September Newsletter
Mount Gay Rum is produced by Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. of Barbados, the easternmost island of the West Indies. Mount Gay Rum is made in the world’s oldest commercial rum distillery since 1703.
Mount Gay Rum is made from molasses and water that has been filtered through natural coral. This mix is fermented using an exclusively-selected yeast and then distilled in both copper pot stills and column stills, before being aged in oak barrels.
The little red star on the image of the island on Mount Gay Rum’s former bottle label represents the capital of Barbados, Bridgetown.
Mount Gay Rum is named for Sir John Gay Alleyne, a trusted friend of John Sober, who purchased the Mount Gilboa Plantation/Distilleries from William Sandiford in 1747. Sir John Gay Alleyne agreed to become the manager of the company at John Sober’s request.
Sir John Gay Alleyne was so effective at leading the company, as a business manager and community leader, that the company was renamed in his honor after his death in 1801. As there was already a Mount Alleyne in existence on the island of Barbados, the company was renamed Mount Gay Distilleries, Sir John Gay Alleyne’s middle name.
Mount Gay Rum has been closely associated with sailing and a popular among sailors over the many years. Barbados, is often the first landfall for ships following the prevailing trade winds from Europe to the Caribbean.
MOUNT GAY
OLD FASHIONED
2 oz. (6 cl) Mount Gay Black Barrel or Mount Gay Extra Old
3 dashes Angostura® bitters
1 sugar cube
Orange peel
Twelve Cocktails System:
Lowball Cocktail
Base Spirit
Alcoholic modifier
Ice
Muddle the sugar and bitters in mixing glass.
Add Mount Gay Black Barrel or Extra Old Rum, ice and stir.
Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with an orange peel.
Upcoming National Drink Days!
•September 20: National Rum Punch Day
•September 28: National “Drink a Beer” Day
•September 29: National Coffee Day
•September 30: National Mulled Cider Day
#Learnwithus
Livio teaches the Twelve Cocktails System to Apprentice Bartenders at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas
Techniques
Balancing a Sour Cocktail
Sour cocktails, such as the Margarita and the Daiquiri, are drinks that contain a sour ingredient such as lemon or lime (or any other acidic component) balanced by sweetening agents such sugar, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, and so on. Additionally, sours need an alcoholic base such as Rum, Tequila or any other base spirit.
The image above shows how the taste of sour cocktails needs to be equally present on the palate in order to please drinkers in search of a well-balanced cocktail. However, achieving that equality of flavor is almost never done by pouring equal parts of those three ingredients. Balancing Sours is a great way to improve your cocktail skills, so let’s learn how this works:
The exact proportion of your ingredients will vary based on which acidic ingredient and which sweetener you are using. However, the gold standard and what we like to call your “starting point” ratio for a sour is 2:1:1, which is two parts liquor to one part each of the sweet and sour ingredients. The chances of that ratio working perfectly are very high, however adjust the sweet and sour part in ¼ oz. increments depending on what the drink is lacking.