The Rum Reader

For those who will be visited New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, here's what we're up to!

Getting ready for Tales of the Cocktail? We are!

Stop by our official Tales Happy Hour at the historic Arnaud's & the French 75 Bar, Friday, July 26, from 4 to 6pm. Arnaud's amazing bar team will be whipping up a special menu of drinks from Tropical Standard, offering civilized respite from the punishing New Orleans afternoon. Authors Garret and Ben will be on hand to answer questions and sign books.

Tropical Standard is also proud to have made the cut for the Top 4 Finalists in the 2024 Spirited Award® for Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book, presented by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation alongside media sponsor Forbes. See you all at the ceremony.

Friday, July 26, 4 to 6pm
Arnaud's French 75 Bar
813 Rue Bienville
New Orleans LA 70112

Tropical Standard made the cut for the Top 4 Finalists in the 2024 Spirited Award® for Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book, presented by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation alongside media sponsor Forbes. Congrats to all the finalists in ours and every category!

Thanks to all the giants upon whose shoulders we have flash blended tropical cocktails. We'll see you all in New Orleans for the ceremony, as well as our own pop-up at Arnaud's French 75 Bar on Friday, July 26! More on that and other events soon.

Now it can be told: we have a book on the way!

Over the last three years, Rum Reader editor Ben Schaffer has worked with innovative bartender Garret Richard, longtime Rum Reader illustrator Pearl Shen, and unmatched photographic talent Nico Schinco on a different type of cocktail book:

Tropical Standard: Cocktail Techniques & Reinvented Recipes

Weaving together lessons from the craft cocktail revival, the history of the tropical canon, and today’s cutting-edge bar techniques, Tropical Standard provides a unique handbook for the tropical cocktail’s next wave.

Crucial techniques are clearly detailed, including how to balance syrups, flash blend, handle carbonation, tackle tinctures, cordialize citrus, and power up juice with acid adjusting.

Over the course of 84 recipes, vintage cocktails like the Rum Barrel, Mai Tai, and Ray’s Mistake are reimagined just as future classics are revealed, including the Beachcomber Negroni, Winter in L.A., and Field of Mars.

These drinks honor founding legends such as Donn Beach, Trader Vic, Mariano Licudine, and Harry Yee as well as modern icons, including Dale DeGroff, Audrey Saunders, Julie Reiner, Julio Bermejo, Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, and Dave Arnold.

By equipping both home bartenders and professionals with the skills to forge their own paths to cocktail creativity, this groundbreaking compendium sets a new tropical standard.

The book will be published by Countryman Press on May 16, and is available from your favorite local bookstore as well as online. You can see more about the book, as well as links to order it, at https://www.tropicalstandard.com

The Mojito Mojado by Julieta Campos, featuring Convite Espadín Esencial mezcal, agave syrup, mint, and soda water (the recipe is included in the link below). Exploring how "what grows together, goes together" alongside mezcal as a surprising substitution in a classical configuration.

https://www.rumreader.com/mojito-meditations-a-discussion-at-the-california-clipper/

The Agua de Jamaica Mojito by Argelia Martinez, featuring Denizen Aged White rum, hibiscus, lime, Demerara sugar, mint, and ginger beer (the recipe is included in the link below). Pulling in the popular flavor of hibiscus, found in drinks and dishes throughout the Caribbean, to the refreshing Cuban highball.

https://www.rumreader.com/mojito-meditations-a-discussion-at-the-california-clipper/

The Mojito Tradicional by Davíd León Jr., featuring Bacardí Reserva Ocho rum, lime, mint, ginger, cilantro, basil, Demerara sugar, and a pinch of salt (the recipe is included in the link below). Going way back to the ancestral, medicinal origins of the Mojito in Caribbean history.

https://www.rumreader.com/mojito-meditations-a-discussion-at-the-california-clipper/

The Synergy Mojito by Paige Walwyn, featuring Don Q Cristal rum, Pineau des Charentes, lime, pineapple, simple syrup, mint, and soda water (the recipe is included in the link below). A delicious reconfiguration of the timeless classic to a family of flavors available in contemporary craft bars.

https://www.rumreader.com/mojito-meditations-a-discussion-at-the-california-clipper/

The Rum Reader has big plans for 2023, but there's one more report from 2022 to share. On October 17, 2022, we returned to our old stomping grounds of Chicago with a new team, a new venue, and a new mission: to meditate on the Mojito.

