Why is the Rum Gone – Vol. 2

Kahuna Kevin is back with another beautifully produced cocktail book.  Why is the Rum Gone? – Volume 2 is a winner.  Check it out!!

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Following the super successful release of Why is the Rum Gone? – Volume 1, Kahuna Kevin returned to his cocktail lab and created another stack of fine tiki drinks.  After narrowing it down to 52 cocktails he published the second installment of the series, Kahuna Kevin’s “Why is the Rum Gone? – Volume 2.”

We’ve been putting this new cocktail manual through the paces over the last few weeks and like what we see.  First, similar to Volume 1, this book is beautifully designed.  The front and back cover art along with the book’s layout were create by artist, Kray.  It is simple and colorful, allowing the drink recipes and photos to take center stage.  Rarely have we seen a cocktail manual that is this eye catching.  Well done, fellas!

The first few pages of the book are filled with dedications and shout outs to friends, fellow tiki enthusiasts, old school bartender and the online cocktail community.  We were surprised and honored to have made the list along with icons like Don the Beachcomber and Beachbum Berry!

The cocktails in Why is the Rum Gone – Volume 2 are delicious and beautiful.  Several are on the complicated side, however, and I wouldn’t recommend them to amateurs.  The majority contain 10 and 15 interesting and hard to find ingredients that some people may have difficulty locating, but if you do the legwork you’ll be rewarded with heavenly one-of-a-kind drinks.

Again, like Volume 1, there are some wild cocktails within the covers of this book.  Some of the more unusual offerings are the Buckaroo Banzai which calls for overproof rum, sake, fruit juices, syrups and bitters.  This drink even has its own tagline – “Remember, no matter where you drink, there you are.”   The Drunkenstein also appears to pack a serious punch with 2 rums, 3 juices, falernum, 2 bitters and a splash of Jager. 

We’ve tried several drinks from the book and they were all great, but one that we keep going back to is Kahuna Kevin’s Grog.  This riff on the original Navy Grog is the perfect combination of gold rum, fruit juices, bitters along with a few surprises.  And be careful, this friendly drink goes down easy and will leave you in a drunken haze in no time.

Kevin’s second book is as interesting and well written as his first.  It’s beautifully designed and easy to read with an amazingly creative collection of anecdotes and drink recipes.  Some of them may be above our skill level and beyond the pay grade of our liquor collection, but that just means that we’ve got to make more frequent trips to our local spirits shop.  It is research after all.

From the all rum El Zacapa Exclusiva cocktail to the 15 ingredient Autopilot, Kahuna Kevin’s “Why is the Rum Gone? Volume 2” will surely present a drink that suits your taste buds. Pick up a copy today at Amazon or, better yet, directly from the source at KahunaKevin.com.  They’ll sell out quickly so get on it!

Cheers!