Category: Rum

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SF Rum Fest Recap: Social Scene

I enjoy the seminars at San Francisco Rum Fest, if only that it helps to take a break from all the drinking. I didn’t find the seminars this time to be as interesting as year’s past (I also had to leave the event a little early, so missed the last two sessions I was interested in). Hope next year is better.

I did enjoy the session led by Cocktail Wonk Matt Pietrek regarding the work that WIRSPA is doing to build strength among Caribbean rum producers. Matt also gave me some details about his next super-secret product that I’m sure will be amazing. Shhhhh.

So many familiar faces from the industry and the fan side. Thanks to Cory Schoolland for being my line buddy when I got to the event early. We met up with master mixologist Nathan Robinson who is a frequent contributor to the FB groups where Cory and I participate.

There were a few tiki vendors once again this year. It’s always great to see Match Accessories who Mrs. Mai Tai buys from frequently. I just don’t know how much a couple vendors adds to the event, especially at the Hibernia Bank location that lacks an outdoor patio like the previous event space for past Rum Fests. The crowd always seems more interested in drinking, anyway.

The Hibernia Bank is a good location for this event, though. Nice and cool inside, even on a super hot weekend in SF. A good layout with high ceilings and an adequately sized seminar room.

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SF Rum Fest Recap: The Rums

Had a great time in the city for this annual Rum Fest, this time being billed as the San Francisco Rum Fest now that there’s a companion new event in Los Angeles.

This is an event that’s mix of educational seminars, rum education, rum exploration, and social meetup. Having tasted more of these rums over the years, I lean more into the social side but there’s always some new brands or expressions to try. View the video of the layout.

I was impressed by the single-still releases from El Dorado: Enmore, Versailles, and Port Mourant. These are all aged 12 years and provided at cask strength. I was told these would retail at ~$90, in which case that would be a steal. I do see them offered online for ~$150 which seems to be more what I’d expect. In any case, these are flavor bombs that are so great. I was most impressed by the Versailles, with the Port Mourant being a close second.

Diamond Distilleries was also showing off a fruity and light white 151, aged six months. And a heavier dark 151 aged two years, somewhat more reminiscent of the famed LH151 but still quite lighter.

Rhum Barbancourt had a white expression I’d never tried before and liked. It’s a lighter style than the Haitian rum clairin from Saint Benevolence, which has an aged expression in the market and more things to come.

Copalli rum from Belize seems to be everywhere. I liked both the white and the barrel rested expressions. They were serving a great daiquiri riff by local bartender Maritza Rocha-Alvarez that was superb.

Rhum Saint James from Martinique seemed to be making a push to get better distribution and had a number of new and interesting expressions.

I spoke to the Hawaiian producers about their product, which will be covered in a deeper dive in a couple weeks.

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Mai Tai Myth: a 1944 Mai Tai Must be Made with Jamaican Rum

Leading up to Mai Tai Day (August 30), we are sharing five Mai Tai myths.

The original Mai Tai was made in 1944 by Trader Vic Bergeron with 17 year Jamaican rum from J. Wray & Nephew. Subsequent to that, the Trader Vic’s chain has used various Jamaican rums, rum blends that included Virgin Island rum, rums from Martinique, and currently are using Trader Vic’s Royal Amber rum distilled in Puerto Rico.

Nonetheless, some people think that a “1944 Mai Tai” must only include Jamaican rum.

The logic behind this seems a little twisted. The original Mai Tai had Jamaican rum, so it must only ever be made with Jamaican rum. As if today’s Myers’s or Coruba unaged blended rums with caramel color would be comparable to the original full pot-still rum aged for 17 years.

Additional perspectives indicate that the term “1944 Mai Tai” means the original recipe (thus, Jamaican rum). My perspective is that the term “1944 Mai Tai” is most typically meant to refer to a recipe featuring lime, curaçao, orgeat, sugar, and rum – in other words, NOT an Island Mai Tai. Some folks have said that this should be called a “Trader Vic’s Mai Tai” to mean this recipe using any kind of rum, and to those folks I remind them that Trader Vic’s themselves have recently had a 1944 Mai Tai on their menu using non-Jamaican rums.

