Bacardi Introduces Carta Fuego

Bacardi is targeting the shot market with  new cinnamon-flavored spiced rum “spirit drink” – Bacardi Carta Fuego.

     Bacardi Carta Fuego is a cinnamon-flavored red spiced rum .   Bottled at 40% abv and red in color, the new release is made from rum aged for a minimum of one year in torched oak barrels, before its passed through charcoal and mixed with a secret blend of flavors and spices.   Named after the Spanish word for “fire”, Bacardi Carta Fuego is described as a “fiery” drink with a “bold, smooth taste” offering flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and vanilla, with a touch of smokiness.

 

     It is no exaggeration to state that the market for herb and spice infused beverages has never been bigger, and it shows very few signs of waning. While you may be more familiar with BACARDI as a cocktail ingredient such as in Piña Colada and Mojito or perhaps you know it from the ever elusive phrase Bacardi and Coke.

     It seems that Bacardi are preparing to make waves in the ‘shot’ market, up against the likes of Jagermeister and Sambuca. 

Consumers are encouraged to enjoy the spirit neat as a shot, or mixed with Coke, but for those who like things extra spicy, Bacardi suggests adding three drops of Tabasco sauce.

“With a long history and a colorful heritage, we make rums that suit all tastes and occasions, and keep the revolutionary fires burning,” according to Bacardi’s release. “Our new Bacardi Carta Fuego is here to bring the heat. When it’s enjoyed as a shot, you experience the full flavor profile.

“We’ve always been innovators and Bacardi Cart Fuego has been crafted to be enjoyed that way.   It’s new and different.”

See the Video at    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2I27FR_TxM&feature=player_detailpage#t=2

 

 

 

 

Snorkelling in Open Waters

     The summer is upon us and there are a lot of people snorkeling and diving in the waters around the keys.  I was headed out of my marina the other evening when I noticed a boat at anchor at the edge of a marked channel.  I looked around and finally saw two snorkelers surface about 150 yards away from their boat that was not flying a dive flag.  The divers did not have their flags attach either.  Unless you have a death wish or really want to ruin your dive time this year.  Display those flags and have them attached to you if you are far away from your boat.

This is you should be doing if you are sharing the water with boaters.

Dehydration Driving as Bad as Drunk Driving?

     I ran across an interesting article about dehydration and its effects on people the other day.  It is something that we here in the tropics deal with every day.  You need to keep your water intake up every day or this will bite you for sure.  The warm temperatures and the humidity of the tropics cause your body to sweat out way too much liquid and leaving you dehydrated in a very short time, especially if you are at all active.  

     According to the study a dehydrated driver is just as dangerous as a drunk driver.  If you are mixing the dehydration with the excessive intake of alcohol, this could be double the trouble.

     As part of the study, a range of tests were carried out over two days on male drivers using a laboratory-based driving simulator. During the normal hydration test there were 47 driving incidents, but when the men were dehydrated that number more than doubled to 101. These errors included lane drifting, late braking and touching or crossing the rumble strip or lane line.   In fact, the number of errors made by dehydrated drivers was similar to that expected of someone driving under the influence of drugs or with a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, the current UK legal driving limit.

     Professor Ron Maughan, professor of sport and exercise nutrition at Loughborough University who led the study, said: “We all deplore drunk driving, but we don’t usually think about the effects of other things that affect our driving skills, and one of those is not drinking and dehydration. There is no question that driving while under the influence of drink or drugs increases the risk of accidents, but our findings highlight an unrecognized danger and suggest that drivers should be encouraged to make sure they are properly hydrated.”

You can read more at   http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/04/dehydrated-drivers-as-bad-as-drunk-drivers/

     The truth of the matter is that we are mostly water in out physical make up, and we cannot afford to loos much of the volume of water before some very negative effects start to occur.   Whether you are drinking or not, it is really important to keep yourself hydrated, because you could be as dangerous to people around you as someone that has been drinking excessively.
 

