, do some work on the book, create a new cocktail.    Nah, I'm going out and play in the rain and watch all of the tourists dodge the rain and do all the things they do to get the most of a rainy vacation day.   

     We sit under awnings and on porches looking the wrong way, or drive our electric car in the rain with our umbrella up, or a scooter with a rain suit.   We try not to let the rain stop us from doing what we want to, but is does tend to slow us down.    Key West doesn't usual have all day rain events, but today sure looks like one to me.     I guess the correct action is to just keep on keeping on and get the stuff completed that I need to, and maybe head over to the Hurricane Hole in the rain for some lunch and a little rum.

     Well, the day in the computer room just came to an end with the Internet going down, that is why I'm finishing up this piece today.   The rain took out the whole day until about 6:30pm when the sun made a brief appearance before setting.   So you get the story today instead of yesterday.

Plastic bags are all the fashion this year

 

November and The Virgin Islands is Getting Closer

I'm getting ready for November and our trip to the Virgin Islands for some pure relaxation.     This is always one of my favorite destinations for sun, sea, and fun.      Can't wait to see the beautiful white sand beaches of White Bay and the rest of the beautiful waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

I'm Amazed What Can be Done with Well Rums

     The Rum Lab opened yesterday to the roar of inexpensive rums and liqueurs to create quality cocktails.     This was the mission of the day and we were very pleasantly surprised with the results.     We started with a everyday inexpensive white rum, some liqueurs, and some flavored rums that all were in the range of $10 to $20 a bottle.     This is where the fun really begins, now we must use our creativity to make flavorful drinks without the assistance of very flavorful quality rums.     First we invited three bartenders from here in Key West to be out "Lab Mice" for the day and it was off to work again to create some new and flavorful cocktails.

     I'm finding that a swizzle format is great for the inexpensive cocktail, because the crushed ice smooths and expands the flavors of these rums.    Not usually being a fan of flavored rums, I was pleasantly surprised with the results we got using them in the swizzles.

Tropical Daiquiri or Swizzle

• 1 1/2 oz. Spiced Rum
• 1 oz. Banana Liqueur
• 1 oz. Pomegranate Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz. Cane Syrup or Honey

Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake till chilled.  Strain into a martini galas for a daiquiri or strain into a cocktail glass filled with crushed ice for a swizzle.   Garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime wheel.

Bubbly Daiquiri

• 1 oz. White Rum
• 1 oz. Lime Rum
• 1 oz. Mango Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
• 3/4 oz. Ginger Beer
• Splash of Soda

Place all ingredients except the Ginger Beer and the Soda in a shaker with ice and shake til chilled.   Strain into a frosted martini glass (2/3full) and the ginger beer and a splash of Soda.   Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Spicy Coconut

• 1 1/2 oz. Coconut Rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Spiced Rum
• 2 oz. Ginger Beer
• Splash of Lime Juice

Place all ingredients in a cocktail glass with ice and shake lightly or stir.  Garnish with a lime or sprig of mint.

     These are three ways to enjoy some really tasty cocktails on a very small budget .    Don't be afraid to experiment with the stuff you find in your liquor cabinet, there is often a treasure trove of flavors that your would not usually put together, but they do work.    ;o)

Friday and The Rum lab is Open Today

     The decision has been made and we are going to open the Rum Lab today for more research on one of our new acquisitions.    This is always an interesting event, because you never really know what is going to be successful and what is going to be a flop.    Over the past several months we've learned about mixing some very unusual items and coming up with exciting new cocktails.     I feel like today is going to be trying to create new "Well Cocktails", those that can be made and created from inexpensive white and dark and flavored rums.    I'm going to be trying to get flavor without having to resort to a lot of funky sugary mixes.   I feel that there are a number of really good fruit juices and liquors that can produce the desired flavor without resorting to the funky mixes in a bottle.     Anyway I do have a great group of lab mice coming by today to assist in the tasting and development of some new and fun cocktails.    I'll let you know tomorrow how it all came out.   ;o)

It's just one of those rainy days today !

Here is a great cocktail to brighten up the day.

Bahama Bob's Rum Swizzle

• 1 1/2 oz. Vizcaya Cask 12 Rum
•  1/2 oz. Amaretto
• 1/2 oz. Falernum
• 1/2 oz. Lime Juice
• 1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Place all the ingredients in a mixing tin with ice and shake til chilled, pour over crushed ice in a tall glass and swizzle gently.  (add a dash or so of Bitters to your taste) and serve with a sprig of mint and a lime wheel.

Rum from the Virgin Islands

     The Virgin Islands have long been a source of rum for the rest of the world.     Today there are just 3 distilleries left in the Virgin Islands.     The British Virgin Islands only have Callwood Distillery in Cane Garden Bay on Tortolla.   The U.S. Virgin Islands boast two very large distilleries, Cruzan and Diageo, both on the island of St. Croix near Frederiksted.

