Happy 50th Anniversary Hawaii

On August 21, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union.

Happy 50th Anniversary Hawaii! I hope to visit you one day soon.

Imbibe!!

Learned about this book from The Colbert Report. David Wondrich's "Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar". Looks like a good read.

"This book will leave you shaken and, I hope, stirred. Wondrich, one of the top spirits writers in the country, delves into the rich and fascinating history of mixology in America."
--USA Today

MOJITOS!!!!!!!!

Mixed up a number of tasty Mojitos tonight with friends over to swim, eat and drink. Two problems though:

1. My limes were aged so their juice was slightly bitter. No problems though I simply tossed in some extra mint and some sweet lime juice and vola', no more lime problems.

2. No soda water. AARRGGHH! I had to use plain tap water. The first few drinks weren't the best but after 2-3 I didn't even notice.

The funnest part of tonight's mojitos...using my Bob Chinn's Crabhouse Mai Tai Tiki Mug.

Fish House Punch

Now this looks like a tasty creation. Apparently it was a favorite of George Washington. Way to rock the RUM, George. Wow, this one takes an ENTIRE BOTTLE of RUM. Now that's some fun drinking. If I have a chance, I might stir some of this up over the July 4th weekend!

I didn't discover this recipe on my own. The Forbidden Island Tiki Bar in Alameda, CA sent out their weekly email and mentioned this one.

Fish House Punch Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (6 to 8 lemons), strained
1 (750-ml) bottle Jamaican amber RUM
12 oz Cognac (1 1/2 cups)
2 oz Peach Brandy (1/4 cup)
Garnish: lemon slices

Tommy Bahama White Sand

I don't like to sip many white/silver/clear rums but the Tommy Bahama White Sands RUM is pretty good. It's sweet, smells a bit like suntan lotion and generally reminds you of its name (ie. the beach). It has a slight burn on entry and a sweet but light coconut flavor with a hint of charcoal left on the palate. While I wouldn't drink it straight very often it makes for a fine mixing RUM in either a Mojito, a Cuba Libre or a full mixed drink like a Zombie.

Pirates For Jesus!

This might be the greatest album cover of ALL TIME. I simply lose my breath when gazing upon its greatness. The costumes, the netting, the scary children, the even scarrier ventriloquist dummy. Alas, it's not mine...no, I do not own this treasure. I found it on another blog. I guess I will have to continue my quest to attain a copy of this wonder for myself.

Rum Renaissance Results

The results from Rum Renaissance RUM competition are in and "Ministry Of Rum" has posted the medal listings. I am quite surprised at a few of the results including the sheer number of Gold medals issued. I know that there isn't a limit on Gold medals but come on, everything cannot be the best. The reason you have Gold, Silver, Bronze is to distinguish the best of the bunch. Not everything deserves a medal. According to "Ministry of Rum" 44 of 65 RUMs, or 68% of them, received Gold medals. That's simply too many earning Gold.

Some of the "head scratchers" that I noticed included Bacardi Gold received a Bronze medal. How on earth did this win ANY medal? I cannot help but think this was done because Bacardi was a primary sponsor. I also cannot believe that Don Q Cristal got a medal, let along a Silver medal! This stuff is PURE swill. It's not even good enough to be a mixing RUM.

There are a number of medals I agreed on including Gold medals to Tommy Bahama White Sand, Flora de Cana 4yr. Gold, Mt. Gay Extra Old, Cruzan Single Barrel, Cubaney 8 Años Solera Reserva, and Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva. There are a number of RUMs listed that I've never tried and some I've never heard of. Of these, a couple really peaked my interest including Admiral Rodney (from St. Lucia), Opthimus 25 Años Summa Cum Laude and Batiste Rhum Blanc (St. Barts).

So check-out the results here and review the list yourself.