This is a blog that will take you through the Rum lifestyles of a fine group of people that enjoy the fun and pleasure of fine rums. We will travel to distilleries, partys, and Rum Events to bring you the Rumstyles of all those we come in contact with.
I have been in Charlotte, North Carolina since Sunday evening, this trip was with Delta, meaning it wasn't a direct Key West to Charlotte like previous ones. I have had several hours of "layover" time on this trip. People are crazy!!!!!! I have seen and smelled by the way diaper changes in the waiting areas, people who can't agree on anything, and a few lovers that needed a room.
Now lets talk about the mass rush to board the plane. Those with special needs, first class super premium passengers, then finally the zone passengers. By the time they get to the zone there are only about 20 or so people waiting to board. Thing have changed, and I wonder how much of it is really for the good. The zones really work, because it gets people on the plane in an orderly fashion with people seated by the windows and in the middle seated before those on the aisle so you don't have the aisle blocked as people keep getting in and out of their seats because people that fly a lot are already seated.
I get to repeat the process two more times today before I get home to Key West, and I'm sure that it will be very interesting again. I love to travel and watching what is going on around me is really one of my joys. ;o)
Work time up in Charlotte, North Carolina has me back up at the lake again. This trip it isn't going to be 
“It is produced in over 20 of the 27 states in Brazil. You have different types of sugar cane used. There are then the different types of wood used in the ageing process and on top of that, you have blends of cachaça that were aged in different woods. The world of cachaça is as rich and as varied as Brazil itself.”
The
major difference between Cachaca and Rum is that rum is usually
made from molasses, a by-product from refineries that boil the cane
juice to extract as much sugar crystal as possible, while cachaça is made from
fresh sugarcane juice that is fermented and distilled. As
some rums are also made by this process, cachaça is also known as Brazilian
rum.
However, the United States recognized Cachaça as a distinctive Brazilian
product by signing an agreement with Brazil in which Ron Kirk and Brazil's Fernando Pimetel were involved, hopefully this
is likely to drop the usage of the expression "Brazilian Rum". 
The history of Brazil's National Spirit is interesting see it really did not start in Brazil.
“Sugar production was mostly switched from Madeira Island to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
In Madeira Aguardente de
cana is made by distilling sugar cane. The pot stills that make Aguardente de
cana in Madeira were brought to Brazil to make what today is also called
Cachaça. “
It is really funny, Key west isn't really known for its beaches, but still people gather every day and fill them here. It doesn't have to be one of the top ten beaches in the world for people to gather and really have fun. Whether it is Volleyball, football or tossing a Frisbee people will come in masses to the beach anywhere that there is one.
I really like several of the beaches that I have had the opportunity to walk down one, There is
The Journalist, this is a concept that brings back a picture of an inquisitive man with a trench coat 
Now we are at the part of the story that I would like to talk about. The bar time for the movie and
I just hope that we can just enjoy our summer and maybe have a few threats that never develop into a full fledged hurricane again this year. Hurricane parties are always fun, but there is a lot of work that must be done before we can just sit and party waiting for the storm to blow through. As fun as these parties are, they are just the preparation for a lot of work when the storm has blown itself out. We are in the season now, and lets just wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us this year.
I wish that there weren't so many things happening this year, it is making it very hard to escape like I would really like to. The El Floridita, Sloppy Joe's, Hotel 
Rum for desert, wow what a concept. I have gotten several desert like expressions lately, and I have been playing around with them in the Rum Lab, finding some pretty exciting combinations. El Dorado has come out with a Golden Rum Cream that is a desert all by itself, but with a little bit of experimenting you can really create some special evening by the pool or on the patio after dinner cocktails using it.
Using fresh fruits in your dessert cocktails will work very well also. I have had some very good luck playing with strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, grapefruit, and peaches all work very well. I started out with fresh strawberry and a couple pieces of fresh pineapple and threw them into the blender along with the El Dorado Golden Rum Cream and Brinley's Gold Shipwreck Mango Rum and ended up with a pretty tasty smoothie style dessert cocktail. These fruit flavors really work well together make this smoothie something special. This is one of those areas that you can really let your imagination roam and develop some very good things.
One of the highlights of my visit to Havana last July, was attending a show at the fabled Tropicana 
Fooling around in the Rum Lab is always an
enjoyable afternoon for me. Today was no
exception, I was fooling around with some coladas and bringing back some of the
old ideas that I have gleaned from reading a couple of old books that have
crossed my desk in the past month. It
seems that sugarcane, rum and coconut have been great friends ever since the
early 1500’s. Sugarcane and coconut
palms are both natives of the South Seas and became part of the Caribbean as a
result of explorers and trades bringing them from Europe and Asia. 
Bahama Bob’s Orange Colada
Surprise
Wednesday the Caribbean Journal announced its 14 most interesting people. This is the inaugural selection and there are some very interesting if you will people on the list. The Caribbean Journal is one of the most influential papers in all of the Caribbean and I am sure that they put some effort into their picks.
I've gotten the new cocktail bug here lately, and as I was digging through the collection of rums, I stumbled upon this interesting old bottle of Marti Autentico Licor de Ron. Made in the traditional Cuban style of super premium rum along with tropical limes and refreshing mint added to create this pre-Castro Cuban iconic expression. Sometimes referred to as the Mojito Rum, the lime and mint flavor does pick up the essence of the cocktail made famous by the Bodeguita del Medio in central Havana.
I discovered Licor 43 several years ago, and have found it to be a wonderful addition to most anything that I have tried to put it in. Licor 43 is a very secret blend of ingredients that us unmatched in any other liqueur that I have ever tasted. I is a very complex blend that really comes to life with aromas light citrus, vanilla, extremely light touch of warm spice, but not spicy. Almost thought there might be possible hints of saffron, but if there is any saffron it is very faint.
On the palate
there is a bit if soft syrupy feel with a hint of butterscotch, rich toffee, lush, decadent, sweetened like honey with no sharp sugary edge. Lingering sweetness of juicy light flavored citrus. Faintest hint of floral.