     The Callwood distillery is the world's longest continuously running distillery.     This historic distillery nestled in the woods at the edge of Cane Garden Bay on the island of Tortolla is one of the fun "old school" distilleries that still run things pretty much like it did originally.   This distillery still produces rum that is bottled for you to take home with you and is a lot of fun to visit especially if you are interested in the historical rum distilleries and the taste of "old school" rums.

     Cruzan on the other hand is one of the large modern distilleries that produces very high volume rum that is distributed throughout the world.     The Cruzan Distillery has a visitor's center where you can learn the modern methods of rum making and spend some time sampling the fine rums made by Cruzan.    The Cruzan Distillery boasts a long history of rum making that has it's origins with the Dutch and the wind driven cane crusher, parts of which are still at the distillery.    There have been several ownership changes over the past years, but the place is still operating and a great place to visit when in the Virgin Islands.    

     The newest and the largest is the new Diageo Distillery that is producing Captain Morgan Rums.     This mega distillery when fully operational will be able to produce some 20 million proof gallons of rum per year.     This distillery not only has extremely high output potential, but is an environmentally sound operation.    This is a joint venture with the St. Croix government and Diageo that will get 80% or it's employees from the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

   All of these locations are great places to visit and learn more about how and why many of the processes that make your rum happen the way that they do.     Make sure to visit these neat places when you re in the Virgin Islands, and be sure to sample some of the products at the same time.     ;o)

Rum Bloggers Decend on Key West

Cork and Stogie

Cork and Stogie     Conched in Key West Bar Crawl brought some 40 plus rum blogging visitors to Duval Street Saturday for some fun times sampling the rum concoctions of Key West.     This was a fun charity event that started at Cork and Stogie, then to Pearl's Patio, on the the Rum Bar, then to Overboard, across the street to Willie T's, and finally finishing at Krawl off Duval.     It would appear that a great time was had by all involved.

Pearl's Patio

     The event moved along with the Bike Week activities that were going on at the same time.     This made for a really lively time on Duval Street as these two events evolved together.     The crawl started at the Cork and Stogie, where every one met to partake their first crawl cocktail of the afternoon.     Soon they were wandering a foot to Pearl's Patio for their next cocktail or two in the fun atmosphere of the patio.

The Rum Bar

    The third stop brought them   to the Rum Bar where I got to take a shot at them with a Denizen Rum Punch.    I do have to say we had a great time with the whole bunch of them there along with many of the regulars all there at the same time.    It was fun because beside the punch I was able to share some of the new cocktails that we have been developing at the Rum Lab over the past few months.   The wheels were getting well greased as they left the Rum Bar and heading north on Duval Street.

Overboard Key West

     Next it was Overboard Key West, a new Bar and Grill here on Duval Street, where the "Shot Doctor" got to spin his magic for the group.     The Shot Doctor is a stethoscope that has a shot glass at the end of the hose for your convenience to have a glass when ever a shot is offered.    Staying in the "doctor vein", an IV filled with the shot for the stop was administered to all.    This too was a fun stop, but it was time to move on again.

Willie T's

     Willie T's, the rock 'n roll club on Duval would be the place to get the next to the last cocktail of the crawl.   Standing under the dollar bills and other paraphernalia hanging from the ceiling, the crawlers were able to enjoy still another cocktail that was specially created for the event.    By now the effects of the previous four stops were starting to show on some of the crawlers.    Now it was time for the crawlers to make their way to the final stop of the crawl.

Krawl off Duval

     What a fitting place to end the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl, at Krawl off Duval.    This is another of the new venues here in Key West, specializing in craft beer and making many of their own brew.
By now the crawlers were more and the walkers were less, but the fun was to continue as they tried some of the quality beers offered up by the staff.

     With the event coming to an end and the group's participation was able to raise some much needed money's for the military families living here in Key West.    Thanks to "Tommy Nikon" for providing all of the pictures for me, and to all of the crawlers that had so much fun .     ;o)

Bikers Hit Key West to Roar

   Last weekend was another of the fun events in Key West.    The annual poker run to Key West for the bikers.     This event brings the roar of the Harley's along with the party on Duval Street.     The endless line of beautiful roaring bikes and the lovely ladies on the back.     This is one of the really fun events where thousands and thousands of bikers get to share their bikes with all of the spectators  and each other comparing ideas and accessories about their bikes.

     They are a fun loving bunch also the you can usually find in many of the bars and other party spots in Key West.    The Rum Bar was no exception to the rule and we had a really fun group of people there with us that did know how to have fun.    Bahama Bob's Root Juice is a popular quaff among the riders.     The partiers are there to just do one thing and that is to have fun and 5 or 6 thousand that came to town did just that.     I look forward to this event every year in Key West just to see what it will bring to light each year.     The really pretty laddies that it brings to the party don't hurt either.    

     Thanks for the party on Thursday through Saturday and I hope all of you get home safely and look to see you again next year when the party on Duval Street comes alive again.     ;o)

Ahhhhhh Yes Sunday Morning

I just love the sunrise here in Key West

Friday's Productive Rum Lab

     Yesterday afternoon was another really productive Rum Lab, this time working with Prichard's Crystal Rum.     The rum was one of those clear and clean rums that mixes will with most everything that we threw at it.    We were very pleased win many of the 14 or so recipes that we put to the test in the lab yesterday.