If using rums made outside of Jamaica is good enough for Trader Vic’s, it should be good enough for you. The Mai Tai does not have a geographical origin, like the Ti Punch or Daiquiri, so use whatever rum is your favorite. I do love Jamaican rum, but you should use whatever rum you like. Then enjoy. Cheers.

Want to learn more? Check our website for additional historical notes and essays. Or join us in Emeryville at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day event on August 28 for a special seminar on the Hawaiian Mai Tai.

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Mai Tai Myth: The Mai Tai Created a Worldwide Rum Shortage

Leading up to Mai Tai Day (August 30), we are sharing five Mai Tai myths.

The original Mai Tai was made with a 17 year Jamaican rum from J. Wray & Nephew. This odd-aged release perhaps had something to do with barrels of rum sitting in warehouses during Prohibition and was available alongside Wray’s 15 and 20 year releases.

In the 1970 press release describing the origin of the Mai Tai, Trader Vic Bergeron states “The success of the Mai Tai and its acceptance soon caused the 17-year-old rum to become unavailable, so it was substituted with the same fine rum with 15 years aging.” This is where the myth originates, with people doing a shorthand to say that “rum” had a shortage due to the Mai Tai.

Firstly, Vic didn’t say that all rum ran short due to the Mai Tai, he said that one specific type of rum did. And even that is perhaps a tall-tale since Wray & Nephew certainly could have kept bottling a 17 year rum if they wanted to. There might have been a temporary gap in availability but if they could produce 15 year old rums for decades surely they could have figured out a way to keep some barrels in the warehouse for a couple additional years. But people like “round numbers” so that’s why you typically see 10, 12, 15, and 20 year old rums, but not 11, 13, and 17.

It is also unclear how many bottles Wray made of the 17 year. Perhaps Vic pulled a limited release rum?

There was not a “worldwide rum shortage” in the 1950s. It was a shortage of one specific rum that probably would have been discontinued whether or not it was used at Trader Vic’s service bar in 1944.

Want to learn more? Check our website for additional historical details. Or join us in Emeryville at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day event on August 28 for a special seminar on the Hawaiian Mai Tai.

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Trader Sam’s: Different on Saturdays

I had a great time popping into Trader Sam’s in the early afternoon last January. I breezed into the bar with essentially no wait. There was hardly anyone inside and had plenty of time to shoot the breeze with Skipper Nate.

Our visit last Saturday was different.

We arrived 30 mins before opening and put our name on the waitlist, told it would be 5-10 mins past opening at 11:30. A little relaxing strolling around the Disneyland Hotel isn’t bad but we didn’t get called in until nearly noon. Not too bad for a Saturday, obviously, but a bummer that expectations weren’t met.

Inside it was quite crowded but we were able to get our orders in for lunch and some drinks. We sure love it inside. It’s really one of the best tiki bars to sit inside, looking at all the different treasures and elements on the walls and shelves and ceiling. Plus music that is on point and those Trader Sam’s special effects.

I really enjoyed my Poke Bowl with Salmon, and a fantastic 1944 Mai Tai with El Dorado 8. Very nice, and it is always appreciated that even on a busy weekend day that the skippers are willing and able to go off menu slightly and still deliver a great cocktail.

Trader Sam’s is still one of my favorites.

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Hawaiian Mai Tais at Work

“Float Away Thursday” was the theme for a happy hour at work today, so it seemed like the perfect time for dark rum floated on some Hawaiian Mai Tais.

Here’s the base recipe that I used. Not too much pineapple, just enough.

1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Pineapple Juice
¼ oz Orange Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Orange Curacao
1 oz Light Rum
Shake with ice and float Dark Jamaican rum

Light rum was a custom blend mostly with Denizen 3, Three Rolls, and a bit of Wray Overproof. The Dark rum was a blend featuring Blackwell, Appleton Reserve, and a little Hamilton 86.

Lots of fun to share something with the people at work.