The Rum Daddy

‘A Taste of the Little Latitudes’
Saturday Noon Tasting of Premium Rums and Tequilas

Holy Cow, what a party! Hundreds of Parrot Heads and TropRock lovers from New England to the Carolinas showed up at the Best Western Battlefield in Manassas, Virginia to have fun, raise money for local charities, and honor Bob Marley’s birthday (February 6). Last year we did a large flight of premium rums for a Saturday tasting. For this year, we mixed it up a bit and had equally popular results. So, what exactly did we do?

‘A Taste of the Little Latitudes’
Saturday Noon Tasting of Premium Rums and Tequilas

About four dozen souls braved the early morning hour of high noon to play with two flights of premium spirits:

RUMS Zaya (current distiller Trinidad)
Pyrat XO Reserve (Anguilla)
Barbancourt 8 Year (Haiti)
Dogfish Head Brown Honey Rum (Delaware)

TEQUILAS Herradura Reposado
Cabo Wabo Reposado
Chinaco Reposado
Agavero Licor, a Damiana blossom tequila liqueur

As usual, this was an interactive event, with me eliciting feedback and positive comments from the participants on each spirit. A ‘Tasting Template’ ™ was provided to everyone for notetaking and note identification in aromas and tastes. My crack support team of Cherri Artrip (sweetwife), Patti McCoy (marketing goddess) and Lynley Tolls-Meade (tech support and website engineer) did their usual superior job in carrying off the event; we also happily donated two gift baskets for the silent auction.

We finish our tastings with a small sample of a cocktail featuring one of the spirits, and a very brief discussion about the ‘do’s and don’t’s’ of mixology with premium spirits. Not everybody likes straight spirits, regardless of the quality, so you have to provide options and ideas. Never make a drink choice a ‘yes or no’; it drives away business. Always make it an ‘A or B for you tonight?’. This year’s cocktail was a rum and cola featuring Dogfish Head’s Brown Honey Rum – what a hit! People were licking out the cups, and they normally don’t do that. I think. Dogfish Head also supported us with mucho giveaways and a lot of support for the Saturday evening event. Big thanks to Jason Weissberg and Alison Schrade – When you’re in Rehoboth, go by the Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats for some superb ales, spirits, and food. www.dogfish.com

‘Designer Shooters’
Menu of specialty shooters Saturday Evening
Bartender, Friday and Saturday Evenings

I was scheduled to do a series of designer shooters Saturday night from 7 to midnight; the first task was to introduce myself to the bartenders already hired for the event. Would they be uncomfortable with a stranger behind the bar? How would it go working with them when the volume got heavy? No worries, mate – Jared, Kendra, and Heather were great, friendly, funny, hard working, and appreciated the extra help. I was ‘contracted’ by the Meltdown folks, so all tips appropriately went to them – and they earned them, people. I’d work with them again anytime, anywhere.

Friday night was a warmup – busy but steady, no massive hammering rush. Saturday? At one point, I thought local bars were bussing customers over to us – during one hour, I counted taking/making/serving 75 orders. And that was just me! We worked like our lives depended on it, and it probably did. For those of you ‘behind the rail’, you know what I mean – you either get overwhelmed, or you ride the energy rush wave, stay positive, connect with the customers and GET INTO IT!! We got into it. What a rush! We had great support from the bands. When Sunny Jim talks you up, when Tall Paul talks you up, when the Calypso Nuts talk you up AND Lynley Tolls-Meade dances on the bar with two of the (more flexible) bartenders, you are going to get business, my friends.

The most successful shooters were the fruity ones, and also one that won me a Margaritaville Tequila mixology contest:

MOCHA MADNESS tequila mocha-coffee frappachino shooter (got me some sweet swag and a M’ville Tequila bottle signed by Jimmy Buffett – and no, I won’t open it)

FRUIT BOMB Dogfish Head Honey Rum, orange liqueur and
pineapple juice

CARIBBEAN SEA Midori, Blue Curacao, Dogfish Head Vodka, Dogfish Head Coconut Rum, and orange liqueur

I also did a Kamikaze, which did OK; the other three I made did sell, but were outsold 10-to-1 by the others.

