Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
september 2014 / the tasting panel / 123 Hagar usually arrives to a concert venue about two hours before show time to change, warm up his vocals and have a cocktail before taking the mic. He likes his white rum over ice with a squeeze of Meyer lemon and some Dr. Pepper. "You don't want to go onstage too mel- low—the soda gives that little caffeine sugar bump—that, plus the buzz from the rum, and I'm good to go." And for anyone lucky enough to join the entourage backstage, he always offers a taste of his rum—the white and now the Red Head, but there's no mixing upon first taste because he wants people to try it straight to experience the rum in its natural distilled state. Hagar's original white rum is beautifully complex, with smooth- textured, tropical fruit and floral notes—a veritable sipping spirit that can be enjoyed straight over ice and with a citrus twist, but that truly elevates any rum-based cocktail. For Hagar and Master Distiller Mark Nigbur, who produces both rums in his Haliimaile Distillery in Mokawao, Hawaii (up-country Maui), the introduction of a macadamia nut-flavored rum, boast- ing a bright red color, comes with the challenge to maintain their quality standards and expectations—to make an equally impressive rum, without the use of any artificial agents. It would have to be made from natural, local ingredients—and Hawaii is abundant with macadamia nuts, which gave Nigbur the idea. "We are always experimenting," says Hagar, explaining that Nigbur has a potpourri of natural ingredients from the Hawaiian Islands to play with. For Sammy's Beach Bar Red Head, the production process begins in batches: four to seven pounds of raw Hawaiian macadamia nuts are infused with about 250 gallons of Sammy's white rum. After two weeks, "I'll taste the mac nuts to see if they have any flavor in them," explains Nigbur, "and we keep tasting until the nuts are flavorless and all their flavor has infused the rum. We now have macadamia nut white rum, which is the base for the Beach Bar Red Head." And here's where the fun comes in: "For the Red Rocker, we had to have a red-head topper," says Nigbur with a laugh, adding on a serious note that in his distillery there's no room for "anything unnatural," leading to a hunt to find an all-natural red-coloring ingredient. And they found it—from a company in Germany that has perfected a proprietary process of producing a natural, concentrated extract from red fruits and red vegetables—devoid of flavor. Nigbur blends the concen- At the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui, the Maui Mama cocktail is sheer Hawaiian goodness. If you've ever wondered what it's like to hang out backstage with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar (aka the Red Rocker), former Van Halen front man, pull up a chair and grab a couple of rocks glasses. Hagar tours the world with two bands—Chickenfoot and Sammy and the Wabos—and always along for the ride is Sammy's Beach Bar Rum. Now, his journeys are joined by a new addition to his distilled family—another red head: Sammy's Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum. Musician Sammy Hagar Taps Hawaiin Macadamia Nuts For A New Rum New Red Head label to hit the market soon.