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When sourcing standbys for your summer bar, be sure you’re well-stocked with versatile base spirits – such as Brugal Extra Dry Rum – that mix up perfectly with refreshing summer flavors. Check out some simple pitcher cocktail recipes below that will help you stir up some fun with friends and family at the BBQ.

CITRUS SIPPER

1 bottle of Brugal Extra Dry Rum
20 oz. of Fresh Grapefruit juice
20 oz. of Club Soda
10-12 lime wedges

Pour all ingredients into a pitcher, lightly stir and pour over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve. Serves 12-15 people.

THE PEG LEG PUNCH
Created by Kenneth McCoy – Rum House, Ward III

1 bottle of Brugal Extra Dry Rum
2 oz. Highland Park 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky
2 oz. Gran Classico Bitters
8 oz. Cocchi Americano
2 oz. Agave syrup
6 oz. Fresh squeezed orange juice
6 oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 to 8 slices of orange rind
6 to 8 slices of lemon rind

Pour all ingredients into large pitcher and add ice, chill for at least an hour, sweeten to taste, top off with champagne serve with an orange and lemon rind in chilled rocks glass with 1 large cube of ice. Serves 15 to 20 people.

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Each year since Miguel Barceló first created Ron Barceló Imperial in 1980, private reserves of this prestigious ten-year-old blended rum were set aside for two years of additional aging. Held in barrels made from selected cuts of white oak, these reserves were blended to create the limited edition Imperial Premium Blend 30 Aniversario.

Only 9,000 bottles of the Imperial Premium Blend are bottled annually, and of that 9,000 only 600 are allocated to the United States where this truly outstanding Dominican rum was recently introduced.

“We wanted to honor the Barceló family tradition of blending the best preserved collection of naturally aged rum, and celebrate three decades of our signature rum, Barceló Imperial. Getting to the highest grade of excellence and seducing the most discerning tastes of our consumers around the world is our core motivation. We believe creativity is an integral part of rum making and this philosophy is evident in every drop of the Imperial Premium Blend,” states Ron Barceló Brand Ambassador, Roberto Jimenez.

During the extensive aging process, the rum achieves an intense amber color, and the aroma is rich with hints of dried fruits, vanilla and caramel coated chocolate. The taste is that of an exquisitely aged rum with notes of mocha, melted toffee and spiced nuts.

Each bottle is hand-numbered with an engraved wooden display pedestal and comes in an embossed collectable tin, making it a very desirable addition to any serious rum enthusiast’s collection.

As a testament to the brand’s outstanding character, it was recently awarded a Double Gold Medal at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a superlative 97 rating by the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago.

Ron Barceló Imperial Premium Blend retails for $120.00 per 750ml bottle and is currently available for sale in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.

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“Hopefully Jack and The Captain aren’t too cozy on their shelves, because more and more they have to make room for the new kids on the block: locally distilled micro-spirits.”  UnionLeader.com looks into the growing world of hand crafted booze.

“It’s a Rum Job… but someone’s gotta do it. When we were invited to try the most expensive rum in the world, we said ‘er, yes.’ Here is the story of that day, complete with mystery, intrigue, and funny costumes.”  Our friends at The Skinny get a taste of Legacy.  Click here for more.

“Sugar Daddy Rum is the latest product release from Prohibition Spirits, the Sonoma based company that also makes the line of Hooker’s House whiskeys.”  Cocktail Enthusiast has the scoop.

The diversity of the rum category fuels a year of growth more robust that any other spirit in the industry.  Check it out.

“No, thanks,” is the new refrain from a slew of bartenders and customers who are rolling their eyes at super-complicated drinks. Instead, people are embracing cocktails, involving fewer than five ingredients and sometimes only a step or two, as in: Stir and strain into glass.  Get the details from Globe & Mail.

News Journal reports: “When you’re talking about rum, how much does the Caribbean really matter?  For the rum world, it’s a more serious question than it sounds, and the answer exposes a schism in the industry, a divide between massive producers who value uniformity in a global market and smaller players and connoisseurs who prefer nuanced production that reflects the time and place a rum is made.”

Rum Journal digs into one of our favorite Dominican sippers, Brugal 1888.  Click here to read their review.

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Finally, there’s a book that’s almost as much fun as having a couple of drinks. Alcoholica Esoterica presents the history and culture of booze as told by a writer with a knack for distilling all the boring bits into the most interesting facts and hilarious tales. It’s almost like pulling up a stool next to the smartest and funniest guy in the bar.

Divided into chapters covering the basic booze groups—including beer, wine, Champagne, whiskey, RUM, gin, vodka, and tequila—Alcoholica Esoterica charts the origin and rise of each alcohol’s particular charms and influence. Other sections chronicle “Great Moments in Hic-story,” “Great Country Drinking Songs,” “10 Odd Laws,” and “Mt. Lushmore, Parts I–V.” Additionally, famous quotes on the joys and sorrows of liquor offer useful shots of advice and intoxicating whimsy.

