Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1787
Bartenders Guild's Colorado chapter. "In the sum- mer, we get great fresh produce that gives rum what it wants." But it's especially popular this summer. "It seems like everywhere I turn, somebody has a new or old rum to sell me," said Dayton, "We are getting bom- barded with rums. I love it!" Colorado-based Big Red F restaurant group Bever- age Director James Lee credits the Mojito as the catalyst for rum's current popularity. "We started exploring rum nine years ago at Rumba [now Centro]. We were one of the first in Colorado to introduce the Mojito. Then, there were 10 to 12 rums," remembers Lee; "now, the state of Colorado has access to 30 or 40." But of all the rum cocktails that THE TASTING PANEL has sipped across the state this summer, it's the classics that we like the best—precisely because they let all these 30 to 40 rums shine. With only three or four fresh ingre- dients in a classic cocktail, the spirit itself stands out. "With any classic cocktail, it is paramount to use a spirit that you don't want to disguise," says Lee, who together with six other bartenders conducted a blind tasting and picked Cruzan for the four-ingredient Mai Tai he pours at The Happy Noodle House. While Lee's take on this classic doesn't come with a parasol, it's cer- tainly transporting Coloradans to tropical climes—and enhancing their knowledge of good rum. Hurricane Meadowlark, Denver "The Meadowlark tries to stay away from trendy drinks; the best cocktails in the world are the ones that let the premium alcohol shine on its own," says Bar Manager James Irvine, who used Seagram's Brazilian rum in the Hurricanes that he mixed at a recent event. ¾ oz. Seagram's Brazilian rum ¾ oz. Cruzan dark rum 2 oz. pineapple juice 2 oz. orange juice ¼ oz. Daily's grenadine Pour all ingredients into a shaker and add ice. Shake until well combined and strain into a chilled glass. Hemingway Daiquiri Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder Mixologist Bryan Dayton likes the grassy, vanilla and honey notes of 10 Cane rum—made from fresh sugar- cane—next to the Maraschino liqueur in this drink. Day- ton overrules Hemingway's aversion to sweet, however, and includes some simple syrup to "tone it down." 1½ oz. 10 Cane rum ½ oz. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur ½ oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice ½ oz. fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice ½ oz. simple syrup Pour all ingredients into a shaker and add ice. Shake until well combined and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit. Bryan Dayton, Bar Manager at Boulder's Frasca and found- ing President of the USBG Colorado chapter. James Irvine, Bar Manager at Meadowlark stays away from trendy drinks. august 2009 / the tasting panel / 83