I wonder what exotic island this could be.  Oh yes, it is Stock Island in the Florida Keys.   This is the entrance to the Key West Harbour Yacht Club.   I find this place a great location to relax and enjoy my days off by the pool.   It is also the home for our new boat "Lil Sanity", so we see the opening regularly, from both the pool and the boat.  This is a really nice place, one I'm glad to be a part of these days.  ;o)

Festival Rum Bahamas

    There has been and announcement that the 2015 edition of "Rum Festival Bahamas" well happen from February 27th through March 1, 2015.   This is the second annual festival after a very successful event last February.  I am looking forward to the event this year and all of the cultural, food and rum events that surround this event.

   Held in Nassau, the Bahamas, means a fun trip to paradise and a chance to rub shoulders with so many of the rum producers that will be in attendance.  

    Don't miss this one, it will be a fun festival..   Further information through the people in the picture at the left.  Get your reservations in early and further information from their website.    Get further information at   http://www.rumbahamas.com/     ;o)

Papa Pilar, Caribbean Journal and Bimini Big Game Club Announce A Really Cool Promotion

    There has been a announcement of a really fun contest to create a caption for a picture of Hemmingway and win a trip to the Bimini Big Game Club Resort.

"Ernest Hemingway was one of the greatest adventurers in history, and many of his travels focused on the Caribbean, including the islands of Bimini and Cuba. Now you can invoke the spirit of Hemingway's adventures with this new contest from Caribbean Journal and Papa's Pilar Rum, the rum named for 

Hemingway's famous fishing boat."

 

  

Enter to Win a Free 3 night 4 day stay at the Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina. All you have to do is write a great caption in the Facebook comments from the website   http://www.caribjournal.com/contest/papas-pilar-rum-bimini-adventure-vacation-contest/

 

     This should be a really fun promotion with a really enjoyable prize, so put on your most creative cap and see what you can come up with.  Who knows you might be off to Bimini and a fun 4 days following in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway in Bimini at the Big Game Club.  ;o)

 

Dress Codes in the Bars: Do We Reallly Need Them?

    I remember not being allowed to enter an unsophisticated bar down here in Key West, because I was wearing a "Tank Top" one summer evening.   It cost that bar eight customers coming in to have cocktails.   With the stiff competition for customers here on an island where most people live in shorts, flip flops and tank tops this seems like a foolish mistake.

     There is a place for dress codes, but you have

to make a decision as to what you really want in your establishment before you start to initiate these rules.   If you run a bar that is part of a high end restaurant, then there is a real reason for you to have a dress code, but if you run a beach side tiki bar that requires shoes, long pants and a dinner jacket, you will be out of business in very short order.

     For me I prefer the "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem" type of bar, but there are those that need the more sophisticated establishments to feel really comfortable.  The real important thing is to first establish who your clientele are then decide what your "dress code" needs to be to conform with the local laws and the atmosphere of the establishment.  The key is not to be arbitrary, but to us the dress code to enhance the attendance at your establishment.

Havana Club Announces Flavored Rums

Havana Club Essence of Cuba Line of Flavored Rums

Havana Club rum is looking to strengthen its position in the on-trade with the launch of a range of cocktail flavorings inspired by its Añejo 7 Años expression.

 

Havana Club has launched a range of cocktail flavorings, called Essence of Cuba

The Pernod Ricard-owned brand has launched four flavors in the Essence of Cuba range: Island Fruit, Aromatic Leaf, Coffee and Honey, which have been designed to “highlight the natural flavors and aromas of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años”.

The range has been developed in collaboration with The Bitter Truth, a cocktail supplying company set up bar bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck in 2006.

“With The Essence of Cuba range, we want to go one step further and give bartenders a whole new opportunity to experiment with the flavors of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años, without losing the intrinsic Cuban character of this now legendary expression,” said Nick Blacknell, global marketing director for Havana Club International.

“The initial response to the range from the bartenders who competed at the Havana Club Grand Prix earlier this year was really encouraging, so we’re looking forward to seeing how it is received by Havana Club fans around the world as it appears in markets this autumn.”

