Two Drink Minimum; The After 5 Cocktail Blog

The day is warm and the sun is bright and the sea breeze is light and cool. A Millions hot grains of sand avalance between your toes as you recline and reposition in your beach chair. The suns hot rays beat down on your face. Cool beads of condensation pour off your tall iced glass of Rum…The day is good…

Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels. The majority of rum production occurs in and around the Caribbean and along the Demerara River, Guyana in South America, though there are rum producers in places such as Australia, Fiji, India, Reunion Island, Mauritius, and elsewhere around the world.

Rum is produced in a variety of styles. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails, while golden and dark rums are appropriate for use in cooking as well as cocktails. Premium brands of rum are also available that are made to be consumed neat or on the rocks.

Rum plays a part in the culture of most islands of the West Indies, and has famous associations with the British Royal Navy and piracy. Rum has also served as a popular medium of exchange that helped to promote slavery along with providing economic instigation for Australia’s Rum Rebellion and the American Revolution

Etymology

The origin of the word rum is unclear. A common claim is that the name was derived from rumbullion meaning “a great tumult or uproar”. Another claim is that the name is from the large drinking glasses used by Dutch seamen known as rummers, from the Dutch word roemer, a drinking glass. Other options include contractions of the words saccharum, Latin for sugar, or arôme, French for aroma. Regardless of the original source, the name was already in common use by May 1657 when the General Court of Massachusetts made illegal the sale of strong liquor “whether known by the name of rumme, strong water, wine, brandy, etc., etc.” In current usage, the name used for a rum is often based on the rum’s place of origin. For rums from Spanish-speaking locales the word ron is used. A ron añejo indicates a rum that has been significantly aged and is often used for premium products. Rhum is the term used for rums from French-speaking locales, while rhum vieux is an aged French rum that meets several other requirements.

Some of the many other names for rum are Nelson’s Blood, Kill-Devil, Demon Water, Pirate’s Drink, Navy Neaters, and Barbados water. A version of rum from Newfoundland is referred to by the name Screech, while some low-grade West Indies rums are called tafia.

Origins

The precursors to rum date back to antiquity. Development of fermented drinks produced from sugarcane juice is believed to have first occurred either in ancient India or China, and spread from there. An example of such an early drink is brum. Produced by the Malay people, brum dates back thousands of years. Marco Polo also recorded a 14th-century account of a “very good wine of sugar” that was offered to him in what is modern-day Iran.The first distillation of rum took place on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century. Plantation slaves first discovered that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, can be fermented into alcohol. Later, distillation of these alcoholic by-products concentrated the alcohol and removed impurities, producing the first true rums. Tradition suggests that rum first originated on the island of Barbados. Regardless of its initial source, early Caribbean rums were not known for high quality. A 1651 document from Barbados stated, “The chief fuddling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes distilled, a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor”.

Colonial America

After rum’s development in the Caribbean, the drink’s popularity spread to Colonial America. To support the demand for the drink, the first rum distillery in the colonies was set up in 1664 on present-day Staten Island. Boston, Massachusetts had a distillery three years later. The manufacture of rum became early Colonial New England’s largest and most prosperous industry. Although New England became a distilling center (due to the superior technical, metalworking and cooperage (barrel making) skills and abundant lumber), the rum produced there was lighter, more like whiskey, and lacked the character and aroma of the West Indies product. Though cheaper, anyone who could afford it much preferred the Carribean product. Rhode Island rum even joined gold as an accepted currency in Europe for a period of time. Estimates of rum consumption in the American colonies before the American Revolutionary War had every man, woman, or child drinking an average of 3 Imperial gallons (13.5 liters) of rum each year. To support this demand for the molasses to produce rum, along with the increasing demand for sugar in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, a labour source to work the sugar plantations in the Caribbean was needed. A triangular trade was established between Africa, the Caribbean, and the colonies to help support this need. The exchange of slaves, molasses, and rum was quite profitable, and the disruption to the trade caused by the Sugar Act in 1764 may have even helped cause the American Revolution.The popularity of rum continued after the American Revolution with George Washington insisting on a barrel of Barbados rum at his 1789 inauguration. Eventually the restrictions on rum from the British islands of the Caribbean combined with the development of American whiskey led to a decline in the drink’s popularity.

Naval rum

Rum’s association with piracy began with English privateers trading on the valuable commodity. As some of the privateers became pirates and buccaneers, their fondness for rum remained, the association between the two only being strengthened by literary works such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The association of rum with the British Royal Navy began in 1655 when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the availability of domestically produced rum, the British changed the daily ration of liquor given to seamen from French brandy to rum. While the ration was originally given neat, or mixed with lime juice, the practice of watering down the rum began around 1740. To help minimize the effect of the alcohol on his sailors, Admiral Edward Vernon directed that the rum ration be watered down before being issued, a mixture which became known as grog. While it is widely believed that the term grog was coined at this time in honor of the grogram cloak Admiral Vernon wore in rough weather, the term has been demonstrated to predate his famous orders with probable origins in the West Indies, perhaps of African etymology (see Grog). The Royal Navy continued to give its sailors a daily rum ration, known as a “tot,” until the practice was abolished after July 31, 1970. A story involving naval rum is that following his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson’s body was preserved in a cask of rum to allow transport back to England. Upon arrival, however, the cask was opened and found to be empty of rum. The pickled body was removed and, upon inspection, it was discovered that the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the cask and drunk all the rum, in the process drinking Nelson’s blood. Thus, this tale serves as a basis for the term Nelson’s Blood being used to describe rum. It also serves as the basis for the term “Tapping the Admiral” being used to describe drinking the daily rum ration. The details of the story are disputed, with some historians claiming the term originated instead from a toast to Admiral Nelson.

Colonial Australia

See Also: Rum Rebellion

Rum became an important trade good in the early period of the colony of New South Wales. The value of rum was based upon the lack of coinage among the population of the colony, and due to the drink’s ability to allow its consumer to temporarily forget about the lack of creature comforts available in the new colony. The value of rum was such that convict settlers could be induced to work the lands owned by officers of the New South Wales Corps. Due to rum’s popularity among the settlers, the colony gained a reputation for drunkenness even though their alcohol consumption was less than levels commonly consumed in England at the time.When William Bligh became governor of the colony in 1806, he attempted to remedy the perceived problem with drunkenness by outlawing the use of rum as a medium of exchange. In response to this action, and several others, the New South Wales Corps marched, with fixed bayonets, to Government House and placed Bligh under arrest. The mutineers continued to control the colony until the arrival of Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810.

Caribbean light rum

Until the second half of the 19th century all rums were heavy or dark rums that were considered appropriate for the working poor, unlike the refined double-distilled spirits of Europe. In order to expand the market for rum, the Spanish Royal Development Board offered a prize to anyone who could improve the rum making process. This resulted in many refinements in the process which greatly improved the quality of rum. One of the most important figures in this development process was Don Facundo Bacardi Masso, who moved from Spain to Santiago de Cuba in 1843. Don Facundo’s experiments with distillation techniques, charcoal filtering, cultivating of specialized yeast strains, and aging with American oak casks helped to produce a smoother and mellower drink typical of modern light rums. It was with this new rum that Don Facundo founded Bacardí y Compañía in 1862.

Categorization

Dividing rum into meaningful groupings is complicated by the fact that there is no single standard for what constitutes rum. Instead rum is defined by the varying rules and laws of the nations that produce the spirit. The differences in definitions include issues such as spirit proof, minimum aging, and even naming standards.

Examples of the differences in proof is Colombia, requiring their rum possess a minimum alcohol content of 50 ABV, while Chile and Venezuela require only a minimum of 40 ABV. Mexico requires rum be aged a minimum of 8 months; the Dominican Republic, Panama and Venezuela require two years. Naming standards also vary, Argentina defining rums as white, gold, light, and extra light. Barbados uses the terms white, overproof, and matured, while the United States defines rum, rum liqueur, and flavored rum.[22] In Australia Rum is divided into Dark Rum (Under Proof known as UP, Over Proof known as OP, and triple distilled) and White Rum.

Despite these differences in standards and nomenclature, the following divisions are provided to help show the wide variety of rums that are produced.

Regional Variations

Within the Caribbean, each island or production area has a unique style. For the most part, these styles can be grouped by the language that is traditionally spoken. Due to the overwhelming influence of Puerto Rican rum, most rum consumed in the United States is produced in the Spanish-speaking style.

* Spanish-speaking islands traditionally produce light rums with a fairly clean taste. Rums from Cuba, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Venezuela are typical of this style.

* English-speaking islands and countries are known for darker rums with a fuller taste that retains a greater amount of the underlying molasses flavor. Rums from Barbados, Bermuda, Belize, the Demerara region of Guyana, Jamaica and also Panama are typical of this style. Some English-Speaking islands, such as Trinidad and Grenada, whose inhabitants boast more complex palates for both the dark and light enjoy puncheon rum, which is 75% and higher-proof, very expensive rum made from sugar cane juice.

* French-speaking islands are best known for their agricultural rums (rhum agricole). These rums, being produced exclusively from sugar cane juice, retain a greater amount of the original flavor of the sugar cane and are generally more expensive than molasses-based rums. Rums from Guadeloupe, Haïti, Marie-Galante and Martinique are typical of this style. Hence, their influence is seen in rums from English-speaking islands with French influences in their histories such as Trinidad and Grenada produce rums made from sugar cane juice rather than molasses, known as puncheon rum. The flavor of light agricultural rums is significantly different than that of other rums; Panama also produces this type of rum.

Cachaça is a spirit similar to rum that is produced in Brazil. Seco, from Panama, is also a spirit similar to rum, but also similar to vodka, since it is triple distilled. The Indonesian spirit Batavia Arrack, or Arrak, is a spirit similar to rum that includes rice in its production. Mexico produces a number of brands of light and dark rum, as well as other less expensive flavored and unflavored sugar cane based liquors, such as aguardiente de caña and charanda. In some cases cane liquor is flavored with mezcal to produce a pseudo-tequila-like drink.

A spirit known as Aguardiente, distilled from molasses infused with anise, with additional sugarcane juice added after distillation, is produced in Central America and northern South America.
Within Europe, a similar spirit made from sugar beet is known as tuzemák (from tuzemský rum, domestic rum) in the Czech Republic and Kobba Libre on the Åland Islands.
In Germany, a cheap substitute of dark rum is called Rum-Verschnitt (literally: cut rum). This distilled beverage is made of genuine dark rum (often from Jamaica), rectified spirit, and water. Very often, caramel coloring is used, too. The relative amount of genuine rum it contains can be quite low since the legal minimum is at only 5 percent, but the taste of Rumverschnitt is still very similar to genuine dark rum. In Austria, a similar rum called Inländerrum or domestic rum is available.

Grades
Example of dark, spiced, and light rums.

The grades and variations used to describe rum depend on the location that a rum was produced. Despite these variations the following terms are frequently used to describe various types of rum:

* Light Rums, also referred to as light, silver, and white rums. In general, light rum has very little flavor aside from a general sweetness, and serves accordingly as a base for cocktails. Light rums are sometimes filtered after aging to remove any color.

* Gold Rums, also called amber rums, are medium-bodied rums which are generally aged. These gain their dark color from aging in wooden barrels (usually the charred white oak barrels that are the byproduct of Bourbon Whiskey).

* Spiced Rum: These rums obtain their flavor through addition of spices and, sometimes, caramel. Most are darker in color, and based on gold rums. Some are significantly darker, while many cheaper brands are made from inexpensive white rums and darkened with artificial caramel color.

* Dark Rum, also known as black rum, classes as a grade darker than gold rum. It is generally aged longer, in heavily charred barrels. Dark rum has a much stronger flavor than either light or gold rum, and hints of spices can be detected, along with a strong molasses or caramel overtone. It is used to provide substance in rum drinks, as well as color. In addition to uses in mixed drinks, dark rum is the type of rum most commonly used in cooking.

* Flavored Rum: Some manufacturers have begun to sell rums which they have infused with flavors of fruits such as mango, orange, citrus, coconut, and limke which is a lime rum found in Sweden. These serve to flavor similarly themed tropical drinks which generally comprise less than 40% alcohol, and are also often drunk neat or on the rocks.

* Overproof Rum is rum which is much higher than the standard 40% alcohol. Most of these rums bear greater than 75%, in fact, and preparations of 151 to 160 proof occur commonly.

* Premium Rum: As with other sipping spirits, such as Cognac and Scotch, a market exists for premium and super-premium rums. These are generally boutique brands which sell very aged and carefully produced rums. They have more character and flavor than their “mixing” counterparts, and are generally consumed without the addition of other ingredients.

Production methodology

Unlike some other spirits, such as Cognac and Scotch, rum has no defined production methods. Instead, rum production is based on traditional styles that vary between locations and distillers.

Fermentation
Sugarcane is harvested to make sugarcane juice and molasses.

Most rum produced is made from molasses. Within the Caribbean, much of this molasses is from Brazil. A notable exception is the French-speaking islands where sugarcane juice is the preferred base ingredient.

Yeast and water are added to the base ingredient to start the fermentation process. While some rum producers allow wild yeast to perform the fermentation, most use specific strains of yeast to help provide a consistent taste and predictable fermentation time. Dunder, the yeast-rich foam from previous fermentations, is the traditional yeast source in Jamaica.”The yeast employed will determine the final taste and aroma profile,” says Jamaican master blender Joy Spence. Distillers that make lighter rums, such as Bacardi, prefer to use faster-working yeasts. Use of slower-working yeasts causes more esters to accumulate during fermentation, allowing for a fuller-tasting rum.

Distillation

As with all other aspects of rum production, there is no standard method used for distillation. While some producers work in batches using pot stills, most rum production is done using column still distillation. Pot still output contains more congeners than the output from column stills and thus produces a fuller-tasting rum.

Aging and blending

Many countries require that rum be aged for at least one year. This aging is commonly performed in used bourbon casks, but may also be performed in stainless steel tanks or other types of wooden casks. Due to the tropical climate common to most rum-producing areas, rum matures at a much faster rate than is typical for Scotch or Cognac. An indication of this faster rate is the angel’s share, or amount of product lost to evaporation. While products aged in France or Scotland see about 2% loss each year, rum producers may see as much as 10%. After aging, rum is normally blended to ensure a consistent flavor. As part of this blending process, light rums may be filtered to remove any color gained during aging. For darker rums, caramel may be added to the rum to adjust the color of the final product.

In cuisine
Rum

Besides rum punch, cocktails such as the Cuba Libre and Daiquiri have well-known stories of their invention in the Caribbean. Tiki culture in the US helped expand rum’s horizons with inventions such as the Mai Tai and Zombie. Other well-known cocktails containing rum include the Piña Colada, a drink made popular by Rupert Holmes’ song “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)”, and the Mojito. Cold-weather drinks made with rum include the Rum toddy and Hot Buttered Rum. In addition to these well-known cocktails, a number of local specialties utilize rum. Examples of these local drinks include Bermuda’s Dark and Stormy (Gosling’s Black Seal rum with ginger beer), and the Painkiller from the British Virgin Islands.

