Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Please Tell Your Lovers and Friends: The First Annual Rum Tasting Party, March 9th

This is an announcement: For the first time ever, I will be having a party at my apartment, and you and your friends are invited. But wait, there's more. This won't be just any party, this is a rum-themed party, which will include samples of rums from around the West Indies as well as an assortment of rum-based drinks.

If you want just the details, here they are. If you want more background, then read on.

When: 9pm, Friday, March 9th, 2007 (That's next Friday!)
Where: My apartment.


Why rum? Well I've been reading a book called "And a Bottle of Rum," and as it turns out rum is a huge part of our national history, and I think that's something to celebrate. I think Wayne Curtis the author says it best:

Rum has always had a distinctly American swagger. it is untutored and proud of it, raffish, often unkempt and a little bit out of control. The history of rum tends towards the ignoble, many times pleasingly so. "Rum's early history is one long rap sheet," wrote Hugh G. Foster in 1962. This is especially true when compared to snooty old gin and its dull marriage to the martini, or upstart vodka, for which quality is regularly confused with marketing. And whiskey is still fighting its tired, ancient battles-Scotch versus Irish, Canadian versus Bourbon-like feudal lords grappling for control of empty moors. Rum is always willing to try something new and sort out the consequences later. As the bon vivant James Beard put it in 1956, "Of all the spirits in your home, rum is the most romantic."

On top of all this, rum is delicious! If you've only ever tasted Bacardi (and even if you hated it) you have a whole new world to experience. I'm going to have plenty of good rum from places like Jamaica, Barbados, and the Virgin islands. You can sip it out of a little cup, feeling like a connoisseur whilst getting plastered. I will also be preparing the following rum-based cocktails:

Planter's Punch
Mojitos
Hot Toddys and
Mai Tais

But there are a slew of other neat cocktails that I have recipes for, so if you're looking to bring something let me know and I can hook you up with the details. (And if you really hate rum, or want something non-alcoholic, you might want to bring that too.)

My apartment is a little small, but it'll be a way to revisit your college party days. Invite anyone whose name or email address I have forgotten but whom you know should be invited. See you there.

1 comment:

  1. Sounds awesome! I was in Puerto Rico for a conference, and the rum there was amazing -- nothing like Bacardi. More like scotch -- the kind of thing you drink straight from a glass. Mmmm....

    ReplyDelete