What's your latest rum purchase?

Mail order liquor? The Gods are pleased!!!

Very cool, Santa came to you early!

What made you buy the Stroh 80? Everyone I talk to hates it, even many here on TC. But it is an amazing ingredient, especially if you have the Frankie's Tiki Room drink recipe book.

On 2014-06-21 09:07, Loki-Tiki wrote:
Mail order liquor? The Gods are pleased!!!

Where from?

On 2014-06-06 10:45, AdOrAdam wrote:

On 2014-06-21 09:07, Loki-Tiki wrote:
Mail order liquor? The Gods are pleased!!!

I like that we share the same idea & have both stocked up on LH151, Plantation Overproof, Pussers Blue Label & Bacardi 151!

I already have some of your choices (El Dorado 8, Bacardi 8, Clement VSOP & Barbancourt 5 Star) on hand :)

On 2014-06-21 09:27, AceExplorer wrote:
Very cool, Santa came to you early!

What made you buy the Stroh 80? Everyone I talk to hates it, even many here on TC. But it is an amazing ingredient, especially if you have the Frankie's Tiki Room drink recipe book.

Yes Frankie's, and The Bum, Beachbum Berry.

On 2014-06-21 10:43, kkocka wrote:

Where from?

Hi-times Wine (http://www.hitimewine.net/)

Also acquired this month, but not in this shipment: Appleton Estate Extra 12 (x2), El Dorado 12 (x2), Deadhead 6 (x1), Ron Zacapa 23 (x1), Meyers Dark (1.5L x1), Appleton V/X (1.5L x1), Lemon Hart 151 (x6).

Got a bottle of Skipper Demerara Rum, which I'd never seen before. And a few more bottles of Lemon Hart 151, to see me through the lean times.

On 2014-07-09 14:20, djmont wrote:
Got a bottle of Skipper Demerara Rum, which I'd never seen before. And a few more bottles of Lemon Hart 151, to see me through the lean times.

Wow! Where did you get the Skipper Demerara Rum and how does it compare to Lemon Hart & El Dorado?

Got it at HiTime. Haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

I also got a bottle of Plantation Original Dark. I'm a sucker for those Pierre Ferrand rums.

A little surprise to brighten up my Friday afternoon:

David, with all the bottles on display in the background, it shouldn't take too much to brighten up any afternoon!

Cheers!

Ha! True, there is rather a lot of it down there.

Hello friends! I have a question about Fair Trade Rum. Is anyone choosing to specifically use it? If so, what brands? Distribution sources? Normally I like rums that are just delicious. However, I am hosting a small Tiki party that I've ensured guests would be 'Culturally Respectful'. This is not implying that a general tiki party is disrespectful. Many folks in the group who have been invited have a heightened sense of awareness and discussion around cultural appropriation, systematic racism, and in particular the controversy surrounding the public disrespect of the Kara Walker art exhibit in NY. In order to make every one feel comfortable, I wanted to let my guests know that I had thought this through. While I will drink rum that's not fair trade, I thought that saying we would use it for this party would be a respectful gesture to acknowledge that we understand the dark histories of the rum and sugar trades. I made this claim before I sourced fair trade rums. I assumed, like coffee, it would be easy to find. If I can't find options, I may have to just resort to locally sourced. At least then I will know a part of it's production by speaking to a distiller directly. Do any wise rum drinkers have any input? Am I in the "wrong forum" on Tiki Central to talk about this?

Welcome to Tiki Central Kitty Baby. I am no expert but was bored at work so I did a little internet research :wink:
Looks like Papagayo Rums are organic and Fair Trade - available in silver, gold, and dark. Looks like Total Wine & More carries them with stores near you in Belleview, Tukwila, and Lynnwood.
I don't know anything about them but unless your guests are rum connoisseurs they should be just fine. Can't be much worse than the Bacardi, Parrot Bay, and Captain Morgan commonly served.

Thank you MadDogMike. I am aware of Papagayo, but not of it's quality or deliciousness. Even if the folks at my party aren't rum drinkers regularly, I won't feed them cheap swill! I will try Total Wine for a source. At least then I can stand by my word. I might also throw in some locally distilled options for folks to try as well.
To your knowledge, is Fair Trade a topic that ever comes up with the Tiki crowd?

Kitty, if it's labeled as "organic" I can't imagine it will be cheap! Whether or not it is swill will be a matter of debate.
I don't see or hear much "fair trade" discussion in the Tiki community. Not really many "commodities" of interest that would have free trade alternatives. There is a sizable group interested in organic, non-GMO, and non-HFCS. But organic rum seems like a bit of an oxymoron... pesticide free but could be used as a pesticide :lol:

MadDogMike, ah yes...organic is not cheap. For a laundry list of reasons. And while it's a healthy alternative (even if liver killing in the long run :wink: ), I'm more interested in the Fair Trade aspect. Meaning that the workers growing and harvesting all of the ingredients are fairly compensated. Personally, I hope they have decent working conditions as well. Far removed from the slave/sugar industry of centuries past. To add another oxymoron: socially responsible liquor consumption. :wink:

I likewise googled Fair Trade rum & didn't come up with much except Papagayo. I think the rum / spirits world is less concerned with its sources of raw material - although I buy fair trade products, the 'fair tradeness' of rum hadn't hit my radar.

There are some unadulterated rums out there (like the Mezan range of rums) (if you're interested)

I would think a fairtrade rum would have to be pushed hard to have its voice heard above the rest of the rum market, there are brands popping up all the time that I don't always pay attention to until I get a solid recommendation to try. I name check Mezan above because, although I have heard of them & know what they do, I've not tried any of their products.

If companies are large enough to be stock exchange listed, they will probably release ethical statements, I googled 'wray & nephews ethical statement' & found some stuff that you could enjoy reading.

Interesting question! :)

If you're interested in Fair Trade spirits, buy FAIR: http://www.fairspirits.com

If you're interested in good rum, buy good rum.

If you want to make a purchase that will help poor people, buy Rhum Barbancourt. Haiti can certainly use the business. Excellent rum, too.

As for Tiki in general... It's all made up anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

We'll I didn't intentionally get that much 151, it just king of happened:

Found these in the Caribbean. Surprisingly tough to find good rums. Even at Bitter End, one of the worlds top yacht clubs, best you could get was Mount Gay. I saw more than one group pick up Malibu and Captain Morgan. I guess even rich people suck at rum.

Went on a little bit of a spree recently...

Picked up a bottle of Denizen Co Merchant Reserve Rum, a combo of Jamaican pot still and Martinique rums, which I've read is an attempt to recreate the original rums Trader Vic called for in his Mai Tai, which of course was the first drink I made. Very good results - has anyone else tried this, and in what drinks?

I got lucky Googling and dialing this morning.

St. James Royal Ambre Extra Old.

That Denizen Rum looks really interesting! Don't see it available here, but I'm planning a visit to Chicago in September and I see Binny's has it so I might need to get a bottle while I'm up there.

As for other cocktails to try it out in I'd give a Three Dots and a Dash a spin. The recipe calls for Martinique and Demerara but it would probably also work well with Jamaican in the mix.

The Binny's in Elmwood Pk/North Ave has 'em on the shelf!

HiTime and DrinkUpNY have it, too. Definitely need to try it out.

As I mentioned I was doing a couple days ago, here's what I found on my doorstep last night when I got home from work.

Please don't hate on me... :)

On 2013-09-27 21:27, djmont wrote:

Phraya. . .

http://www.phrayarum.com

That's it. Anyone try it?

I know I'm a little late to the party on this but I've now gone through quite a bit of the phraya and I'm genuinely impressed. I was leery as I've never tried a Thai rum before so I had no idea what to expect. It has a sweetness that was immediately apparent quickly followed by a fantastic vanilla bean flavor. The closest I can think of is the taste of sailor Jerry without the spice. It has a satisfying burn and finishes clean with just a little after taste of that same vanilla. I know in my experience at least that my gal was awfully happy to kiss me after the third glass!

I'd like to hear more about Denizen Merchant's Reserve in a Mai Tai. Ordering online will cost me about $44 with shipping and no one seems to have it in store in L.A. If it get's an "A" grade I'm up for the purchase. Thanks.

[ Edited by: mcmtiki 2014-07-29 16:19 ]

On 2014-07-29 15:58, Keaka-tiki wrote:

On 2013-09-27 21:27, djmont wrote:

Phraya. . .

http://www.phrayarum.com

That's it. Anyone try it?