Model Chrissy Teigan stars in Captain Morgan Ad

27th April, 2015 by Amy Hopkins

     Supermodel Chrissy Teigan is starring as a peg-legged buccaneer in a new advertisement for Captain Morgan’s flavored rum range. 

     Chrissy Teigan stars as Paquita Pantalones in Captain Morgan’s new advertisement.   Teigan, who is married to musician John Legend, stars as “Paquita Pantalones”, a sword-wielding female counterpart to the Captain Morgan character in the new US advertisement.

     The advertisement, which can been viewed in full below, promotes Captain Morgan’s new flavored range consisting of Pineapple, Coconut and Grapefruit variants.   In the ad, entitled “I know what you drank last summer”, Teigan slices pineapples with a sword and smashes grapefruits to create cocktails for beach holiday-makers.

     On her Instagram account, Teigan said: “Watch my new @CaptainMorganUSA video! My co-stars are the most delicious cocktails of all time, and I dyed my hair black and cut my leg off because I commit to my craft.”

     Brand-owner Diageo launched the collection in the US in February this year, announcing its intention to roll out a summer-themed marketing campaign throughout the year.   Diageo launched its first Captain Morgan White Rum in the US in February 2014. Click on the link below to see Teigan in action as Paquita Pantalones.

See the video at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/04/model-chrissy-teigan-stars-in-captain-morgan-ad/

    

In 2015 St Maarten will Host the 5th Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival

     St Maarten has become the latest host country for the roving Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival which will take place on 6 – 7 November 2015. Now in its fifth year, the festival brings together some of the finest rum and beer products from the Caribbean and beyond, in a vibrant setting complete with Caribbean food, culture and entertainment.

     Festival Director Ms. Cheryl Collymore explained, “As a genuine Caribbean festival it is important for us to hold the event throughout the region. We have previously been in Barbados and Grenada and now we are in “Amazing” St Maarten. St Maarten is an ideal location for this growing event; it is beautiful, it attracts over 2 million high-end visitors from around the world to its shores each year, and its duty free shopping is some of the best in the Caribbean.” 

     “We are looking forward to working closely with the tourism agencies in St Maarten to market the destination and the festival to the widest possible international audience.” 

     Azure Management Services Inc., a Barbados based company, is responsible for the Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival. Operations Director Dr. Glyn Williams commented, “Our festival exhibitors recognise the benefits of taking part in a boutique event where they can introduce their products to a sophisticated international audience, to build brand recognition and support. The fact that this all takes place in a fabulous Caribbean setting all helps to create a memorable experience for the patrons. ”  

 

Sonesta Maho Resort and Casino

 

 

     This is one of the outstanding events that I get to be a part of.  They are always in the most fun places and provide a great event that is fun and informative.  Make your plans now and I'll see you at the Sonesta Maho Resort and Casino for a seriously fun event.

 

 

     The 5^th Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival will take place in St Maarten on 6 – 7 November 2015 at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino. (www.rumandbeerfestival.com)

Yolo Rum: Another Fine Rum from Don Pancho Fernandez

Phillip Guerin

     Yolo Rum was one of the discoveries from the 2015 Miami Rum Festival that has come home with me.   They have a ten year old rum and a silver expression from which to choose.  The idea, the philosophy came first, says Phillip Guerin, .   The brand's name is the acronym for the popular credo  "you only live once."  Next, he and his wife went on a search for a fine rum and discovered Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez, a Cuban master rum blender (ronero), who lives in Panama and now distributes two of his formulas exclusively through Yolo   Yolo also added another Gold Medal to their collection in Miami.

    The silver is a very clean mixer that works well in any cocktail because it is not encumbered with added flavors of its own to upset the balance of your cocktail.   This is a rum that suits my taste with Barritt’s Ginger Beer, as an evening refresher, It allows the flavor of the rum and the mixer to combine in a cocktail that really tastes like it is suppose to.