Pernod Ricard said each flavor is crafted using natural ingredients through a slow maceration process with Havana Club Añejo 7 Años as the base using a combination of traditional and modern production techniques.

Stephan Berg, co-founder of the Bitter Truth, said: “Havana Club Añejo 7 Años is blessed with a wide variety of characteristic flavors ranging from honey to cocoa, sweet tobacco to lush tropical fruits, so we have crafted a range of natural intensifiers that would harmoniously bring out the dominant single aromas found in this legendary rum in simple signature serves.”

The range will be available in 24 markets, including Cuba, Germany, France, UK, Greece and Spain from October 2014 in 20 ml and 200ml formats.

 

Re-educating Rum Consumers About What Importance Age Carries in the Final Product

“Consumers need to be re-educated about the significance of age statements associated with rum and understand the importance of maturation better, a distiller has stated.”

Bacardi UK brand ambassador Metinee Kongsrivilai

     Bacardi UK brand ambassador Metinee Kongsrivilai explaining the distillation process of Bacardi rums, A London Cocktail Week seminar called ‘Does age matter, an exploration with the expert’, hosted by Bacardi UK brand ambassador, Metinee Kongsrivilai, in association with Abhishek Banik, former teaching assistant of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling and distiller of Ogilvy Spirits, Banik stated that “maturation is what’s important, not ageing”.

     The hour-long presentation delved into the importance of age statements for rum, its involvement in the character of the product and other factors that contribute to the flavor, taste and appearance of the spirit.

     “If you age it for too long you get too much of the wood,” Banik said. “People focus on the number of years something has been aged, but maturation is what’s important, not ageing.

     “The whisky industry has already realized it and there are definitely parallels to be drawn across the both categories, but I think the rum industry has got a job making people aware that age does not equal quality.”

Defining quality

     Both Kongsrivilai and Banik stressed that Bacardi’s focus was not on age as each product is blended to a specific flavor profile, not time frame.

     Bacardi 8 is the only Bacardi rum to carry a number, which represents the youngest rum in the blend rather than the oldest because the “oldest rum varies as we blend to a specific flavor profile,” explained Kongsrivilai.

     “Consumers are more curious and more picky to understand about quality,” Kongsrivilai added. “They are definitely interested but they have not reached that stage where they really understand that age doesn’t define a product’s quality.”

Read More at   http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/10/rum-age-statements-do-not-matter/?article-source=newsletter&source=276&date=2014-10-10

     I have always found that believing in age statements doesn’t buy you  quality in most rums that I have been associated with.  I have found some very young rums to have better flavor profiles that many of the ones with older age statements.  In fact, I have found very few rums that boast age statements over 2o years that have impressed my palate.

     I tend to agree that the blending of several aged rums with different barrel histories has overall been more impressive to my palate that those with all of the wines being of the same age.  Different woods and what the barrel was used to age prior to the rum seems to have more influence on the flavor of the finished product that does how long it has been in the barrel.  ;o)

New Study Indicates We Drink More on Days We Excercise

     A new Northwestern Medicine® study finds that on days when people exercise more -- typically Thursdays to Sundays -- they drink more alcohol, too. This is the only study to use smartphone technology and a daily diary approach for self-reporting physical activity and alcohol use. “Monday through Wednesday people batten down the hatches and they cut back on alcohol consumption,” said David E. Conroy, lead author of the study. “But once that ‘social weekend’ kicks off on Thursdays, physical activity increases and so does alcohol consumption.”

     Previous studies have found that the more active among us are also the larger lushes. But this study didn't exactly confirm that. Instead, the stronger link occurred between exercise days and the number of drained glasses, with beer being the most popular post-workout alcoholic beverage. Both physical activity and alcohol intake increased Thursdays through Sundays. Even after the researchers controlled for the fact that people have more alcohol-related social events on the weekend, that many prefer to drink primarily on weekends, and that drinking patterns often differ by season, the association still stuck.