Here are a couple of the really delicious recipes that came out of yesterdays research. 



Kelso Expresso

• 1 1/2 oz. Prichard's Crystal Rum
• 3/4 oz. Kahlua
• 3/4 oz. Amaretto
• 1/4 oz. White Creme de Cocoa
• 3 oz. Pineapple Juice

 Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice shake til chilled, and put into a Collin's Glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.


                         Prichard's Buzz

• 1 1/2 oz. Prichard's Crystal Rum
• 3/4 oz. Agave Nectar (or Good Clover Honey)
• 2 oz Half and Half

Place all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled and serve in a rocks glass with a sprig of mint or parsley

     These are 2 of the many new recipes that we developed yesterday.   I hope you get the chance to enjoy this exciting rum as much as we did in the Rum Lab yesterday.     ;o)

The Rum Lab is Working Today

Phil Prichard, Master Distiller

     Today in the Rum Lab we are working with a Prichard's Crystal Rum.     This is one of the fine American Rums that is rapidly on the rise in the homes and bars of the world.     This is a 5 time pot still distilled Louisiana Grade "A" Fancy Molasses whit rum.    This is a rum that can be sipped or mixed, that in itself make this an unusual white rum.     Phil Prichard brings pride and experience to the art of rum making in America, and I feel privileged to be able to work with a really fine rum here in the lab.

     Today we will take this rum and try to develop some new cocktails that will really enhance the flavors of this really nice rum without burying them in overboard mixes.     The ideas stem from the use of classic cocktails that have been almost forgotten about and bring the rum into the mix in place of the original liquor.     This opens a new world of flavors and revitalizes many of these classic cocktails with the wonderful world of rum.

     I will give you a report and some of the new recipes in tomorrow's edition.     ;o)

Siesta Key Spiced Rum Receives a Warm Welcome at the Rum Bar

     The long awaited Siesta Key Spiced Rum has received a nice warm welcome since it's arrival at the Rum Bar in Key West.   The really smooth gingerbread aroma and lingering after taste has made the rum an instant favorite.     This is a spice rum that you can actually serve neat or on the rocks for sipping and the aromas of gingerbread or Christmas cookies warms your mouth and mind.

     It also mixes well with many of the same things that most of the other spiced rums do, but it really seems to add special flavor to the cocktail missing in many other spiced rums.     Much of the first bottle is already gone, but there is another on waiting in the wings for the enjoyment of those who like the spiced side of rum.

     It is available through Total Wine and Spirits as well if you are not close to Key West this week.    This is going to be the sales leader for the Drum Circle Distillery of Sarasota in the very near future, and a well earned congratulations to Troy and Tom for a well though out and finished product.     ;o)

The Rum Lab Lessons

     The Rum Lab has given us a new perspective of what can be mixed with rum.   We've found that rum loves to jump in where other spirits have been and make the cocktail more interesting.     One of the favorites at the Rum Bar is our "Bloody Mary", but many have learned to love the same cocktail made with a white rum, called a "Bloody Rummy", as my friend Bruce has named it.    This is the tip of the iceberg, as far the places that rum can go to make a new flavor and liven up a classic cocktail.     The classic "Tom Collins" can be vitalized with the use of a nice gold rum like Siesta Key Gold instead of gin.   The use of a home made sour mix adds even more to the blend and then it is up to you and your improvisation skills to finish the cocktail.

     This isn't just the classic cocktail, but some of the more modern cocktails can be updated with some new ingredients.    The Zombie got a new lease on life at the Rum Lab with the introduction of Pomegranate Liqueur and Barrett's Ginger Beer.      The Bermuda Swizzle with the introduction of Smith and Cross Rum.     A daiquiri  by the addition of some creme of Coconut.    The Moscow Mule by substituting rum for vodka.     This list is an endless one if you jut let your imagination wander and try some of your ideas.     Don't for get to write the recipe's down, because if you don't, they will be forgotten in the enjoyment of the new creation.    

     We have been working all summer in the rum lab creation new cocktail for a book that is being done as we speak called "Cocktails and Tales", which will be a recipe book with the stories that make the cocktail as interesting to know about as it is to drink.     Many of the cocktail that I mix every day have a story behind their creation and the stories are really fun to explore.    The book will include many of the classic tiki, Caribbean, and domestic recipes and the tales of their creation and where they have been.    It will also include many of the recipes created in the Rum Lab.     It is our hope to have the book ready for print in time to introduce it for spring break here in Key West.


     The point of the discussion and the book is that you don't have to remain in a mold, you can operate outside where there are no rule only your taste bud determine the outcome of the creation.     This is a really fun experience and one that makes for a great party as well.     It give you the ability to be a "Don the Beachcomber" or a "Trader Vic" in your own back yard.  Try it is fun and very gratifying when you discover the next new "hot cocktail".     ;o)