Did you know..

• that the word bar is short for barrier? Yes, that’s right—to keep the customers from getting at all the booze.
  
• that Winston Churchill’s mother supposedly invented the Manhattan?
  
• that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because the sailors on the Mayflower were running low on beer and were tired of sharing?
  
• that you have a higher chance of being killed by a flying Champagne cork than by a poisonous spider?
  
• that the Code of Hammurabi mandated that brewers of low-quality beer be drowned in it?
  
• that beer was so popular with medieval priests and monks that in the thirteenth century they stopped baptizing babies with holy water and started using beer?

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Kenny Chesney has announced that Blue Chair Bay Rum, his recently announced line of premium spirits, will throw launch parties in 18 key cities during his No Shoes Nation tour this spring and summer. These parties, which range from parking lot tailgates to on-premise celebrations, promise to deliver the island-lover’s signature “nowhere to go, nowhere to be” state of mind to rum enthusiasts and music fans across the country.

“So much of the inspiration for my music comes from the places I’ve been, and people I’ve met in the Caribbean,” says Chesney. “I started thinking, ‘What if I could share that sense of escape, and freedom… and fun with friends with everyone! That’s the reason for creating Blue Chair Bay Rum, so I wanted a way to share it beyond the shelf. That’s what we’re – hopefully – bringing people with this rum and these parties.”

The laid-back parties invite like-minded imbibers across the nation to raise a glass of Blue Chair Bay Rum’s White, Coconut and Coconut Spiced flavors in celebration of the anytime, anywhere spirit that defines island life. Locals are invited to sip on signature Blue Chair Bay Rum cocktails, take part in island-themed giveaways and indulge in the singer/songwriter’s “check your troubles at the shore” way of life. All will be open to No Shoes Nation tour ticketholders 21 years of age and older. Markets include Dallas(5/11); Milwaukee (5/18); Landover, MD. (5/24); Seattle (6/1); Virginia Beach, VA. (6/6); Philadelphia (6/8); Indianapolis (6/13);Kansas City, MO (6/15); Pittsburgh (6/22); Columbus (6/29); Minneapolis (7/12); Denver (7/20); Mountain View, CA. (7/25);Anaheim, CA. (7/27); Charlotte, N.C. (8/1); Atlanta (8/3); East Rutherford, N.J. (8/10); Detroit (8/17) and Foxboro, MA (8/23).

Blue Chair Bay Rum will also co-host a series of No Shoes Nation Happy Hours that are free and open to the 21+ public. Events will be held in partnership with No Shoes Radio, Chesney’s eclectic online radio station, the night before parties in Dallas,Milwaukee, Landover, Seattle, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Denver, Anaheim, Atlanta, E. Rutherford,Detroit and Boston.

Blue Chair Bay Rum is not an endorsement. Chesney wanted to make a rum based on authenticity and flavor. He was deeply involved in every step of the development process, including working closely with legendary blender Mike Booth and famed master mixologist Jonathan Pogash . The three premium blends of rum, all mellowed in casks on the shores of Barbados, will be available in 750ml and 1.75L bottles across 32 markets in May of 2013.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re on a beach in the Caribbean, or landlocked in the middle of the country,” says Chesney. “If you’ve got friends, laughter and a bottle of Blue Chair Bay Rum, you can check your troubles at the shore.”

To learn more about Blue Chair Bay Rum’s launch parties and No Shoes Nation Happy Hours, visit www.bluechairbayrum.com. For on-the-road updates, unique cocktail recipes, and information on product availability, visitwww.facebook.com/bluechairbayrum and www.twitter.com/bluechairbayrum.

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“Sugar Daddy Rum is the latest product release from Prohibition Spirits, the Sonoma based company that also makes the line of Hooker’s House whiskeys.”  Cocktail Enthusiast has the scoop.

The diversity of the rum category fuels a year of growth more robust that any other spirit in the industry.  Check it out.

“No, thanks,” is the new refrain from a slew of bartenders and customers who are rolling their eyes at super-complicated drinks. Instead, people are embracing cocktails, involving fewer than five ingredients and sometimes only a step or two, as in: Stir and strain into glass.  Get the details from Globe & Mail.

News Journal reports: “When you’re talking about rum, how much does the Caribbean really matter?  For the rum world, it’s a more serious question than it sounds, and the answer exposes a schism in the industry, a divide between massive producers who value uniformity in a global market and smaller players and connoisseurs who prefer nuanced production that reflects the time and place a rum is made.”

Rum Journal digs into one of our favorite Dominican sippers, Brugal 1888.  Click here to read their review.

The post Week 19 in Review appeared first on Rum Connection.

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