A Tale of Four Bars and a Rock Concert

Finding my voice for this forum is still in its infancy. I am on the fence whether I am willing to discuss personal experiences and anecdotes or just share informational cocktail knowledge. For now, fuck it, and I am a bit to hung over from the previous nights over indulging to really worry about such bullshit.

Before I begin, one reference pops in to mind from Ace Ventura, “three darts is just too much”. Four bars is just too much, oh, and a rock concert.

Part 1

The night started innocently enough with dinner beginning at Zum Schieder, a local NYC East Village German beer house and eatery, celebrating their establishment’s 11yr anniversary.  Before being greeted by the hostess I couldn’t help but notice a small pig spiked through its body and being roasted over a barbeque. Not an everyday East Village sight to be seen, but still very intriguing. After getting settled in I decided to start things off with an HB Dunkel. For food, my mind was made up and I was having the suckling pig from the pit. Velvety brown gravy, potato dumpling, mounds of mouth-watering parcels of pork topped with large chips of crispy pork skin, the evening was shaping up to be something special. 

After a completely satisfying meal, why not wash things down with another half liter of a dunkel. Moving on, we stopped off down about a block, at our local dive spot, Duke’s, to work off the previous hour of shameful gluttony, shooting a couple rounds of pool. Who am I kidding, I had no shame. Five rounds of pool and a rum and coke or two later, my friend, Joe, was tired of losing and it was time to wrap up and move on.

We didn’t get far however. Two stores down, we opted to grab a cocktail at Summit.  More specifically, we desired a certain special cocktail. A Chet Baker. Not recognizing the bartender I knew I needed to help out and school the man. Not bad for a first time. Savoring every sip and noting all the subtle and complex flavors in this libation, I challenge any casual rum drinker to prove to me that this isn’t one of the best rum cocktails in the world. As everything has an end, we were only staying for one, and one is all we had.

After a quick stop at my friend’s girlfriend’s apartment in the Meatpacking district so he could change out of his bankers’ suit, we arrived at the venue at 8:30 pm, Irving Plaza only to find out the main act wasn’t scheduled to start until 10:15pm. Along the way we met up with another friend, Devon. Having time some time to kill, Joe thought, why not stumble into another place. Anyway, we were only a couple of blocks from No Idea Bar, home of the $8 pint size cocktail which happens to be a favorite dive spot of my own. On the way, I noticed a Luke’s Lobster food truck on Park and 15, which at that moment seemed like an opportunity too good pass.   END OF PART 1

The Importance of Choosing the Right Rum for the Right Cocktail.

Having sampled enough of this truly magical elixir that basically is byproduct of sugar refinement turned into a golden sweet nectar of both happiness and sophistication, I herald myself as a very knowledgeable rum enthusiast.  Understanding the right rum for the right libation doesn't have to be a liquor store scavenger hunt, nor a bank breaking burden purchasing only ultra-premium labels.

I categorize "types" of rum based on the type of cocktail:

1. A Mixed drink. - Rum (Dark, Light, or Spiced) is added to a juice or soda (my preference, Coke) usually in a  three or four to one ratio of mixer to liquor.  As a rule, I do not mix rums older than typical Añejos with the mixers. Rums aged longer in oak, starts to develop unique and subtle secondary flavors and residuals that can be lost and overpowered by a mixer. 
2. Frozen Daiquiris and & Coladas: These are very sweet and syrupy concoctions best enjoyed poolside or on a beach resort.  Any mid-premium level light rum will do the trick. Going to cheap and you will be feeling it in the morning thanks to all of that sugar. For an extra kick - splash in a half count of over proofed rum. (ex Bacardi 151).
3. Rum Cocktails - Think variations of a classic Martini, Manhattan or Negroni.  Now substitute with rum for the gin, vodka, or rye in these boozy cocktails and you open up a new chapter in the world of spirit mixology and rum cocktails! Try experimenting with older aged rums Añejos to 18 year olds and note all of the released subtle secondaries and residual flavors. Modifiers like vermouth, bitters and spirit infusions add layered qualities that when mixed skillfully, celebrate a particular rum's unique characteristic. Discover spirits such as Aperol, St. Germaine, Strega, and Campari. How does a red vermouth react differently than a white dry vermouth? There is a world of modifiers and spirits waiting to be discovered!. 

Chet, The Cocktail, The Myth

Legends have origin from truth. This is known. The Chet Baker Cocktail has more than its fair share of urban legend and myth: