Cayrum Honey and Ginger Infused Rum

Photo Courtesy of Coed.com

The other night I briefly popped into Tom and Jerry's to say hello to my buddy Chris and noticed they had a bottle next to one of the many Tom and Jerry punch bowls with the name of Cayrum. Chris was gracious enough to pass me the bottle for inspection. On the top of the label it said "Hecho A Mano En La Republica Dominicana". Now that caught my attention. The label also said made by the "Kane Family Rum Company" and along the bottom the label said "A PREMIUM RUM INFUSED with NATURAL HONEY AND GINGER" It is an 80 proof rum (40% ALC./Vol).

I found an interview online done by Pavol Kazimir of the Dominicanrumguide.com website of Cayrum distiller Todd Kane from June 2, 2012. In the interview, Kane states that after testing their infusion process on a number of different rums, the rum they chose to use is a 3-year old rum produced by the Barcelo Rum company. The Cayrum product is being made in the town of Cabarete. Cabarete is located in the Puerto Plata province which is one of the biggest tourist destinations of the Dominican Republic. So knowing that the product is Dominican made on the island here is what my impressions of the rum.

I had Maz pour me a little taster. He poured himself a little as well. His instant critique of the Cayrum didn't bode well for my tasting. He said the rum "smelled like soap". Keeping that in mind and not letting that sway my open mind, I decided to venture forward with the taste. The rum has a nice golden color to it and is somewhat thick and syrupy. I found that the rum was more honey flavored than ginger. It had a somewhat sweet smell and taste but nothing that I found that would make me say WOW!!! I figured that it would probably be best enjoyed as a mixer. Kane states in his interview that the Cayrum is better served as so:

We find that the best way to serve is chilled in a chilled shot. It is a great digestive. If you are more a cocktail type we definitely suggest the Spicy – Kiki cocktail.

I checked their website to find the recipe for the Spicy-Kiki cocktail. Here it is:

Spicy-Kiki
Cayrum Rum
Muddled Cilantro and Serrano Peppers
Lime Juice
Simple Syrup
A Splash of Soda

I feel bad. I really want to support products from the Motherland. But I don't think that I'll be running out to buy a bottle to keep at home. Am I game to try something made with Cayrum? Absolutely. Maybe I'll find a cocktail that is better suited to my palate and makes a better impression of the Cayrum to me. Here is the webpage that has the recipes for Cayrum mixed drinks.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

The Monkey Bar Part 2

For my second cocktail at the Monkey Bar, I asked our server Melissa to recommend something completely different from The Perfect 10. She recommended a cocktail called a Pimm's Rangoon. Since I was game, I told her let's run with it. Here is what was in the Pimm's Rangoon.

Pimm's Rangoon
Pimms #1
Dry Gin
Ginger
Lemon Juice
Muddled Cucumber, Strawberry and Mint

As you see in the picture, the cocktail had a nice pinkish hue to it. I loved how the cucumber, strawberry and mint blended together to give it a nice light feel. The fruit taste was slightly sweet but not overly sweet. The ginger gave it a little kick. But what is Pimm's #1

According to the website for Pimm's:

London's dandiest city gents loved to partake in oysters and gin. But with its bitter tang, gin was knocked back, not savoured. Enter shellfish-monger James Pimm and his famous central London 'Oyster Bar' in 1823. Patrons soon swallowed oysters with the PIMM'S 'house cup'. Flavoured with liqueurs and fruit extract, this more palatable long drink 'gin-sling' kick-started the great British PIMM'S story.

Pimms now has a new flavor which is Elderflower and Blackberry. I need to have a taste of the Original Pimms and the new version on its own. Sounds tasty on its own. For more recipes using Pimms, click here.

So that was the last cocktail of a very entertaining night with Momma-San. Here's to another 11-years together. =)

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Jack's Seasoned Manhattan

Momma-San, Titi Ari, the kids and myself went down to Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center to engage ourselves in some good old fashioned New York City Christmas flavor. I have to say that in years past, Momma-San and I would look for roving Santa Clauses so we could take our yearly holiday family picture. This has gotten harder to accomplish since it seems that Rockefeller Center does its best to shoo away those dressed up as Santa while allowing these aggressive picture hawkers to approach anyone and everyone for the opportunity to take a picture in front of the tree. It really sucks that this is the second year in a row where we were unable to get a picture with good old St. Nick. I guess next year we'll have to brave the mall for a picture with Santa. UGH!!!!

Anyways, this is a drinking blog so on to the cocktailing. As most people in the business already know, Guy's American Kitchen and Bar was lambasted recently in a New York Times food review. Since we were somewhat close to where the restaurant is, we decided that we wanted to check the place out to see if it was as bad as the review made it seem.

As we arrive, the place has a lively feel but doesn't seem too overly busy for 8pm on a Tuesday night in Times Square. We're seated in a very spacious circular corner booth and are given a cocktail menu to start. The menu was broken down in two with one section being Guy's Classics which consisted of such cocktails as three Margaritas, two Mojitos and one Pina Colada and one rum punch. The other section was Holiday cocktails and since we were in the holiday flow, I decided to give one of these a shot. The holiday menu had a nice blend of nogs, sangrias and holiday martinis. One drink stood out to me and I decided to have it. The cocktail was named Jack's Seasoned Manhattan. Here is what the cocktail was msde with:

Jack Seasoned Manhattan
Jack Daniels Whiskey
Goldschlager
Ginger and Cocoa
Seasonal Spices

Though the name is somewhat of a misnomer since there aren't any kind of Sweet Vermouths that characteristically are found in a Manhattan it was surprisingly tasty. The jack mingles very nicely with the Ginger/and Cocoa flavors and and cinnamon of the Goldschlager. As usual Momma-San didn't like it but as she says, if she doesn't like it, I will. LOL. I would guess that the Seasonal Spices (which I didn't find out what spices they were) somewhat replace the function of let's say an Angostura Bitters would in a traditional Manhattan. Overall it was a delicious cocktail that did evoke feelings of autumn and winter.

Oh, by the way. I had no complaints about the food. The wings were plump and tasty, the sauce seemed fresh. The nachos were plentiful and crispy. The burger I had wasn't overly large but it was seasoned properly and the french fries were a hit with the kids who ate their, mine and Titi Ari's as well. The Chicken fingers they ordered which were breaded with pretzels and panko were also delicious as was Momma-San's bacon mac and cheese. So unless they made some major changes after the scathing review, it would seem that the reviewer had other reasons for the negative review.

For the next posts I'll profile the other cocktail that I had which was the Blackberry Brandy Alexander, as well as, a local bourbon called Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey. I also whipped up a batch of Egg Nog based on the recipe of bar manager of Clyde Common in Portland Oregon and bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler. Instead of using Spiced Rum, I decided to use the Honey Cinnamon Infused Vodka. I'll let you know how it tastes after a day or so of chilling in the fridge.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla