Rum Therapy, Author at Rum Therapy

March 18, 2017June 24, 2021

Afrodisiac

We received a lovely bottle of Afrohead Briland 07 Premium Aged Dark Rum last week and spent some time sampling it neat and over one cube, enjoying it’s creamy, smooth taste. Although this rum can easily be enjoyed on it’s own, we decided to try it in one of the recipes found on their website. We chose a recipe called Afrodisiac – mainly because of it’s name, but also because of the interesting blend of ingredients. The taste combines a bit of hot, sweet and spicy and showcases the deliciousness of this distinctive rum. Cheers!

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Print Recipe

Afrodisiac

This recipe combines a bit of hot, sweet and spicy and showcases the deliciousness of this distinctive rum.

Course: Drinks

Servings:

Ingredients

2 oz. AFROHEAD Rum
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz. Papaya Juice
1 Jalapeno

Instructions

Slice and Muddle jalapeño in shaker.
Add AFROHEAD Rum, lemon juice, simple syrup and papaya juice.
Shake and strain into chilled martini glass.
Garnish with jalapeño slice.

Notes

For more recipes and information on AFROHEAD Rums, see their website, follow them on Facebook, and check out their Instagram feed.

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

March 16, 2017June 6, 2019

Haleakalā National Park – the View from the Top of Maui

We could see the observatory buildings at the summit flying in – just little bity white balls on the very top of Maui. We knew that the next day we’d be standing up there looking down into the crater of Haleakalā, and we were excited to witness that view once again.

Haleakalā Crater

This would be our second time to the top. We’d taken this trip years ago, when we first visited Maui and rented a convertible to tool around in. We had the top down as we started our ascent and ended up freezing our tushes off by the time we reached the top. It can be a large temperature drop – even on very nice days.

The ride up is gorgeous. On a clear day, you can see the verdant colors of the Maui central valley – all the way to the beautiful dark blue ocean. Many days though, as you approach the summit, you ascend above the clouds into an otherworldly landscape, feeling that you may have just been transported to another planet. The first time we visited, the clouds below us were thick, blocking our views of the valley and ocean, but above the clouds the weather was bright and beautiful and we took some incredible photos of the rough lava rock with a pillow of clouds below.

Our first stop was the Visitor Center, which in addition to providing information on the park, offers a fantastic view of the crater below.

After visiting the Visitors Center, we grabbed our cameras, jackets, gloves and some water and made our way to a hiking path that winds it’s way down into the center of the crater. There are 35+ miles of hiking trails on Haleakalā, but we hiked only about an hour as we wanted to visit Sammy Haggar’s Rum Distillery on the way back down the mountain (FYI – it’s closed on Sunday…).

The sunrise from the top of Haleakalā is said to be absolutely stunning and has become so popular that you need to make a reservation – which can be done here, up to 60 days before your visit. Also popular is an invigorating bike tour down the mountain; search for tour operators that provide a lift to the top, a tour guide, and all of the equipment (hopefully with good brakes!). Want to really experience the crater? There are a couple of remote cabins that you can rent in the crater that require a bit of a hike in and then back out. Other activities offered within the park? Hang gliding and horseback riding!

While visiting, be sure to look for Hawaii’s state bird, the Nene (Hawaiian goose), and the Haleakalā Silversword, found only on the upper slopes of the mountain and can take up to 50 years to flower.

After our hike, we proceeded up to the summit, just a little farther than the Visitor Center. Here, the view of the crater is not quite as spectacular, but the view of the valley below and the bit island of Hawaii in the distance, is spectacular.

The big island of Hawaii in the distance

Haleakalā Observatories – looks a bit different than it did flying in!

Whether you hike, bike, horseback ride, hanglide or just sightsee, a trek to the top is well worth it.

Have you visited Haleakalā National Park to see the view from the top of Maui?

copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

March 5, 2017June 24, 2021

Rum Distillery Tours on the Island of St. Croix

St. Croix, the largest of the US Virgin Islands, not only has beautiful beaches, top-notch culinary experiences and a wide variety of great accommodations, it offers two distinctly different, yet interesting, rum distilleries tours for rum lovers – or those that would just like to learn more about rum.

Cruzan Rum and Captain Morgan are the two distilleries found on this, the largest US Virgin Island. Cruzan Rums have been crafted on St. Croix by the Nelthropp family for generations while Captain Morgan opened it’s St. Croix Distillery in 2011 and a visitor center on the site the following year. What does that mean for rum lovers like you and me? You’ve got two completely different tours to experience on St. Croix and you can easily do both in one afternoon!