Read More at http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2014/09/we-drink-more-alcohol-on-gym-days.html


     I think about some of my exercise days and find that I really haven't paid attention to how much I have drank or if I drank at all on exercise days.   I know that because of my "Weight Watchers" diet, I drink pretty much the same amount when I do drink.   This is a very interesting concept, because I do know that when I do exercise, I don't consciously not drink.  I guess I'll have to pay attention to this and see what my tendencies really are, and you might too.  I would be interested in see what you do.  ;o) 

White Bay: Just Easy Going Relaxation

 

White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands  One of the most beautiful places in the world.  The powder soft white sands and the boats at anchor enjoying the scenic joining of the land and the sea and the one of the coolest beach bars in the world.

 

Ian Burrell and RumFest Set New Guinness Record

Over 350 rum fans have collectively broken the Guinness World Record for the largest rum tasting as part of the eighth annual RumFest held in London yesterday.

 

     Some 353 rum fans collectively helped set a new record for the World’s Largest Rum Tasting.

     Global rum ambassador and RumFest founder Ian Burrell led a tasting of six rums at London’s ILEC, with figures from each distillery in attendance to present their product.

     “Rum is about history and that’s what we all achieved today,.” Burrell said. “It was a true honor to be joined by such esteemed representatives of the category and to enjoy such a special evening with so many rum lovers.”

     Joining Burrell in leading the tasting were Xavier Herrera from Diplomatico; John Eason from DonQ; Asbel Morales Lorenzo from Havana Club; George Freegard from Pusser’s; John Georges from Angostura; and Joy Spence from Appleton Estate.

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/10/new-record-set-for-worlds-largest-rum-tasting/?article-source=newsletter&source=276&date=2014-10-10

Rum Sour, a New Twist on and Old Cocktail

     Time for a very simple new cocktail for the evenings.    This is a somewhat tart cocktail that is refreshing and flavorful to spend an evening on the patio or the aft deck of the boat with.  Give it a try, you will enjoy it.


Bahama Bob’s Rum Sour 

·         2 ounces Zafra Rum

·         1 oz. Dry Curacao

·         3 oz. Sour Mix

·         ½ oz. Lime Juice

 

Place all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled.  Strain into a 12oz, glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon slice and a cherry.

El Dorado Single Barrel Rum on the Way to The Rum Bar in Key West

      Several months of trying to get this wonderful rum to the Rum Bar in Key West, I have received notice that it will be Arriving in time for Fantasy Fest here in Key West.  

    Since meeting with the team from El Dorado Rums at the Miami Rum Festival last April, I've been trying to get this fine rum into the Keys.   IWS has been able to bring it to the Rum Bar by next week.

     According to the people at El Dorado, there are two versions of the Single Barrel series, ICBU and EHP.  We will be receiving the ICBU Single Barrel at first and hopefully later, the EHP.  

     People how have tasted this rum tell me that it is one of the very special ones available today. 

 “…The oak is strong, but the sweetness of the brown sugar spices balances the sharpness of the oak and citrus zests.  There is no bitter aftertaste to spoil the experience.  As well, flavours of caramel, toffee, and vanilla all lie in moderation under the oak spice as does a slightly charred nuttiness, and flavours of toasted coconut….”

I am looking forward to tasting this fine rum and passing on my evaluations next week after I receive the bottle,

Fox News Announces the 5 of the World's Most Dangerous Cocktails

October 07, 2014 

     The typical cocktails are usually made up of a base spirit, a few mixers, and perhaps a garnish or two to top things off.  But then there are some daring cocktails made with such a noxious combo of booze and other ingredients that they're down right dangerous.   These drinks aren't for the faint of heart-- or liver. 

1. The Hurl Hurl 

This cocktail may look sweet and innocent in a chilled cocktail glass, but after taking a sip you'll soon realize that this drink is almost entirely made up of alcohol. One part each of Amaretto, cranberry juice, crème de banane, Malibu rum, melon liqueur, peach schnapps, raspberry liqueur, Southern Comfort and triple sec are combined in a shaker filled with ice, then strained into a cocktail glass or poured over ice. This drink can be served as an actual drink, or as a fairly aggressive shot. 