     The ten year expression on the other hand is one that truly stands alone.  It is a honest and real sipper.  Don Pancho has come through again for the people of Yolo Rums.  His mastery of the aged rums really shines through in this wonderful little rum.   It has an aroma of dried fruits and bourbon that slides across your palate with an incredible smoothness.  It has a lasting finish of vanilla and caramel from the oak barrel.

     Both of these rums are of a fine quality and a welcome addition to my rum collection.  ;o)

The Single Estate Rum from Georgia

     This is a term that is creeping into the spirits industry, but what is it really?   What it is all about is taking a spirit back to its roots.  Growing the grains, sugarcane or other materials on the estate, harvesting them, and then producing the spirit on the same plantation.  This is what single estate is traditionally about, but there are no "cut and dry" rules about it as of yet.

Erik and Karin Vonk

    At the Miami Rum Festival two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Erik and Karin Vonk or Richland, Georgia talking about their Vennebroeck Estate where they grow sugarcane, harvest it, and turn it into a fine Georgia Single Estate Rum.

Erik and Karin Vonk  bought a large tract of rolling land outside of Richland. They named their farm Vennebroeck, Dutch for “ponds and brooks.”   Beyond the spot’s natural beauty, the Vonks were intrigued by the area’s history of sugarcane farming, which scratched an old itch. “I just sort of had this ‘aha’ moment,” Erik says. “I’ve had a strange fascination with rum for a very long time.”

     They started in the late 1990s, they set out on his quest to grow, distill, and barrel-age sugarcane into something that would evoke the lost character of pre-Prohibition rum.    He is quick to point out that nearly all commercial rum today is made from molasses, the by-product of sugar refining—rather than the cane syrup used during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.   Working with the University of Georgia extension office, Erik Vonk identified the variety of cane that grows best in southwestern Georgia’s climate—Georgia Red—and secured permission to build a still for personal consumption. 

     When he decided to turn his hobby into a business, in 2007, Vonk knew he would need to jump through a few regulatory hoops, as Vennebroeck straddles two dry counties. As luck would have it, Richland had a long-standing law allowing alcohol within its limits, and the town council was eager to repopulate its long-shuttered downtown storefronts. Vonk selected a general store that had been boarded up for more than a quarter century. 

     “Sometimes people got angry,” Vonk says of that first year. “One guy told me I was an idiot not to have any rum to taste. I told him it just takes time.”

     They have found a number of obstacles that got in their way over the year, but they have persevered and are now producing a true Georgia single estate rum.  Richland Rum is a full bodied rum with some of the better characteristics of a fine agricole.  It has a pale amber color, with attractive aromas and flavors of coconut creme brulee, mocha, polished wood, and toffee.  The finish is a supple, dry,  nutty, spicy, coppery taste to the finish.  This is a dry, serious oak aged pot still rum for sipping or bold cocktails.  Erik puts it best when he says that his rum only has three ingredients, Sugarcane Juice, Yeast and pure Georgia aquifer water, that is all you need.

     Today it is only distributed in Georgia, but there are plans for Florida distribution very soon.  ;o) 

 

 

 

Copacabana 1940 Coming Soon

Don Pancho Fernandez

Chef Alex Garcia

     The spirit of the  Copa is back, and will be in full swing with the introduction of a new rum named for the famous beach in Brazil and the night club in New York City.   This is a collaboration that include some very knowledgeable people in the rum and restaurant industries.    Don Pancho Fernandez, Chef Alex Garcia and Spencer Rothschild have teamed up to create this new rum expression.  


Spencer Rothschild

     The rum is a golden rum created by Don Pancho Fernandez, which he describes as a 7 year old  blend that is a full bodied sophisticated rum. Copacabana 1940 is aged in white oak and has notes of orange citrus and butterscotch.