At the essential California Clipper, an astute crowd was assembled for an especially introspective discussion on the meaning of this classic drink and its many permutations.

The assembled experts were Julieta Campos, Davíd León Jr., Argelia Martinez, and Paige Walwyn, who each offered an unusual Mojito variation and the thinking behind it.

Our stalwart spirit sponsors were Bacardí, Convite, Denizen, and Don Q. Their support for our cocktail confabs, as always, is gratefully acknowledged.

Mojito Meditations: A Discussion at the California Clipper – The Rum Reader On October 17, 2022, we held our last Rum Reader event of the year, returning to our old stomping grounds of Chicago with a new team, a new venue, and a new mission: to meditate on the Mojito. At the essential California Clipper, an astute crowd was assembled for an especially introspective discussi...

The world has lost a passionate lover of rum with the death of legendary collector and raconteur Steve Remsberg. He was a generous friend to all friends of rum, cocktails, and conviviality, and those who got to know him have many enduring stories to go with their sensory memories of once-in-a-lifetime rum pours.

We were proud to include a profile of Steve on day one of the Rum Reader back in September 2018, penned by the incomparable Maggie Hennessy. We're glad that, through many interviews over the years, Steve was known to the world, but there is still more to be said! Thank you, Steve.

Rare Rum Sleuths Mend Broken Links to Our Drinking History – The Rum Reader Sipping rum from a decades-old bottle might be one of our closest analogs to time travel. Visit Havana in 1958 by way of light, sweet, 40-year-aged house rum bottled that year for the legendary Sloppy Joe’s Bar, where Ernest Hemingway used to drink. Or let the molasses flavor with faint fruit, spi...

At the Foursquare Rum Distillery, St. Philip, Barbados, copper and oak (and sundry other mysterious barrels) bring a smile to the face of rum luminary Richard Seale.

As evening draws onto the this year's Barbados Rum Experience, the soft sound of distantly pulled corks reminds us to keep all calendars clear for BRE 2023.

The core of the Barbados Rum Experience was its lineup of seminars from experts in academia and industry, who offered nuance to the social history of rum, as well as details about its agricultural and industrial formation.

Among the many talented speakers, Dr. Tara Inniss, Dr. Richard Drayton, Dr. Frederick H. Smith, and Dr. Lennox Honychurch (clockwise from top left) were chosen to contend with the panel moderation style of none other than the Global Rum Ambassador himself, Ian Burrell.

Dr. Karl Watson provided us with a rare audience with Barbados visitor George Washington. Meanwhile, Cuzz's Cutters performed their own crucial role.

In these images, we're touring the inimitable Saint Nicholas Abbey, a house museum as well as a working sugar factory and rum distillery. The view from the top of Cherry Tree Hill is so enticing that everyone needs one more snap of it.

Edwin Griffith is the distiller of their small batches made with syrup pressed from cane grown on the estate. Their warehouse consists of 40 barrels in a constant cycle of filling, aging, and bottling.

New since our last visit is the Heritage Railway, a human-scale train playset that explores the gorgeous countryside.

We were fortunate enough to attend the 2022 edition of the Barbados Rum Experience earlier this month. It was a remarkable event suiting its august setting. With a focus on the cultural and historical drivers of rum, the conference brought together top scholars with blenders, distillers, and collectors.

You should be there in 2023! In the meantime, we'll be posting a few photos and thoughts during the week.

This first batch of photos depicts a trip to the Mount Gay distillery where a rum punch beckons and master blender Trudiann Branker shows her work.

Anays Diaz has composed an exquisite paean to family, culture, and history in her essay for "What Rum Means to Me."

Anays Diaz: What Rum Means to Me Rum was the first spirit I ever tried, under the watchful eyes of my parents, at the age of eleven.

