Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/205467
"The shot glass offered the perfect way to really explain to our accounts what we were trying to do with these shooters. We've had a really great response from bartenders. They tell us that their consumers just can't get enough of them!" Luckily, they don't have to. RumChata is opening a webstore this month where fans can pick up not only the cereal shot glasses, but other RumChata swag as well. "We were actually getting hate mail from our loyalists about not being able to get a RumChata mug or t-shirt for their grandmother," says Maas with a laugh. "So we thought we would go ahead and fix that. Plus, it's just a really exciting step and sign of good things to come!" "We're trying to keep things fun—do something different," says Maas. "We never realized how extensive the mixability of RumChata is, but we are loving that our customers get creative and passionate about it. Nostalgia in flavor is very important to people." Count Chocolate Cinnamon Toast ◗ 2 parts RumChata ◗ 1 part chocolate liqueur ◗ 1 part marshmallow vodka ◗ Float of micro marshmallows ◗ Straight RumChata Good Ole Fun In 2006, the Hasse family purchased The Missouri Tavern, in Waunakee, Wisconsin, in an estate auction after the 101-yearold owner, Mae Mefford, had passed away. Mae had been the owner, operator and bartender from 1940. In honor of her kind heart and steadfast work ethic, the Hasses kept much of the bar the same. "We're just a good ole fun Wisconsin tavern and we want to stay that way, Hasse says. " "The bar is located minutes outside of Madison. It's on a major bike trail and a large four-lane highway, so we really get all kinds of people, he says. "But our goal is to be that warm " tavern along the journey that offers the fun, relaxing atmosphere that everyone needs a piece of now and then. " So what did Hasse think of RumChata initially? "It's great! We're a dairy state, so I was really drawn to its slight Caribbean feel with a fresh dairy taste, he says. "Then, when " I heard about the cereal shooters, I just thought, 'This is a no brainer.' It's just so much fun. " "News really spreads by word of mouth around here. Everyone wants to try them after they have heard about them, " Hasse says. "Then they try them and they love them! The customers have really taken to them and it's simple to figure out why—they are just so fun!" Travis Hasse, bartender at The Missouri Tavern, with his most loyal companion, Ruby, outside the bar in Waunakee, WI. 138 / the tasting panel / november 2013 TP1113_109-156.indd 138 10/24/13 9:17 AM