“My suggestion is that you try to contact Michael Fogg… he is definitely the most knowledgeable living person regarding the early derivation of navy rum.” Historians live for the moment when the heavy curtains of the past briefly part to reveal a glimpse into something unexpected. I didn’t know it at the time, but such... Continue Reading →
In early 2020 I visited the island of Grenada as a guest of Renegade Rum. While there, I visited all four current and future rum producers on the island in my role as WIRSPA’s Community Envoy. In advance of my upcoming coverage of Grenada’s rum makers, I’ve assembled a dossier about Grenadian rum to set... Continue Reading →
A member of my High Ester Rum Geeks Facebook group recently asked what LAA means in the context of distilled spirits. For instance, if purchasing rum in bulk, you might be quoted a price per LAA rather than in gallons or liters, as you might expect. So, what’s the story? What is LAA? The concise... Continue Reading →
Longtime readers know my proclivity for big, bold, festively garnished tiki drinks served over buckets of crushed ice. There’s plenty of recipes here on CocktailWonk.com and in the Minimalist Tiki book which testify to that. However, simple, boozy libations over a single large cube in an old-fashioned glass are also in regular rotation here at... Continue Reading →
You might think what follows is yet another story about Angostura Bitters. Sure, the iconic skinny bottle with the over-sized white label is as essential as shaker tins in cocktail bars around the globe. Hands stained red from the Trinidadian-made bitters are a sure sign of a professional bartender. And of course, there’s the story... Continue Reading →
With the help of many passionate rum enthusiasts doing a lot of ongoing education, we’re finally starting to make progress in disabusing people of the idea that categorizing rum by color (White, Gold, Dark, Black) makes any sense at all. (Hopefully, brands also get the message.) There’s simply no correlation between a rum’s color and... Continue Reading →
To my great delight, interest in rum from bourbon enthusiasts has gathered steam recently. As a writer I’m keenly aware that many topics in the bourbon world are well-tread ground, while rum has far more undeveloped land, so to speak. Many of the recent stories here on Cocktail Wonk have focused on rum, but it... Continue Reading →
History presents a special challenge to those writing it or seeking knowledge from its pages: It constantly changes underneath your feet. Facts we once believed to be true may be contradicted later by later-arriving sources. Reasonable assumptions made about one era may not apply to another. New sources come to light which recast conclusions made... Continue Reading →
Newcomers to Tiki bartending quickly face an uncomfortable question: Just how many rums do I need? With so many recipes calling for Lemon Hart this, Real McCoy that, and DonQ something else, it quickly becomes overwhelming. I know, because I was once in that very position. Luckily, I was able to buy all sorts of... Continue Reading →
The American craft rum scene is blessed with several high profile women at the helm of the company. Having started Montanya Distillers eleven years ago, Karen Hoskin is legitimately a pioneer among them. I recently sat down with her in San Francisco, on the day before the 2019 California Rum Festival. Over the course of... Continue Reading →
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