Daren Swisher presents his Bacardí Reserva Ocho Daiquiri, with a hint of coffee, and Denizen & Luxardo Hemingway Daiquiri, with acid-adjusted juice. Both were featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event at Shore Leave in Boston. Recipes in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-shore-leave/

The beautifully aged Appleton Estate 12 Daiquiri by Nika Orlovsky, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event at Shore Leave in Boston. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-shore-leave/

Two inventive Daiquiri inspirations by Kyisha Davenport: the Mount Gay Malta India Daiquiri and the Santa Teresa Naranja Agria Daiquiri, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event at Shore Leave in Boston. Recipes in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-shore-leave/

The classic approach of Ryan Lotz, exemplified by his Don Q Cristal Daiquiri and Plantation 3 Stars Daiquiri, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event at Shore Leave in Boston. Recipes in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-shore-leave/

On May 16, 2022, we were finally able to achieve something we’d planned for almost three years: conducting the Daiquiri Dossier to Boston’s famed Shore Leave, the only tropical bar excavated as part of the Big Dig. As is our well-honed strategy, we brought together local bar experts whose conversation was as zippy as the Daiquiri variations they presented.

The Bostonian brain trust was Kyisha Davenport, Ryan Lotz, Nika Orlovsky, and Daren Swisher.

The kaleidoscopic palettes of these artists were furnished by our sponsors Appleton Estate, Bacardí, Denizen, Don Q, Luxardo, Mount Gay, Plantation, and Santa Teresa. As always, it was an honor to have their support for our community.

The Daiquiri Dossier: A Discussion at Shore Leave – The Rum Reader The Daiquiri Dossier: A Discussion at Shore Leave Moderated by Ben SchafferOn May 16, 2022, we were finally able to achieve something we’d planned for almost three years: conducting the Daiquiri Dossier to Boston’s famed Shore Leave, the only tropical bar excavated as part of the Big Dig. As is ...

A Daiquiri Duo by PJ Wagner drawing power from additional fruit: a Don Q Cristal Daiquiri with lemon oleo and a Bacardí Ocho Daiquiri with a bit of cheeky strawberry and pineapple. Both were featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event in Chicago, and both recipes are in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-untitled-supper-club/

The appropriate-at-all-times Santa Teresa Açaí Daiquiri by Ariel E. Neal, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event in Chicago. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-untitled-supper-club/

A fundamental Mount Gay Daiquiri by Dan Smith, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event in Chicago. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-untitled-supper-club/

A refreshing yet surprising Denizen & Luxardo Hemingway Daiquiri by Nigal Vann, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event in Chicago. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-untitled-supper-club/

The tour de force that is Katie Vota's Tamarind Jerk Wray & Nephew Daiquiri, as featured in the Rum Reader's Daiquiri Dossier event in Chicago. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/the-daiquiri-dossier-a-discussion-at-untitled-supper-club/

The Daiquiri Dossier is back, and we're back in tropical Chicago, where the Daiquiri is a beloved staple.

On May 2, 2022, we assembled in the vast subterranean playground that is the Untitled Supper Club with a full itinerary of six Daiquiris and variations that would be flawlessly brought to life by the dynamic bar team of Jeremy Barrett, David León Jr., and Zak McMahon.

The wrecking crew that created each of those specs and joined in their dynamic discussion was Ariel E. Neal, Dan Smith, Nigal Vann, Katie Vota, and PJ Wagner.

Supporting the creativity of the assemblage were our sponsors Bacardí, Denizen, Don Q, Luxardo, Mount Gay, Santa Teresa, and Wray and Nephew. We were proud to have them return for another round.

The Daiquiri Dossier: A Discussion at Untitled Supper Club – The Rum Reader For the return of the Daiquiri Dossier in 2022, we found ourselves once more in Chicago—where a glorious session had once been conducted at Three Dots and a Dash in 2019—because there was more to say. As always, we sought out some of the city’s top bar talent for their opinions (and recipes) o...

Jelani's Punch, a cocktail by Jelani Jah Johnson, as featured in the Rum Reader's Perfecting the Practice of Planter’s Punch panel discussion. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/perfecting-the-practice-of-planters-punch/

Island Kiss, a cocktail by F***y Chu, as featured in the Rum Reader's Perfecting the Practice of Planter’s Punch panel discussion. Recipe in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/perfecting-the-practice-of-planters-punch/

Lani Kai and Zombie Village, two cocktails by Leanne Favre, as featured in the Rum Reader's Perfecting the Practice of Planter’s Punch panel discussion. Recipes in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/perfecting-the-practice-of-planters-punch/

Planter's Potion and Lost Navigator, two cocktails by Garret Richard, as featured in the Rum Reader's Perfecting the Practice of Planter’s Punch panel discussion. Recipes in the link!

https://www.rumreader.com/perfecting-the-practice-of-planters-punch/