I know I'm a little late to the party on this but I've now gone through quite a bit of the phraya and I'm genuinely impressed. I was leery as I've never tried a Thai rum before so I had no idea what to expect. It has a sweetness that was immediately apparent quickly followed by a fantastic vanilla bean flavor. The closest I can think of is the taste of sailor Jerry without the spice. It has a satisfying burn and finishes clean with just a little after taste of that same vanilla. I know in my experience at least that my gal was awfully happy to kiss me after the third glass!

Keaka, your discription has me thinking about the no longer available Pyrat Pistol which made for a very tasty Mai Tai. Where are you buying yours ? I’m in SoCal. I checked out their website-interesting bottle.
Mahalo

On 2014-07-29 16:18, mcmtiki wrote:
I'd like to hear more about Denizen Merchant's Reserve in a Mai Tai. Ordering online will cost me about $44 with shipping and no one seems to have it in store in L.A. If it get's an "A" grade I'm up for the purchase. Thanks.

Looks like hi-Time has it.

I'd say: go for it.

RE: Denizens,I'd say it's funkier than Appleton V/X, but not as funky as say, Smith & Cross(the mix of Jamaican and Martinique tempers it somewhat) It worked great in an original Mai Tai; I'm eager to try it in other drinks, like a Jasper's Jamaican, or even a simple daiquiri

FedEx delivered two bottles of LH151 yesterday from the good folks at DrinkUpNY. These bottles were originally shipped in June but nobody was home to receive them, so they went back (we had a good excuse - we were at the Hukilau). I finally got around to having them re-shipped last week and they made it safe & sound.

DrinkUpNY still shows LH151 as in-stock on their website as of a few minutes ago.

I’m partial to Bajan rums so I bought a bottle of Kaniche XO at Total Wine ($30) in Brea. They did not have the Phraya rum (Thailand,$40) that Keaka referenced and I was not walking out empty handed. Tried it neat-it was okay.
Let it sit a minute and then added about 1/2 of an ice cube. I really enjoyed it. Gonna try it in a Mai Tai tomorrow.
Cheers

Kaniche is made by the Pierre Ferrand folks (same as Plantation), so I have high expectations for it. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I haven't seen it around yet.

trying a bottle of that Bacardi Heritage white rum. 89 proof.

I just got a bottle of this, too. How is it?

smoother than regular bacardi in cocktails (so far had daiquiri, and cuba libre) altho not much flavor added, disappears a bit.

more robust-flavored neat, bit too harsh though neat.

a fun product to try, but so far not one that ranks with my favorite white rums.

and who knows- it may well taste like the 1908 product. i'd guess there were fewer aged rums back then compared with today...

Managed to score a bottle of LH151!

Clement Premiere Canne (white agricole). it's a bit.. harsh.

Just picked up Denizen 8 - supposed to be formulated like the old J Wray and Nephew 17. This one really picks up the essence of the Jamaican Pot Still, like Smith & Cross.

I didn't actually purchase it - I bought a condo and my realtor gave it to me as a move-in gift: a bottle of Brugal 1888. Haven't cracked it yet.

KrakenHunterSteve: who made that cannibal mug? I really like it.

The cannibal mug was from this years Hukilau event (I didn't go), and they may still have some available on their website.

On 2014-08-09 20:49, KrakenHunterSteve wrote:
Just picked up Denizen 8 - supposed to be formulated like the old J Wray and Nephew 17. This one really picks up the essence of the Jamaican Pot Still, like Smith & Cross.

Just picked this up as well. As I understand, no need to mix this rum with another rum for a classic Vic's Mai Tai as it is blended to mimic Wray & Nephew 17 Yr Old -- correct?

That's what I understand, that the Denizen 8 is supposed to be similar to Trader Vic's original rum choice for the Mai Tai. I'm having my second one tonight, and I'm still not sure about it. I feel like the flavor is too light, and while the first sip is nice, the rum starts to disappear behind the other flavors. I don't really want to start tweaking my recipe again just for one rum, but my current recipe is designed to stand up against rums like Coruba and Clement, and that may be the problem.

I prefer a dry MaiTai with the lime/orgeat/curacao cut back, and that's with ordinary rums.

I can't imagine that a 17-y.o. rum could have ever shined through the proportions of the original recipe.