     "After many years traveling the world to source the finest rum, I am thrilled to introduce New York to Copacabana 1940 Añejo rum" says Rothschild. "I am so proud of the experts that have come assembled to create an añejo rum worthy of bearing the name of the most famous nightclub and beach in the world."

Chef Alex Garcia and Spencer Rothschild, of  Barrio Spirits are introducing Copacabana 1940, to the restaurant and spirits people at an official launch event on July 8 at the iconic Copacabana Nightclub.

 

     Today this rum is only available in New York, but when it becomes available in Florida, you can bet it will become the newest member of the collection at the Rum Bar in Key West. 
 
 

Leapin' Tarpon

   What a week last wee was, two leisurely trips on US 1 from Key West to Miami and back.  The fun of hitting so many watering holes and enjoying the beautiful scenery that the keys present you.  The birds and the fish also add to the adventure.

Huge Tarpon leaping out of the water chasing scraps from the fish cleaning tables.

 

 

Fashion World and the Drinks World Unite

     Because the spirits industry produces "lifestyle" products it seems to be following along with the trends and what is fashionable with the other "lifestyle" happenings.  What was old and out of date seems to be reworked a little and becomes "Vogue" again.  Many of the classic cocktails have bees tweaked a bit and are being served in big numbers again.  The spirits are just like the cars, the retro revolution is happening now.

     Bacardi recently appointed Akiko Maeda into the newly created role of vice president of fashion.   According to insight from Spiros Malandrakis, senior alcoholic drinks analyst at Euromonitor International, the alcohol industry falls within the lifestyle category and as such follows similar trend patterns as would be found in other industries.   “While trend cycles tend to last longer than six months it is becoming an indisputable fact that drinking patterns evolve much faster and more frequently than they used to,” said Malandrakis.

      “Alcohol is first and foremost, a lifestyle industry. In other words, the drivers of change are aspirational and start with symbolism and the semiotics of style.”   He continued to explain how many consumer choices are formed off the back of celebrity collaborations with specific brands, from Iggy Pop and Sailor Jerry to David Beckham and Haig Club.   Furthermore, he added it was Bacardi’s most recent statement of creating the role of vice president for fashion that “formalized the affair”.

     “From the ‘Mad Men’ effect making Old Fashioned cocktails suitably fashionable once again to immaculate fashionistas sipping Aperol Spritz shortly before it became the ubiquitous, pop culture and the zeitgeist provide the cues for both industries’ future directions, positioning and core message,” he explained.
 

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/04/evolution-of-drinking-patterns-picks-up-pace/





     I love seeing the fashion world going back to short shorts and skirts and I love to take some of the oldies and revamp them with rum and share them with my friends.   I think that Bacardi was right on with its moves to become a part of the world of fashion.

From the Classics to Today

     One of the most fun things for me is reviving some of the classic cocktails made with various other spirits using an appropriate rum.   The Bloodhound is an old gin cocktail from an era long past that I felt like had a real possibility as a great summer cocktail.  It is made with fresh strawberries and vermouths this makes a wonderful fruity daiquiri style cocktail ideal by the pool or in the evening on the patio.

Brugal Bloodhound

• 1 1/2 oz. Brugal Especial Extra Dry Rum
• 3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth
• 3/4 oz. Extra Dry Vermouth
• 3 or 4 Fresh Strawberries

Cut up the strawberries and place them in a shaker with ice along with the rest of the ingredients. Shake until really chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry.

     Tis really turned out to be one of those really flavorful cocktails fitting for the aft deck in the early evening.  I just hope that you enjoy it equally as well.

What is a Cocktail Name Really Worth?

