Cheers

www.cheersonline.com 20 | JUNE 2014 the Guantanamo Bay, which combines Kraken dark spiced rum, fresh orange juice, pineapple juice, sour mix and splash of Pom pomegranate juice, topped with a float of dark rum. "It's kind of a rum punch that especially appeals to women," Gallo says. Happy Hour at Ronería Caracas features $5 specials on Dark & Stormy cocktails, which are made with fresh-pressed ginger, says Wocher. She is also on a crusade to show customers that Daiquiris are not all strawberry flavored and frozen. "e classic Daiquiri is a perfectly balanced mix of rum, lime juice and sugar, period." For the summer, Ronería Caracas is debuting a Daiquiri Brunch on weekends, with discounted $5 Daiquiris. "Traditionally, people in ailand drink cocktails with food," says Senamatmontry at Hawker Fare. "It may sound odd, but we decided to pair rum with our menu." Its chef Manuel Bonilla recently revamped Hawker Fare's dinner menu and tailored the bar program with that tradition in mind. So items such as Kiep Moo (fried pork rinds) or Toasted Squid Jerky with Fish Sauce Caramel might be accompanied by a Jackfruit Daiquiri or a Tamarind Rum Honey Cooler. All cocktails are priced at $8. Guests at Hawker Fare can also opt for a glass ($5) or 750- ml. bottle ($33) of punch. e punch recipe changes out regularly, but rum-based punch is especially popular, says Senamatmontry. e current formula employs three different rums: Rhum Clement, Hamilton and Captain Morgan. TIKI REVIVAL CONTINUES "Tiki has been trending a lot over the past few years," Wocher says. "Concepts are funky with an interesting twist, not corny, and they are bringing Tiki cocktails to the next level." Indeed, "Tiki bars were about craft cocktails back in the day—those were sophisticated drinks," says Taha'a co- owner Lukas Gamlin. "It makes sense that Tiki is enjoying a renaissance right now, as part of the classic cocktail movement." Taha'a Twisted, which opened in January, puts a new spin on Tiki, says Parres. e Tiki bar's list includes nearly 300 rums, many of them spiced or flavored. Parres has a few strategies to introduce guests to that variety and move those flavors. For instance, during Happy Hour, when regular cocktails are discounted to $5, flavored combos such as a Bacardi Torched Cherry and Sprite are priced at just $3. e Cilantro Sunset is the best-selling cocktail, with Cruzan Passionfruit rum, cilantro syrup, lime juice and mango. Tied for second place are the Pineapple Punisher (Gold Martinique rum, Grand Marnier, Lemon Hart 151 rum, cinnamon syrup, pineapple juice, lime juice and pineapple) and the Strawberry Smash (strawberry rum, black cherry rum, gold rum, lime juice, lemonade and cranberry juice). Classic Tiki drinks are a hit at Taha'a as well. "I expected the Mai Tai and Zombie to be popular, but the Painkiller and Cachaça's Catching On Cachaça is rum's Brazilian cousin. Rum is traditionally made from molasses, a byproduct of the sugar-making process. Cachaça is fermented from the fresh- pressed sweet juice of the cane. The traditional Brazilian spirit is gaining some traction in the U.S., along with another South American spirit, pisco. Hailing from Peru and Chile, pisco is a grape-based brandy, which is riding on the coattails of an emerging Peruvian cuisine trend here. Taha'a Twisted Tiki Bar carries one bottle of cachaça, in case a customer orders the traditional Caipirinha, says Dustin Parres, corporate bar manager for St. Louis, MO- based parent company Gamlin Restaurant Group. "You can't make that drink without it." Cachaça is still a small niche in St. Louis, he says, and there's not much demand—yet. At Ronería Caraca in Brooklyn, bar manager Larissa Wocher thinks cachaça's day is coming. "When people understand what rum is all about, and rhum agricole [a type of Caribbean rum made from fresh cane juice], then they will begin to understand cachaça," she explains. "The same can be said for pisco, as well." At Cuba Libre, the South American spirits have already arrived. The drinks list has a cachaça section with six Caipirinha variations, and a pisco section with Sours and Punch. One of the best-selling cocktails is the Carnivale Martini ($12), made with Leblon cachaça, Cedilla Açai liqueur, Clément Créole Shrubb liqueur, lychee juice, orange juice and fresh blueberries. "We have seen a big increase in consumption of cachaça and pisco," says Bob Gallo, a Cuba Libre founder and the director of operations. To introduce the spirits to guests, Cuba Libre's Happy Hour is called Caippy Hour, featuring $5 Caipirinhas and small-bite picadas such as empanadas, tostones and grilled baby octopus. Each of the concept's five restaurants also has a cachaça infusion for a specialty Caipirinha. A hibiscus-ginger cachaça infusion was a huge hit with guests at the Washington, D. C. location this spring—THS 18-21 rum CH0614.indd 20 6/3/14 10:00 PM

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