Rum may also be used as a base in the manufacture of liqueurs. Spiced Rum is made by infusing rum with a combination of spices. Another combination is jagertee, a mixture of rum and black tea.

Rum may also be used in a number of cooked dishes. It may be used as a flavoring agent in items such as rum balls or rum cakes. Rum is commonly used to macerate fruit used in fruitcakes and is also used in marinades for some Caribbean dishes. Rum is also used in the preparation of Bananas Foster and some hard sauces.

Ti Punch is short for “petit punch”, little punch. This is a very traditional drink in the French-speaking region of the Caribbean.

Brands

* 10 Cane
* Angostura
* Appleton Estate
* Bacardi
* Bambu Rum
* Barcelo
* Bayu
* Barbancourt
* Beenleigh
* Bermudez
* Black Seal
* Bounty Rum
* Braddah Kimo’s Maui Rum
* Brinley Gold Rum
* Brugal
* Bundaberg
* Cockspur
* Cacique
* Caney
* Captain Morgan
* Carupano
* Cavalier
* Coronation Khukuri XXX Rum
* Cortez, Ron Cortez, Panam

* Coruba
* Cruzan
* Don Lorenzo
* Don Q
* El Dorado
* English Harbour Rum
* Estelar
* Flor de Caña
* Ghostship
* Goodwill
* Gosling’s
* Green Island
* Havana Club
* Honey Rum
* Jolly Roger
* Lemon Hart
* Lambs Rum
* Macuro
* Malibu Rum
* Matusalem
* McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum
* Mitjans
* Mount Gay
* Montilla
* Myers
* Newfoundland Screech
* New Grove Oak Aged Rum
* New Grove Plantation Rum
* Ocumare
* Old Monk
* Old Sam’s
* One Barrell
* Panama Jack Spiced Rum
* Pampero
* Pusser’s
* Pyrat
* RedRum
* Ronrico
* Ron Cortez
* Ron Diaz
* Ron Viejo de Caldas
* Ron Zacapa Centenario
* Royal Reserve
* Santa Teresa
* Santiago De Cuba
* Sailor Jerry
* Silver Kiss Rum
* Stroh
* Tanduay
* Varela Rum,151 proof, Panam?
* VooDoo Spiced Rum
* Wray and Nephews
* Zaya

Everyone remembers Cheers. The place every body knew your name…an iconic bar scene made of Dark mahogany table tops, the lone pool table with the one light above it covered in the standard hunter green lamp shade. And of course, the bar signs…. I say bar signs are under rated I mean they are the whole reason you even know it’s a bar in the first place and not just some random long counter. So below I pay homage to the bar sign.

This personalized home bar sign defiantly has personality. It states- Come early , Stay late at the bottom and Bring All You Can Drink and Drink All You Bring on either side of the toasting beer glasses. Not many of our bar signs state these rule more eloquently. On top of that we personalize the home bar sign with your name up to 15 characters. Our personalized wood bar signs are based upon late 19th century designs when use of text oriented pub and trade signs were at their height. While the signs are brand new, they conform in shape and lettering style to that of old time signs. To complete the look, all of the personalized signs are given a hand rubbed stain to “age” the sign appropriately. Our Personalized sign have silk-screened artwork on durable wood, with a hole in back for wall-hanging.

Ever since Sam Malone opened his place in Boston, you’ve dreamed of owning your own martini bar. Where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you… well, served free drinks and cleaned up after everyone. Still, the dream’s alive, and it’s very attainable with our personalized neighborhood pub sign. Simply give us your name - and bang, you’re open for business. Meticulous detail goes into each of our personalized pub signs.

Good Times- Good Friends- Cold Beer- this tavern sign says it all. Meticulous detail goes into each of our personalized bar signs. Silk-screened artwork on durable wood, with a hole in back for wall-hanging. Sign measures 16″ x 11″. Simply give us your name - and bang, you’re open for business.

Personalized Irish Pub Sign Ever since Sam Malone opened his place in Boston, you’ve dreamed of owning your own bar. Where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you… well, served free drinks and cleaned up after everyone. Still, the dream’s alive, and it’s very attainable with our custom-made Old Irish Pub Sign. Simply give us your name - and bang, you’re Irish Pub is open for business.

You’ve always wanted to have your own lounge and now’s your chance. Where the glasses are clean, and the martinis are dirty! Oh, and getting naked is always an option. Your own bar sign personalized with your name on it letting everyone know what the rules are. Simply give us your name -we personalize it - and bang, you’re open for busines

In Celebration of the upcoming holiday!!

Tasting Irish Whiskey
with Colum Egan Master Distiller of Bushmills Irish Whiskey

“To taste whiskey you will need your senses of sight, smell and taste. Plus a little guidance and an open mind. Taste is a personal experience so there is no right or wrong.” - Colum Egan

Step 1: Prepare for the Tasting
The tasting room should be free of extraneous smells and should have good lighting. The right size and shape of the glass is vital and makes a huge difference in the ability to nose effectively. Do not use traditional whiskey tumblers. Instead use a snifter, which allows you to swirl the spirit and gather the aromas around the rim.

Step 2: Note Appearance
Pour about an ounce of whiskey. Hold the glass to the light, or against a white napkin, and take note of its color, depth and clarity. The whiskey’s appearance should be a guide to how it has been matured and how long it has been aged.

Step 3: Add Water
Almost all whiskeys benefit from the addition of water, which will open up the spirit in most cases. It’s always best to add water a little at a time. Older whiskeys (more than 20 years) or whiskeys aged in sherry can be damaged by the addition of too much water; the aromas break up and the flavor becomes flat. The water used to dilute the strength of your dram should be still and not too high in minerals. At professional tastings, distilled water is normally used.

Step 4: Nose the Whiskey
The aroma of a whiskey is called the “nose.” To determine the nose, tilt the glass, swirl the whiskey and inhale slowly. Do not sniff too intensely or too often because the alcohol can inhibit your sense of smell. The aromas are often complex and multi-layered. With a little practice, you will learn to break smells down and identify what they are.

Step 5: Taste the Whiskey
Take a sip large enough to fill your mouth, then roll it over your tongue. It is important when tasting, to hold the liquid in the mouth and to make sure it coats the tongue thoroughly to help determine mouth-feel. First register the texture and smoothness of the whiskey. Then try to identify the primary tastes — the immediate flavors your tongue collects. The finish, or aftertaste, refers to the sensation experienced after swallowing, as well as the flavors that linger in your mouth.

Tiramisu
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
- 1/4 cup espresso
- 4 oz Baileys Original Irish Cream
- 1/3 cup mascarpone
- 2 scoops vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice cream
- 2 to 4 ice cubes
- 2 soft ladyfinger cookies sliced lengthwise or shortbread wafers
- Chocolate-hazelnut spread
- Chocolate syrup

Blend together espresso, Irish Cream, ice cream, mascarpone, ice cream and ice until smooth. Drizzle chocolate syrup along inside edges of over-sized martini glasses. Pour mixture from blender into glasses. Spread a layer of chocolate-layzelnut spread in between the ladyfingers or sandwich between two shortbread cookies. Pass the cookies to dip in the cocktails. (Variation: Rim glass with chocolate syrup by dipping glass in a plate with chocolate syrup)

Dublin Dream
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Irish Mist Liqueur
- 1 1/2 oz Carolan’s Irish Cream
- 1 1/2 oz SKYY Vodka
- 1 oz Chambord Liqueur
- 1 oz fresh cream
Garnish: mint sprig

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled rocks glass or martini glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Irish Snakebite
Ingredients:
- equal part dark Irish beer
- equal part hard cider
- shot of blackcurrant syrup

Fill pint glass with equal amounts of dark Irish beer and hard cider, leaving about 1/3 inch space at top. Add a shot of blackcurrant syrup and stir gently to mix.

Blackcurrant syrup: In saucer, bring one cup sugar and two cups blackcurrant juice to boil. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until mixture appears thicker. Cool in ice bath and pour into final storage container, adding 1 oz vodka as preservative. (Cocktail created by: Gwen Kaiser Sutherland, Master Mixologist, Cocktail Times)

And Dont Forget to Check Out All the Cool Stuff We Have at WWW.AFTER5CATALOG.COM

 

This drink is designated as an
IBA Official Cocktail
Mai Tai
Type: Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume:

 

* Rum

 

Served: “Straight up”; without ice
Standard garnish: pineapple spear, lime peel and mint leaves
Standard drinkware: double rocks glass
IBA specified ingredients†:

 

* 3cl (6 parts) white rum
* 3cl (6 parts) dark rum
* 1.5cl (3 parts) orange curaçao
* 1.5cl (3 parts) Orgeat syrup
* 1cl (2 parts) fresh lime juice

 

Preparation: Shake all ingredients except the dark rum together in a mixer with ice. Strain into glass and float the dark rum onto the top. Garnish and serve.

 

The Mai Tai is a well-known alcoholic cocktail purportedly invented at the Trader Vic’s “Polynesian-style” restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic’s amicable rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it first in 1933 at his own newly opened little bar (later a famous restaurant) in Hollywood. The Beachcomber’s recipe is far more complicated than that of the Trader’s and tastes quite different.

 

“Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good.” The spelling of the drink, however, is two words.[1][2][3]

 

The Trader Vic story of its invention is that the Trader (Victor J. Bergeron) created it one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. One of them tasted it and cried out: “Maita’i roa!” (Literally “good very!”, figuratively “Out of this world!”) — hence the name.

 

 

 

Mai Tai
Ingredients:
- 2 oz 17yr old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican Rum
- 1/2 oz Curacao
- 1/2 oz Orgeat Syrup
- 1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup
- Juice of 1 fresh lime

 

Pour the ingredients over shaved ice in a double old-fashioned glass, shook it well, add one spent lime shell and garnish it with a sprig of fresh mint.

 

 

 

Check out some of this cool Mai Tai related stuff!!