     The battle over what ingredients have to be used in a "trademarked cocktail" is heating up again.  A few years back Pusser's Rum flexed its muscles about the use of rums other than Pusser's in the "Painkiller", now Gosling Brothers Ltd. is making noise over their "Dark 'N Stormy"

     "A margarita doesn't have to made with Patron tequila, and a bloody mary doesn't need to made with Stolichnaya vodka, but, according to Gosling Brothers Ltd., a "Dark 'N Stormy" can only be made with Gosling's Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum. "  

    " That's because the name of the cocktail - dark rum, ginger beer, ice and lime, apparently invented after World War I - is a registered trademark of Gosling Brothers, one that the Bermuda-based distiller told The New York Times a few years back it "defends vigorously." 

 

     "So the company didn't take it lightly when a black rum rival - Proximo Spirits' upstart Kraken Black Spiced Rum, which is made in Trinidad and Tobago - applied for a trademark registration on "Kraken Storm" for use on its own line of ginger beer."   "Gosling and others have long promoted the mark 'Dark 'N Stormy' as designating a cocktail made exclusively with Gosling's Black Seal Rum and mixed with ginger beer," the company said, noting that its rights go back "decades."

 

Read More at http://www.law360.com/articles/644722/brand-battles-procter-gamble-l-oreal-dark-n-stormy-

 

Whether it be a Bacardi Cocktail, Hand Grenade, Sazerac, or a Painkiller, the laws of this country allow the trademarking of cocktails and their ingredients.  In the opinion of this writer, you really have to choose your battles.  Is it worth drawing the ire of a lot of bartenders and writer just to make a point.   This is an issue that keeps coming up again and again, but who really wins and who loses?  I think that this is one of those lose, lose situations.  There are times that the property needs to be protected and there are times that you need to "let a sleeping dog lay".  You can sometimes win the battle and loose the war of sales.

 

 

Afrohead Rum From Harbour Island in the Bahamas



The Landing, Harbour Island

     Afrohead Rum is a very unique rum, that is produced from Dominican molasses, fermented with special Trinidad yeast, and distilled and aged in Trinidad.  Toby Tyler will then blend the rum into his own special expression and it is then bottled in Barbados.   The rum was initially made for the consumption by the customers of Joe Farrell's The Landing on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, but because of the demand it is available here in Florida, Tennessee and available at the Rum Bar here in Key West.

     Toby Tyler moved to the Bahamas and immersed himself in the island’s rich West Indies culture.  He has established himself as the island’s resident rum expert.   When he was asked, “Which rum is your favorite?” and he replied, “It hasn’t been made yet.”   In 2008, after 18 months of blending, Toby tasted his favorite rum.   Nothing defines Toby Tyler, he is this free spirit turned rum blender who  effortlessly moves from behind the bar to the recording studio to catching waves.

     The very special logo pays homage to the West Indies culture and traditions.  There are many components to the afro stylized head.  If you look carefully at the hair, you sill see images of a crown, junkanoo, a mind's eye, rising sun, and a seashell that makes up the shape of the head,

     The rums are of a rich amber mahogany color, boasting aromas of spices with notes of bourbon.   On the palate, there is a very natural sweetness from the barrel with notes of tropical and dried fruits, in addition to  a light spiciness that leads to the long and tastefully smooth finish.

     All in all a very special rum with a very special story behind it.  Joe and Toby make up a very special team that has done wonders to bring this fine rum into the mainstream of the spirits business.

20 Years of Barrel Aging in Just Six Days?

 

Bryan Davis

     Aging without spending the time and money of storing the spirits would be a real boom forA breakthrough came in 2010, when Davis says he finally figured out how to force 'oak catalyzed esterification,' a key part of the maturation process."   

the spirits industry.  Just think, if my rum could attain the smoothness and flavor of a 20 year old rum in just six days.   What he has done is to identify the components and chemistry of aging and applying the science of it to young spirits.   "

 

    The booze industry has been looking for shortcuts to the aging process virtually since its inception, ranging from dumping extra oak chips into barrels of whiskey to artificially heating and cooling them to rapidly simulate the passing of seasons. While some of these tools have had modest levels of success, many have been complete failures. In fact, even Jesus weighed in on the dangers of trying to hasten the processes of nature when he said, "No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined." (Luke 5:37) 

