Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/205467
Back FOR RUMCHATA, NOSTALGIA IS "CEREAL BUSINESS" by Breanne DeMore / photos by Gustav Ryberg W hen Tom Maas, Master Blender, founded RumChata, he simply wanted to create a fun cream liqueur that would mix well. "We began blending it about five years ago with this idea in mind for a more diverse cream liqueur, but we could have never predicted just how limitless it actually is," explains Maas. "It first started with one of our accounts telling us how it made the perfect Tiramisù Martini. Then we started getting recipes and fan mail from accounts and consumers all across the country," he says. "People all over had their own ideas—they were all playing around and realized so many different options." "Initially, one of the problems that we encountered was that cream liqueurs were pigeonholed," Maas explains. "However, as we began posting recipes on our social media outlets, people went crazy. Creativity was breeding creativity and it began this wonderful interaction with our consumers." This led the brand to include a place to submit recipes on their website, as well as calling for them on Facebook. One particular idea seemed to pop up frequently, from all across the country: RumChata's association with cereal. Some consumers mentioned that it tasted like the milk at the bottom of the bowl of cereal, while others made a direct connection to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. "At first, I just thought it was interesting that all of these people were getting so excited about it. However, it really hit me when I saw how passionately they were talking about it. You don't realize how much a familiar bowl of cereal resonates with people." The brand discovered a target audience of middle 20s to 40-year-olds whose memories of their favorite breakfast were completely brought to life by the taste of RumChata. So Maas and his team ran with it and started creating recipes of shots inspired by all of the "old school" cereals—Fruit Loops, Count Chocula, Honey Nut Cheerios and more. RumChata then took it a step even further—they created customized cereal bowl shot glasses. "Our brand is all about fun and flavor," explains Maas. Loopy Fruits ◗ 2 parts RumChata ◗ 1 part Three Olives Loopy Vodka ◗ Splash blue curaçao november 2013 / the tasting panel / 137 TP1113_109-156.indd 137 10/24/13 9:17 AM