Category: Rum

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The Rum Curious Summit

The purpose of our trip to SoCal was largely to attend the inaugural Rum Curious Summit in Long Beach, the brainchild of self-proclaimed Rum Champion Bryan Inman along with partners Ari Ralston and Shane Conrad. The event was held in the event space at Altar Society Brewing in downtown and was a massive success with over 500 attendees and dozens of rum producers and brands.

A main floor included rum tastings with over 100 expressions of rum, plus many tables offered the rum in a cocktail format. We were particularly impressed by the Pearl Diver from House of Bamboo’s Shelley Bowers in partnership with Tanduay rum who also filled up a goodie bag for VIP ticket holders.

Among the noteworthy rums, Holmes Cay is an independent bottler and always has interesting and rare expressions, Privateer had some rums that were new to me, and new independent bottler Mainland Rum showed off their range of cask strength releases from a wide array of American distillers.

Upstairs from the main floor there were several seminars available to attendees, including an interesting and thought provoking session about tiki by Doc Parks and a fab introduction to rum from Bryan Inman who demonstrated the diversity of rum with five tasting samples and some facts about production.

As a brand new event there were a few growing pains, including a check in system that was over-engineered. But by and large there were very few issues that weren’t directly related to the popularity of the event – a good problem – and we’d be remiss without acknowledging the exemplary work of the staff and volunteers to help guests make the most of their experience. It sounds like there are plans to expand Rum Curious Summits to other cities and if so it will be something to watch closely. Cheers.

Shannon Mustipher /
Privateer Rum
Doc Parks
Shelly Bowers
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Kingston Negroni Redux

Been playing with some different Jamaican rums in a Kingston Negroni. The original version from New York bartender Joaquín Simó called or Smith & Cross, but I’ve been trying some other higher proof expressions including Hampden’s Overproof and a cask strength Worthy Park bottle, both to great effect.

Being an equal parts cocktail it is easy to make a larger version, which is what I did here. I didn’t have an orange peel to express but the result was still fab.

Kingston Negroni
1 part Campari
1 part Sweet Vermouth
1 part Jamaican rum
Stir with ice. Strain over large cube.

I’m finding that for me that going a little light on the Campari and a little heavier on the rum is the sweet spot for my flavor profile.

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Orinda’s Boo Loo Lounge Keeps it Going

We had a very nice visit to Boo Loo Lounge, a small tiki bar located in the sleepy bedroom community of Orinda. Visiting on Friday evening was no problem since the BART station is a four minute walk away and we avoided rush hour traffic.

There have been some management changes at Boo Loo, but I’m pleased to report that the team remains committed to high quality cocktails and great hospitality. The venue’s small size next to the Orinda Theater means that there are ebbs and flows as guests come and go, but the team worked well to take drink orders and deliver them to the tables. We were treated to a great music mix from DJ Shy Hulud  that was a blend of exotic, psychedelic, and Latin tunes.

The cocktail menu at Boo Loo hasn’t changed, which means that their Saturn, Ruby Daiquiri, and Lady of Singapore are still great. Bartender Kriss knew me from The Kon-Tiki and suggested a Mai Tai made with a rare Nha Terra Grog rum from Portugal, and this had a really interesting flavor with white wine flavor notes.

Even better was Boo Loo’s standard Mai Tai that’s made with a blend of rums and just a bit of a grassy lean from the Rhum Agricole. It’s a really good Mai Tai, highly recommended, and Boo Loo continues to have a very nice rum selection if you’re looking for something new to try.

Mai Tai
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Cinco de Revenge of the Fifth

Killed two birds by making a Tequila-based Mai Tai that Trader Vic named the Pinky Gonzales and serving it in a Death Star mug.

Pinky Gonzales
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Cointreau
⅔ oz oz Orgeat
2 oz Tequila
Shake with crushed ice. No prison labor was involved.

This turned out quite light, thanks to Jimador tequila and the Cointreau that is lighter in body than Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao. Quite delicious and very, very close to a Margarita.

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The Tiki Talk Show

I was pleased to be a guest on the latest episode of The Tiki Talk Show, available on YouTube and on podcast platforms. We had a great discussion with Ellie and Ryley who have recently launched their podcast with a focus on newer tiki bars and what’s happening now rather than a focus on the past.

I think this is a great angle and with their discussions with bar owners such as Jason Alexander from Devil’s Reef this should turn out to be an interesting series and to document what’s happening in the industry. There is also a focus on an artist each episode as well, so I’m looking forward to seeing who will pop up on future shows.

In our session we talked about Mai Tai stuff and my own journey, but also industry trends of within the tiki bar genre. We also discussed rating criteria, cocktail ingredients and ratios, and a comparison of historical tiki bars with modern ones. Check it out on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.

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Great Appleton 17 Mai Tai at Kona Street Market

Buckle in for a roller coaster of an experience and note the unique set of circumstances.

I was in the City for a work event and met up with local raconteur Nathan Robinson for drinks at Kona’s Street Market downtown. After enjoying a Kona original called the Banana Stand we had a good rapport with bartender Jason and it wasn’t too busy, so I asked if he could make a 1944 Trader Vic’s Mai Tai using the Appleton 17 Legend rum that newly appeared on their top shelf after the previous bottle was drained a couple months ago.

Note that Kona is still selling this at the ridiculous price of $30 for a neat pour and only a few bucks more in Mai Tai format, making this an absolute bargain.

Jason made sure to check that we didn’t want the dark rum float that normally comes with their Mai Tai and measured everything carefully. But the initial taste was anything but legendary due to what can only be characterized as very bad lime juice. Nathan took a little swig, confirming to us that “the lime is off”. Jason offered to remake it and I him he didn’t have to but after consulting with another member of the team I saw him juicing a fresh lime and preparing another version of the cocktail.

Does the Legend still make a fabulous Mai Tai? Yes, it still does! That second Mai Tai was just how I remember it, a fantastic flavorful rum that is so present in the drink with an extraordinarily long finish so you can savor every sip.

We want to highlight the circumstances of a not-so-busy bar, ongoing conversation with the staff, and the obvious industry experience that Nathan’s questions and comments with the bartender demonstrated. Your mileage would vary if it was slammed or if you roll in to mansplain your way into ordering this off-menu cocktail. A really fantastic experience overall, thanks to Jason and the Kona team.

I left a very big tip.

Banana Stand
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Dr. Funk Rum Asylum Level II: Deleri-rum

Popped into Dr. Funk to drink some rum from the Rum Asylum Level II list, a curated list of 60+ rums from the doctor’s collection.

Mrs Mai Tai is still working level I and she had a Wray & Nephew Overproof rum as a Daiquiri, so I did a little compare and contrast by having The Funk has a daiquiri, a similar unaged Jamaican rum that is a little less boozy (“only 100 proof”) and quite lovely in that format.

Then I tried a delicious AK Zanj 10 year rum from Haiti, made from sugar cane juice. Very approachable and full flavored.