 

 

 

 

 

In lieu of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday, I have decided to give you guys the skinny on whiskey. Whiskey seems to be one of those things in life that you either love or hate. Strong, bold and smooth, whiskey remains one of the top alcohols after all these years. So read on and check it out….

Whisky (Scottish Gaelic: uisge-beatha), or whiskey (Irish: uisce beatha or fuisce), refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak).

Different grains are used for different varieties, including: barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn). Whisky derives from the Gaelic word for “water” (uisce or uisge), and is called in full uisge-beatha (in Scotland) or uisce beatha (Ireland), meaning “Water of Life”. It is related to the Latin aqua vitae, also meaning “water of life”. It is always Scotch whisky, and Irish whiskey.

The first written record of whisky comes from 1405 in Ireland, where it was distilled by monks.[1] It is also mentioned in Scotland in 1496. However it is thought that whisky had already been around for at least several hundred years prior. When or where whisky was first distilled is unknown and the local, undocumented beverage production during the period makes identification of the drink’s origin difficult. Additionally, it is possible that different groups discovered processes of distillation completely independently of one another.

Some scholars believe distilled spirits were first produced between the 8th century AD and 9th century AD in the Middle East with the art of distillation being brought to Ireland and Britain by Christian monks. A popular legend is that St. Patrick introduced distillation to Ireland and Britain; however it is likely he lived around the 5th century AD. It is also possible that the distillation process was discovered in Ireland and possibly Britain (either independently or in precursor to Arabian distillation) by farmers as a way of making use of excess grain after harvest.

~ Great Whiskey Cocktails ~

Godfather
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Scotch
- 1 oz Amaretto
Glassware : Old-Fashioned Glass

 

Black Jack
- 2 oz Scotch
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 1/2 oz Kahlua
- 1 oz Triple Sec
Glassware: Cocktail Glass
Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.
Jack Frost Manhattan
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
- 1 part Peppermint Schnapps
- 1/4 part sweet vermouth
Garnish: maraschino cherry
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with cherry.

 

Scotch Cooler
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
- 1/2 oz vanilla liqueur
- 2 dashes bitters
Garnish: cherry
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a cherry. (Created by Dale DeGroff, New York, NY)

 

Scotch Old-Fashioned
- 2 oz Scotch
- 1/2 oz Water
- 1/2 tsp Superfine Sugar
- 1 dash Bitters
- Garnish: Lime Wedge
Glassware: Old-Fashioned Glass
Dissolve superfine sugar in scotch. Combine bitters and water, superfine sugar and scotch in an old fashioned glass over crushed ice. Add 151 proof rum and garnish with lime wedge.

 

B55
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Sebor Absinth
- 1 oz Irish Cream
- 1 oz Kahlua
In a shot glass, carefully layer (in this order) Kahlua, Baileys and Sebor Absinth.

 

Everybody’s Irish
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Irish Whiskey
- 1 oz Creme de Menthe (green)
- 1 oz Chartreuse (green)
- Garnish: Cocktail Olive
Glassware : Cocktail Glass
Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.

Rob Roy
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Scotch whisky
- 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
- a dash of Angostura bitters
- Garnish: Cherry
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with cherry.

 

History of Rob Roy:
Rob Roy was created by a bartender at The Waldorf Hotel in New York in 1894. It was first mixed for the opening night of an opera called “Rob Roy.” The recipe first appeared in The Savoy Book, published by The Savoy Hotel of London in 1930. Having Scotch whisky as a base spirit of the cocktail, the book carried a note indicating that the cocktail was already popular among Scots, “particularly for St. Andrew’s day to open the evening for the usual enormous annual gathering of the Clans at the Savoy.”.

We have all seen it, the cheesy Bacardi commercial (<<< if you havnt click here) where a dozen different women or so are shaking there rumps to some very questionable techno beat all in rhythm to the stud bar tender mashing up a Mojito. But what the hell is a Mojito anyways? I mean come on people at first glance any human with half a brain is going to ask why there are mashed leaves in there cocktail…lets face it this is not an everyday occurrence. So the following is for all those like me out there who took the time to step back and question the foliage in his cocktail. So I hope you enjoy and hey, you just might learn a little something while you are at it.

Mojito (pronounced /m??hi?to?/ (English) IPA: [mo?xito] ((Spanish)) is a traditional Cuban cocktail which became popular in the United States during the late 1980s, and has recently seen a resurgence in popularity.

A mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, carbonated water and mint. Its combination of sweetness and refreshing citrus and mint flavors are intended to mask the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear cocktail a popular summer drink. Many hotels in Havana also add Angostura bitters to cut the sweetness of the mojito; while a popular variation, it is not the original version created in La Bodeguita del Medio.

To make a Mojito, juice from a lime is added to sugar and mint leaves in a tall glass. The mixture is then gently mashed repeatedly with a muddler. Crushed ice is then added, followed by rum and topped off with club soda.

The word mojito is derived from the diminutive of the word mojo.