2. The Zombie 

The Zombie

Known as one of the most potent drinks out there, The Zombie not only has a high alcohol content, it has an even higher sugar content, making it even more dangerous.  Pineapple juice, orange juice, apricot brandy, sugar, light rum, dark rum and lime juice are all blended together, while Bacardi 151 floats on top.  

3. The Vaportini 

The Vaportini is considered dangerous, not so much for what's in it, but how you drink it. To down this cocktail, spirits are heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, then inhaled through a straw, resulting in a much more intense high than that of a regularly sipped drink. Supporters say the alcoholic vapor enters the bloodstream quickly through the lungs, and bypasses the stomach and liver, so users avoid a traditional hangover and calories.  But health experts warn that alcohol vapor is potent and studies still need to be on alcoholic vapor on the brain.  Some lawmakers are considering banning the vapor-making devices.   

4. The Tequila Blue Blazer 

The Tequila Blue Blazer should be made with a fire extinguisher close at hand. This drink is so dangerous because you're essentially juggling flames. In one metal pitcher, 1 oz of Reposado tequila and 2 oz of mezcal are combined.  In a second metal pitcher is 2 oz of boiling water. The tequila pitcher is then lit  using a long lighter, until the alcohol catches on fire. It is then poured into the boiling water pitcher and passed back and forth until thoroughly combined. The flame is then put out by covering the top of the pitcher so no more oxygen can get inside.   Lime juice and a few dashes of bitters are added to complete the drink.  After it cools a bit, it's served it in a brandy-snifter style glass.  But please don't try this at home.  

5. Corpse Reviver #2 

At South Wark, a bar in downtown Philadelphia, the Corpse Reviver #2 is by far one of the deadliest cocktails on the menu. Made with gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, lemon and absinthe, this cocktail is dangerous because of  absinthe qualities that sometime provoke violence in drinkers or makes them black out. While it tastes good enough to drink more than one, proceed with caution, because according to its creator, "four of these [drinks] taken in swift succession will un-revive the corpse again."

 Read More at http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/10/07/5-world-most-dangerous-cocktails/

Walking in Hemingway’s Footsteps

Ambros Mundos Hotel

This is an article that was printed in the Miami Herald last Saturday.  It makes some very good points about the relations between the US and Cuba, things that are very long over due and it is a time for normalizing of relations between our countries.  I have shared the feelings of walking in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps and enjoying the marvels of Cojimar, Havana, Mundos Ambros, and Finca la Vigía.  The trail that he carved during his days in Cuba is one of fun and serious times, but more importantly a time when there was a lot of mutual sharing between the U.S. and Cuba.

 



John and Patrick Hemingway

 

Walking in Hemingway’s Footsteps

By JOHN HEMINGWAY AND PATRICK HEMINGWAY
www.lawg.org

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article2502039.html#storylink=cpy

     Recently, we traveled to Cuba to help celebrate two important anniversaries honoring the legacy of our grandfather, Ernest Hemingway. For five days, with a group of Americans that included marine scientists — under the auspices of the Latin America Working Group of Washington, D.C. — we experienced the hospitality and warmth of the Cuban people as we celebrated our grandfather and had discussions on promoting U.S.-Cuba cooperation to protect the marlin, tuna and other game fish of the Florida Straits that are such an important part of the image that Hemingway’s generations of readers have had and continue to have of the man and of his work.

Hemingway's Beloved  Pilar

     Of the two anniversaries, the first was a celebration of Ernest’s arrival in Cuba 80 years ago aboard his beloved fishing boat, the Pilar, after a trip across the Gulf Stream from Key West to Havana. The other anniversary is of our grandfather’s 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.

     He later donated the gold medal to the people of Cuba, saying, “This award belongs to Cuba, because my works were created and conceived in Cuba, in my village of Cojimar, of which I am a citizen.”