The MWMD folks did their usually-superb job in making this all happen. Chris Agan is my main contact, and he was great – maybe I should hire him as my agent? Allyson Taylor, Joan Smith, Raleigh Warner, and a host of others make this event successful every year.

Last year, I said the event was ‘a blast’. This year? Way too much fun again, lots of great friends both familiar and new. My performance is never a solo act. It’s the final sum of the efforts and talents of many great people who share my love of spirits, mixology, and mutual support. I am one lucky guy, and look forward to continuing the journey with all of you.

TALES OF THE COCKTAIL – New Orleans, July 2008

Imagine dozens of distillers and spirits experts, hundreds of cutting-edge bar owners and bartenders, and thousands of motivated public attendees – now, put them all in New Orleans at the same time.

Wow.

This is a must-do for all of us who love the alchemy of fermentation, the romance of spirits. Vodka lovers, rummiers, whiskey aficionados, gin wizards, liqueur worshippers, you name it. When you get tired, or sensory overloaded, find a bar or a restaurant in a town dedicated to the palate and the senses. Meet your friends there or make some new ones. Converse with the bartenders – they usually appreciate intelligent conversation not beginning with the phrase ‘WHOOOO!’ Talk to accessible experts in whatever field which interests you and just soak it all in.

I was honored to be part of Ed Hamilton’s rum competition. A well-run event (as always), we sampled outstanding products over two days of heaven; Ed also held court two times at the Margaritaville Café to lead sessions on ti’ punch. Some new rum distilleries were present, as well as many beloved favorites. Robert Burr of Gifted Rums and his son Rob found themselves in many of the same locales as I, so we shared many a plate and drink over the days. Robert also brought his usual splendid selection of rums to keep us company, just to start us off right before heading out. Jonathan Pogash was wowing everyone (www.thecocktailguru.com) with his skills at a Clement Rhum cocktail event. Like I said, heaven.

I saw more quality cachacas and tequilas showing up this year, which is a good thing for all. A couple of new piscos also made the rounds, as well as wave after wave of premium spirits from all categories. The mixology lovers found all of the seminars and sampling they could handle, with a legion of featured cocktails throughout the event.

While I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing next year, rest assured I will be there again, and looking to do at least two seminars with some of my friends. Stay tuned, and plan to attend.

Paul

Venetian Pool, Coral Gables, Florida March 2008

When you have the opportunity to attend one of Robert Burr’s Gifted Rums tasting events in Coral Gables, Florida, get on a plane/take the train/find a trustworthy horse and GO! His series of rum tastings are superb (he’s the good looking guy in the photo). This one was even more special, as it was also the release event for his ‘Gifted Rums’ Guide. A notable compilation of rums and related information is presented to the reader in a clean and enjoyable format. Kudos to Robert, who is a veteran publisher with a penchant for finding what’s new and knowing what works.

I arrived a day before, to help set up (Robert and I became friends after meeting at rum competitions). While originally planning to just participate, I ended up serving as brand ambassador for two of the rums which had no brand ambassadors at the event. I spent the evening presenting Appleton Rums from Jamaica, and Cockspur Rums from Barbados. What a treat! I spent hours offering tastings and comparisons of the different product lines; occasionally a friend or a guest took pity on me and brought me a different rum from another brand ambassador to taste – it’s a tough life, but I’m glad to do it. Dozens of guests roamed the stunningly beautiful Mediterranean grounds of Venetian Pool while sipping from dozens of rums from around the world. To quote Jimmy Buffett, ‘It was a pleasure and a hell of an evening’.

Between the event at Venetian Pool, and the festivals in Coral Gables along their Miracle Mile, I spent a wonderful two days chasing rum. Coral Gables is a short drive from the Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports. Robert, his wife Robin, and their son Rob were consummate hosts. While I have them linked on this website, they deserve their own mention: www.giftedrums.com If you can ever go, GO.