 

 

 

 

 

Mojito Recipies:
Italian Mojito
Ingredients:
- 2 oz of white light rum
- 2 oz Proseco
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp simple syrup
- 1 sprig fresh mint

In a high ball glass place mint leaves, brown sugar, simple syrup and fresh lime juice and muddle. Add ice cubes, pour light rum and top with Italian sparkling wine. Stir directly in the glass. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and fresh lime wheel. (Cocktail By Francensco at Mix, New York 212 583 0300)

 

 

Apple Mojito
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 parts Bacardi Big Apple Rum
- 12 fresh spearmint leaves
- 1/2 lime
- 7 parts club soda
- 2 tsp. simple syrup or 4 tsp. sugar
- mint sprigs for garnish

 

Crush mint leaves and lime in a tall glass. Cover with simple syrup and fill glass with ice. Add rum and club soda, stir well.

Blue Mojito
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. HPNOTIQ liqueur
- 2 oz. Light Rum
- 3 oz. Club Soda
- 6 fresh mint leaves

Shake HPNOTIQ liqueur, light rum and mint leaves with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass and top with club soda.

 

It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that Americans love football. Every Sunday this fact becomes crystal clear as hordes of people donning there favorite team apparel head out to local bars or fire up a grill in a backyard with friends and prepare to slam down some brats and burgers. But there is one facet of football in America — a staple if you will — that no matter where, or how you plan on watching the game, cannot be overlooked…I am of course speaking of none other then beer…

I personally, am from the mid west — Michigan to be exact — and where I come from unless you are actually attending the game, the next best thing is the tailgate party…a glorious event where you gather as many fellow football lovers as you can, round up all the old lawn chairs collecting dust in your garage along with as much meat as you can carry and all converge upon the largest empty parking lot you can find (most likely a stadium parking lot) you set up your grill and possibly a beer pong table and contiune to cook and drink all day with your favorite games blasting from every operational radio within ear shot…

Fortunately we here at After 5 take both beer and proper partying extremely seriously…So imagine this…you are lucky enough to have scored tickets to a game — Indianapolis Colts at New England if you will — there you are sitting in the stands, first quarter of the game and of course the first thing that comes to mind is “where is my beer”…now unless you came with a saddle bag full of cash, catching a game time buzz at the stadium can be, well how shall I put it…pricey

Not to fear, After5 has come up with what can only be described as the perfect solution. We call it… The Beer Belly. The Beerbelly is a beer dispenser that fits stealthily and comfortably around your waist, under your shirt, with a feeder tube and bite valve that delivers beer to the user. It’s covert and comedy rolled into one.

So there you are, ‘keeping warm’ by quietly sipping from your favorite beer while a stadium full of fans screams at the top of their lungs as the game of the year plays out below you…all this and you didn’t even have to give loose a dime to stadium costs…now that’s innovation my friends.

Now I realize not every one can pull off having a “beer belly” – Ladies we were thinking of you on this one — so we took an age old idea and put a lil twist to it. Presenting the Sippin’ Seat Cushion.

Whether you’re parked bench side or in the thin air of the nosebleed section, the Papa Berts Stadium Sippin’ Seat guarantees you the best seat in the house, at least from a drinker’s standpoint. Hidden inside its durable and super comfortable foam cushion exterior is a secret hot/cold beverage bladder capable of holding up to 750 ml (3 cups in America) of the day’s preferred drink. The Stadium Sippin Seat has an easy-to-use valve-to-plastic hose dispensing mechanism and an integrated carrying handle; it disassembles easily for cleaning and refilling.

Now for those of you who enjoy the “at home” approach to watching football, have we got something for you. Over the years I have come to find that most people who would rather stay home for the game do so because of there love for cookin’ on the grill. With that said check this out!

 

This is our Personalized Barbeque Branding Iron. The personalized Meat Mark-it Barbeque Branding Iron allows you to customize your outgoing message on each and every tri-tip, T-bone, London broil or rib-eye that leaves your grill. The barbeque branding iron includes 52 letters and spaces, so you can personalize your name or of course favorite football team.

Now we all know games can end up being extremely long and drawn out. Sitting there in your group of friends as the last min of the first half ends up taking 15 min. During these down times of the game, or perhaps even waiting for the game to begin, you and your crew might enjoy a nice friendly game of Brew-opoly.

Brew-Opoly is more than just a board game for people who like to drink beer. Similar to its real estate counter part…only entirely beer themed, more fun, and no creepy bald guy. Play with game tokens like a bottle opener, shot glass and pretzel, land on Cheers (collect $200!), Free Pretzels (win the pot!), Last Call (boo!), Happy Hour (thumb your nose at the sap in Last Call) and draw action cards from The Draft - this is a party game at its finest. Make your way around the colorful board and purchase brew pubs and microbreweries. You’ll still need to keep your eye on the banker, especially if you’re living up to our hopes and chugging beer each time you pass Happy Hour. Brew-Opoly is fun for the whole family and works wonderfully during those game day waiting periods.

So football fans, who ever you are routing for this season, make sure you do it in style and of course remember to have fun because in the end that’s what games are all about.