     If Bryan Davis has his way, that's all about to be totally upended, sacrilege or not.   Davis has come up with a method of producing spirits that taste like they've been aging in the barrel for 20 years, but his process only takes six days. Davis doesn't accelerate the aging process like so many of the methods that have been tried in the past. Rather, he shortcuts it by taking new distillate and running it through his proprietary chemical reactor. Davis's device forces the creation of the same key chemical compounds that give a well-aged spirit its unique character. Give him a week, and Davis says he can create a booze that tastes decades old.

 

Read More at  http://www.wired.com/2015/04/lost-spirits/

 

     I have some reservations about this, but if it is true, the world of spirits might be changed forever.   Yes the mystique of aging in wood would be lost along with the "angel's share", that is so costly to the industry.  Also lost will be the enormous expense of storing a product for 20 years before it can be sold.   I don't see this transformation happening really soon, but if what Bryan Davis has discovered is truly correct, things will really be different in the future.   ;o)

REDEFINING QUALITY FROM CANE TO CUP

 

     KINGSTON, JAMAICA (April 14, 2015) – Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum today unveiled its re-envisioned line-up of its premium rum range.  While making no changes to the award-winning liquid, Appleton Estate announced a new naming classification and packaging design for their core range that conveys the quality, care and passion that goes into producing these premium rums and emphasises the crafted blends that fill each bottle. 

     Notes Richard Black, Global Integration Director for Rums at Gruppo Campari:  “Appleton Estate has been producing premium, quality Jamaican Rum for more than 265 years.  While the liquid in the bottle remains exactly the same, we decided to bring a consistent and coherent naming structure to help consumers appreciate the differences among our three core variants as well as the hierarchy between the new variants. 

 

    “We feel that the new naming classification is unique to the rum category and to Appleton Estate and, more importantly, celebrates the art of blending which is so integral to the rum industry and is what makes our Appleton Estate rums so rich, complex and flavorful.”  

     Under the new naming structure Appleton Estate Signature Blend is the new name for Appleton Estate V/X, Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is the new name for Appleton Estate Reserve and Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old is the new name for Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old.  

      Appleton Estate’s Master Blender Joy Spence, the first female to be appointed Master Blender in the industry notes: “We wanted the new packaging to capture the craftsmanship and exceptional quality of our range and celebrate the uniqueness of the Appleton Estate including our heritage, our land, our process and our people.  

     “Although the names and packaging for our three core variants have changed, the award winning liquid inside the bottle remains the same.  In addition, we have not changed the names, packaging or liquid for our luxury brands, Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum or Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaica Rum.” 

The New Packaging:  

·         Bottle:            Appleton Estate’s iconic bottle, which has been a hallmark of the brand since it was first launched, has been retained to provide consumers with a familiar visual cue. 

·         Closure: The cap now includes the signature of Master Blender Joy Spence to reinforce Appleton Estate’s crafted approach to producing rum and ‘Estate Distilled’ & ‘Jamaica Rum’, are repeated at the base of the closure to highlight the brand’s Estate and Jamaican provenance

·         Cartouche: The name of the variants have been moved from the cartouche to the main label and Appleton Estate’s rich heritage as a rum producing establishment since 1749 is now highlighted on the cartouche.

·         Label: The new label now features the lush landscape of the Appleton Estate and Jamaica’s world famous Cockpit Country where the Estate is located.   

     The Appleton Estate logo has been updated and the words “Crafted in the heart of Jamaica” have been placed under the logo to speak to the care and passion that goes into making Appleton Estate rum as well as the geographical location of the Appleton Estate in the heart of Jamaica.   

     The historic medals, which date back to the 1800’s, are featured on the bottom left of the label and the Appleton Estate heart icon appears as a watermark on the bottom right of the label.