Jacksonville FL / Northeast FL Tiki - General Tiki

A AceExplorer Grand Member (8 years) Deep in the Jacksonville Flori-duh jungle. Joined: Apr 03, 2008 Posts: 2564	A AceExplorer Posted posted on Wed, Jul 1, 2015 6:15 AM "Cocktails & Island Culture" last night on beautiful Amelia island was great fun! Local restaurants provided appetizers, and several cocktails were served featuring local distillery "Marlin & Barrel" rum and vodka. A small contingent of local Tiki Central folks made the drive to the island and we all had a great time. Tickets sold out shortly before the event when the venue reached maximum capacity. The venue was the old Fernandina Beach town jail and the building has been transformed into a local history museum. The area has a rich history spanning several hundred years, and the museum has a number of very interesting displays. It includes information on our favorite rum-consuming pirates who "worked" in the area extensively before the Florida territory joined the United States. The owners of the Marlin & Barrel distillery, Roger and Heather, were on hand showcasing their products and answering questions. Those who asked were able to taste their rum and vodka neat. Their spirits are made from Florida-grown cane molasses, and the quality and flavor of both were very good because they are careful not to over-distill their spirits and leave behind some of the pleasant characteristic flavors of the base ingredients. (Otherwise it would just be a bland high-grade version of grain alcohol, right?) The owners have travelled the world before settling on specific stills, methods, and ingredients, and their efforts have paid off nicely. While they were not able to sell bottles at this event, they do offer tours of their operation which is brand-new having opened just this past March 2015. Bottles are for sale at the distillery, and they also have a tasting room. A visit to the distillery is in my near future, and soon thereafter I am planning a visit for just a group of Tiki Central folks. I'll post more details on that soon. (https://www.facebook.com/MarlinBarrel) I regret that I didn't take any photos to share - I was quite occupied talking with folks, and eating and drinking. It was great fun.

"Cocktails & Island Culture" last night on beautiful Amelia island was great fun! Local restaurants provided appetizers, and several cocktails were served featuring local distillery "Marlin & Barrel" rum and vodka. A small contingent of local Tiki Central folks made the drive to the island and we all had a great time.

Tickets sold out shortly before the event when the venue reached maximum capacity. The venue was the old Fernandina Beach town jail and the building has been transformed into a local history museum. The area has a rich history spanning several hundred years, and the museum has a number of very interesting displays. It includes information on our favorite rum-consuming pirates who "worked" in the area extensively before the Florida territory joined the United States.

The owners of the Marlin & Barrel distillery, Roger and Heather, were on hand showcasing their products and answering questions. Those who asked were able to taste their rum and vodka neat. Their spirits are made from Florida-grown cane molasses, and the quality and flavor of both were very good because they are careful not to over-distill their spirits and leave behind some of the pleasant characteristic flavors of the base ingredients. (Otherwise it would just be a bland high-grade version of grain alcohol, right?) The owners have travelled the world before settling on specific stills, methods, and ingredients, and their efforts have paid off nicely. While they were not able to sell bottles at this event, they do offer tours of their operation which is brand-new having opened just this past March 2015. Bottles are for sale at the distillery, and they also have a tasting room. A visit to the distillery is in my near future, and soon thereafter I am planning a visit for just a group of Tiki Central folks. I'll post more details on that soon. (https://www.facebook.com/MarlinBarrel)

I regret that I didn't take any photos to share - I was quite occupied talking with folks, and eating and drinking. It was great fun.

Post #745968 by AceExplorer on Wed, Jul 1, 2015 6:15 AM