Written by: Jason Davenport (Head of Customer Service and Kickin’ Ass here at After5 Catalog)

Beer_glasses

Beer…. that back bone of the bar. It can’t be called a cocktail so it doesn’t count as a cocktail when you’re gathering the ingredients for that laborious task of building a margarita or mai tai. Margaritas especially. What a chore. I dread when I get the craving…Well, kind of. But while in the process I get this pavlovian wetness in anticipation of the happy warm glow that this drink brings. For me there best at my buddy John’s house. I taught him how to make the special Cadillac Margie about eleven years ago. He won’t remember that fact nor will he admit it but now he makes them better than I do. Or so I tell him. This is a case where truly it’s better to watch. Watch with a beer, cause that’s about how long it takes to make a Cadillac when he makes them.

So as far as being a cocktail goes does the beer count? Well technically no. It’s not a cocktail and comparatively, one for one, it’s not even close to the bender you get from a good margarita. And since, in this common bartending example, we are playing with serious liquor, I call a beer a pacifier, a filler, maybe even a primer. I will agree, beer does go with tequila. In fact if you’re doing shots, beer goes great with tequila. Habit in my college days, rarely practiced now. But the next day while grabbing the Advil and asking myself, “what did I drink last night?” I never include that first beer. It didn’t count. Or maybe it was it automatically included as part of the cocktail when I have a margarita. In either case it didn’t register on the alcoholic itinerary from the previous evening.

Beer, not in the cocktail family technically but by far the easiest drink to serve- the opposite of a Cadillac Margarita. Great idea - next time I make a Cadillac I’m using the beer hat. That way I can say I didn’t even see a beer.

Hat_for_beer_2

Written by Eric States

When we take the family skiing to

Mammoth_skiing_shot_3

the first thing I do after that grueling yet picturesque drive bordering the Sierras, is go to the fridge and crank the freezer to max cold and throw in the bottle of Level vodka. I learned this little trick. If you get the freezer to 8 degrees below, not only does this make ice faster than you can say avalanche, but it makes your vodka into this syrupy semi frozen drool that you actually have to encourage to get out of the bottle. Kind of like the consistency of lava only colder.

2frosted_martini

Talk about an incredible martini. None of this stuffy “shaken or stirred?” Bond crap. You don’t need a cocktail shaker, no need for stirring. Just pour it into a martini glass. Preferably near a bottle of vermouth but not too close, and drop two olives in. There is no better martini in my mind. Maybe it’s the altitude, but Level vodka at 8 below is silky smooth and very potent. Like a martini should be. It even stays cold up until the last drop. That’s not speed drinking either! And if you are the real purist you can’t beat it. This cocktail trick spares you from polluting your expensive vodka with some rusty, tape water made ice cubes. -8 taste’s great!

Ok so this cool cocktail trick is great for a drink at the cabin so why not try putting frozen

Vodka_shots

It reminds me of a school science project cause the flask turns to ice right up to the fill line almost instantly. And, like the martini, it stays cold for a long time. Just don’t get the frozen flask too close to your skin. It’s kind of like when you lick a chair lift…it sticks. That you do only once. The bottom line, or the message I am trying to convey is, frozen vodka is better. Its better at home, it’s better at the slopes, and it’s better in the glass. You just need a freezer that will go to -8. Down side? This arctic vodka cellar that we turn our refrigerators into turns your ice cream into concrete, necessitating a microwave just to scoop out…….You shouldn’t eat ice cream anyway.

Words by Eric States

Bandolier

While we’re on the subject of tequila, I’d like to send a shout-out to my favorite Agave of the Gods, “Oro Azul Reposado.” This is a true sipping tequila, rich and complex, easy on the gullet, and not to be squandered in margaritas or shots. I discovered this excellent elixir in Baja a few years ago at the Hotel California in Todos Santos. (Yes, it’s rumored to be the Hotel California from The Eagles song, though Don Henley denies it. But I can attest: There is a dark desert highway, a shimmering light, a mission bell, and it’s a lovely place.)

And I got tiffany-twisted drinking Oro Azul that night. My drinking pals – one older brother and two childhood buddies – lined up about seven tequilas at the recommendation of the very knowledgeable bartender at Hotel California. I couldn’t tell you what the other tequilas were if you held a gun to my head. Was I too drunk to remember? No. But who remembers the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishers? I’m all about winners. ABC: Always Be Closing. Second place is a set of steak knives.

Among us four very different drinkers, Oro Azul Reposado was the unanimous favorite tequila.
And we each swore, upon our return to the U.S. and A., that we’d fill our liquor cabinets with the stuff. I found a bottle in Portland, Oregon (where I live) for $39.99, but you can purchase it online for as low as $33.99 through

Tequila_liquor_bottle

According to Oro Azul’s website, the Reposado is “double distilled 100% blue agave… carefully rested for over six months. The special resting process delivers a richer, cleaner and deeper tequila. It has a deep old gold color with pickling spice and sweet, creamy nougat aromas. A round entry leads to a dryish medium-bodied palate with creamy caramel, faint brown spices and ripe tropical citrus fruits. Finishes in a very lengthy, fruity manner, with nutty toffee and spice notes. Well-knit, balanced and delicious.”

I concur.

Written by Trevor Pitchford