Friday, September 02, 2011

Rum Is the Answer, What Was the Question?


(Photo above: Yo ho ho and 111 bottles of rum. Soaking in the sights at the Rum Bar in Phoenix)

(by Dawson Fearnow with Phoenix New Times) You'd think if you owned a bar exclusively dedicated to rum, you'd be happy to hear that the world's oldest spirit was suddenly très-trendy. Well, not so much if you're Dwayne Allen, co-owner of the Rum Bar in downtown Phoenix. In fact, this generally-genial Jamaican native was downright perturbed at the suggestion that this sugar cane-based spirit is being called trendy.

"Rum is in our blood, my friend," Allen tells me when I phone. "It's been around long before other such alcohols and spirits and is synonymous with the island lifestyle. There's nothing trendy about what we are doing at the Rum Bar," he says in his distinctly friendly-yet-deadly-serious tone. "You'd better get down here and let me show you what rum's all about."
So let's set sail to this rum-soaked tropical paradise in the heart of the urban jungle. Just be sure to leave behind your images of hangovers past, fueled by popsicle-colored daiquiris and cheap dark or spiced rums, which are often made from lower quality Grade C molasses and have "terrible flavor," according to Allen. (We're looking at you, Captain Morgan.)

Click HERE for the complete story. Please visit us at The Rum Shop for all your rum-related needs, including purchasing rum on-line, rum recipes, rum tasting notes, rum event information and rum consulting services. "Got Rum?" Magazine is back in circulation, get your free copy HERE.

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