La Terraza in Cojimar

     On our first day, we traveled by boat to Cojimar harbor, cruising down the coast in fishing boats similar to the Pilar from the Hemingway Marina near Havana. More than 100 people greeted and embraced us that morning in an outpouring of love and respect that made us realize just how deeply Ernest felt about being a citizen of Cojimar. We talked with fishermen in their 80s who had known Ernest when they were boys, and we hugged and posed for photos with groups of school children.

     We had lunch at his favorite restaurant, La Terraza, sitting at his favorite table and looking at many photographs of him on the wall.

Finca la Vigia

     A few days later, we helped celebrate the 60th anniversary of our grandfather’s Nobel Prize in Literature, given to him in large part for his enduring tale of a Cuban fisherman’s struggle to capture a giant marlin with just bait and tackle and a tiny skiff, and of his eventual defeat.

     The Old Man and the Sea is a classic of American literature, and we were afforded the rare honor and privilege of seeing and holding the actual Nobel medal, which our Cuban hosts graciously brought to the Finca la

Patrick and John at Hemingway Memorial in Cojimar

Vigía from its usual repository at the sanctuary of La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre outside Santiago de Cuba. Touring our grandfather’s house and lingering over the photographs, books and other personal items collected over a lifetime — which included living in Cuba for more than 20 years — we could easily see just how much he truly was a citizen of this island.

     We hope that our journey to Cuba will begin to address these problems and restore balance to an important and delicate ecosystem that is of vital importance to both the American and Cuban people. We also hope that the cooperative nature of our trip will help demonstrate that better relations between the United States and Cuba are possible, and desirable. We support these changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba: The fundamental right to travel to Cuba without restriction should be restored to U.S. Citizens; Cuba should be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which it is not. It’s time to move beyond more than 50 years of antagonism to normalized relations.

Read more here at http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article2502039.html#storylink=cpy

 

The 2014 Haitian Le festival du Rhum Happening November 14th through 17th

 

    The J'Organise's Staff invites the everyone, amateurs and connoisseurs of rum that the first Haitian Rum Festival will be held in Port-au-Prince from 14 to 17 November 2014.

     There will be over fifty rum exhibitors and thousands of visitors attending.  There will be an excellent presentation of the best rum brands and their creators.  The festival will also offer a mini craft fair as part of this unique event.  The event is here in Haiti and will last for three days. Rum beginners, connoisseurs and rum mixologosts as well as chefs will be offering exhibitions of their arts. 

NH Haiti El Rancho Hotel

 

    The festival is organized in partnership with the NH Haiti El Rancho, the host hotel and Saint James Rhum from Martinique, our honored guest.  There will be a prestigious panel of judges composed of worldwide festival producers and rum and spirit experts, 


 

     Alexandre VINGTIER, Editor of RUMPORTER will offer a seminar on the different types of rum .  Training sessions will lead by experts in mixology and rum tasting. Benoit BAIL and Jerome VALLANET, will pass on their knowledge to rum professionals in the bar and restaurant as well as the fans and collectors.  There will be master classes available as well. 

     A welcome cocktail will be offered to participants on November 14th while the 15th and 16th will be devoted to the exhibition and tasting. 

The festival will close on November 17^th with an amazing show. Ceremony for various awards, including Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be presented. The closing day will include artistic performances and a fashion show.

Men are More Likely to “Catch” a Smile from People in Their Social Group After Drinking Alcohol

     I ran across an interesting article in the Washington Post and the Spirits Business the other day about how men are more likely to catch a smile while consuming alcohol.   The study

published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, showed in men, alcohol increases sensitivity to “rewarding” social behaviors such as smiling.

     “This experimental alcohol study, which included a social context, finds the clearest evidence yet of greater alcohol reinforcement for men than women,” said Catharine Fairbairn, psychological scientist and lead researcher of the University of Pittsburgh.

     “Many men report that the majority of their social support and social bonding time occurs within the context of alcohol consumption."

“We wanted to explore the possibility that social alcohol consumption was more rewarding to men than to women – the idea that alcohol might actually ‘lubricate’ social interaction to a greater extent among men.”

     "When there was alcohol around, people "caught" smiles more readily -- but only in all-male groups. In mixed groups and all-female groups, alcohol didn't make smiles any more viral than non-alcoholic and placebo drinks. But sober all-female groups had more contagious smiles than their male counterparts. Men had to raise their blood alcohol level to be as social and friendly as women were while sober."

     According to lead author and University of Pittsburgh PhD candidate Catharine Fairbairn,  the danger here is that most people think of "social drinking" as fairly harmless.   "Excessive drinking in social settings is less likely to raise red flags than habitual drinking alone".   "But because men really do seem to enjoy social situations more as they consume more alcohol, these group settings might be where they develop Dangerous drinking habits."

You can read more at http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/09/30/when-men-drink-their-smiles-get-more-contagious/

 

 

 

 

San Francisco Civic Center Bird

     When on the Marin County side of the bay, I saw seagulls, but as I moved inland to the Civic Center area the birdlife changed dramatically.    It was a change from sea eco system bird to one that can survive in the "asphalt jungle" of the city.

Pink Pigeon Launches New Bottle During London Cocktail Week

     The wonderful floral flavors of vanilla will be coming to you in a new bottle in the very near
future.  Pink pigeon is launching their new bottle as part of Cocktail Week in London October 6 - 12.

     “Pink Pigeon has dropped its iconic black bottle in favor of a transparent design.”   “While the London-based drinks retailer and brand owner, Berry Bros. and Rudd described the former matte black Pink Pigeon bottle as “elegant and luxurious”, the group has opted for a new clear design to make the amber hue of the rum more noticeable.”

    Luke Tegner, Brands Marketing Director, Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits, states: “In order to lead the discussion with the trade and consumers on the ever-growing world of spiced rum, we will be conducting Spiced Rum master classes during London Cocktail Week providing insight on the three botanicals which give Pink Pigeon its distinct flavor profile. This gives a perfect opportunity to unveil our clear glass bottle with showcases the rum so well”.

     I'm looking forward to the arrival of the new bottle to make the appearance of the rum visible to the customer and let their eyes draw them in to the beautiful amber mahogany color of the rum as it sits on the shelf.  Eye appeal of the color of the rum is a very important part of the rum's overall appeal.  ;)

    

Old Monk Very Old Vatted XXX Rum

     My visit to California last week for my 50th High School Reunion found me in quite a dilemma, there was virtually no sipping rum at any to the bars or liquor stores that were around the hotel.  At the bar I had a choice of Bacardi, Captain Morgan or Myers.  These are fine for mixing, but I was looking for a sipper.  I walked into a liquor store just down the  street from the hotel and ran across the usual suspects, but off in the corner was a bottle of "Old Monk Very Old Vatted XXX Rum ".  This is a rum that I stock at the Rum Bar, and I remember that it was a good tasting and smooth rum that had been lost in my mind, because it just really wasn't that well known about.  

     I went ahead and bought the bottle and took it back to my room where it became my drink of choice for the remainder of the weekend.   This is a very shippable rum that has notes of sugar cane and then comes the real surprise.  This is an overproof rum with 42.8% ABV making it a bit warm on the palate.  There is a peppery  flavor initially and some fruitiness that leads to the mild burn of the finish.

     It’s a classic 7 year blended dark rum, from the first drop of Old Monk Rum, the sheer aroma of distilled cane sugar grown in lush green fields of India, stirs up the age old legend. Old Monk Rum is a form of the legendary “Som-ras” of India's centuries old scriptures--The Drink of Gods and Lords of India.

     For me I found it to work well over the rocks, but I really enjoyed this rum the best with some sugar free Vita Coco Coconut water and ice.  I found myself sipping this blend most of the evening as I reminisced with my classmates.  The reunion was a memorable event in my life, but the Old Monk Rum did a wonderful job of providing me with a good rum in an almost "rum free" area.