We began our rum tour by getting a lift in Christiansted from Joseph, of Joseph’s VIP Taxi Tours (contact him at 340-277-6133). We knew we would be enjoying the rum drinks at the end of each tour and hiring a taxi is the way to go. Joseph was a great tour guide and was recently voted taxi driver of the year on St. Croix. He was warm and welcoming, and gave us some great info on St. Croix along the way.

First stop? The Captain Morgan Experience Center. Here we started the tour with a short and entertaining movie about Captain Morgan, then followed a tour guide through the Information Center, learning about the history and current Captain Morgan products.

Outside, we boarded a small tram to take a short tour through the distillery, learning about the distilling process along the way.

Once back at the facility, we were treated to two rum drinks of our choice and tastes of any the different types of rums, if desired.

At the end of the tour, you can peruse through the Captain Morgan shop and take home a souvenir of your visit.

Joseph was waiting for us outside and we boarded the van for our next rum experience. Just a short hop away, we entered the Cruzan Rum facility.

We were immediately taken by the Cruzan rum culture and our first view of a sugar mill surrounded by the flags of the seven nations that have ruled St. Croix – the most of any of the US Virgin Islands.

Walking up to the Visitors Center, we enjoyed the sights of a generations old facility.

Our tour guide took us through the actual distillery and we loved being so close to the process, smelling the molasses and watching it ferment.

In one of the storage rooms, filled with barrels and barrels of the delicious aging elixir, she explained the aging process and the color variations of different rums.

At the end of the tour, we were deposited in the Cruzan tasting room – not a bad place to be, where we enjoyed our choice of several different Cruzan Rum cocktails and again could sample the individual rums, if we wished (we did…).

After a few minutes of shopping, we headed back to find Joseph, who was waiting patiently for his, then, very happy crew, and we made our way back to our home for the night, Hotel Caravelle in Christiansted.

Have you taken the rum tours on St. Croix? Tell us about it!

Find out more about the rum tours here:

Captain Morgan

Cruzan Rum

A special thanks to USVI Tourism Board for arranging our rum distillery tours!

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

February 7, 2017May 29, 2019

Dinner at The Longboard, Cruz Bay, St John

The Longboard, a Caribbean-inspired coastal cantina located in Cruz Bay opened its doors in May of 2015, but we had yet to experience it – that is, until our trip to St. John last month.

Passion Pitted
The Longboard is easy to find – from the ferry dock, walk straight past Strand Street in Cruz Bay to the next intersection (King Street), turn left and The Longboard is on the right.

Focusing on fresh, local and ﬂown-in ingredients, The Longboard continues to innovate their food concept and bring a new approach to dining on St. John with a healthy menu inspired by coastal ﬂavors around the world. We loved the extensive fish and seafood offerings on their new menu including local fresh catches such as rainbow runner, wahoo, conch and octopus as well as Pacific fish such as Hawaiian Opah (Moon Fish) and Hawaiian Ahi. Non-seafood entrees include Island Wings (spicy mango glazed wings) and Grilled Portabella, Chimichuri Marinated and Grilled Skirt Steak or Spicy Jerk Braised Pork Tacos & Bowls. Delicious new bar offerings and house-shaped cocktails include a Passion Fruit Frosé.

After being seated on the patio, we ordered a couple of rum drinks – a Rum Julep,

Rum Julep
and a new offering called Stoked, a tropical concoction of aged rhum, Plantation Overproof Rum, housemade orgeat, blackstrap bitters, housemade pineapple shrub and lime juice – impressively lit afire at our table!

Stoked
Our appetizer consisted of a trio of ceviche’s served with yucca chips and tostones. We then sat back in our chairs enjoying the food, drink, view and the warm St. John air from The Longboards open aired patio.

Mixto (trio of ceviche’s)
After polishing off our appetizer, we moved on to our entrées, ordering the Longboard Sliders made with a coconut crusted fresh catch-of-the-day,

The Longboard Sliders

and an Ahi Tuna Bowl.

Each dish had its own special Caribbean flair and incorporated local spices, locally-caught seafood and locally-sourced herbs, greens and fruits. Mmmm – delicious!

Our only regret? After our satisfying dinner, we had no room to sample one of their famous Frozen Painkillers. Can you imagine how that would taste after spending a day on one of St. John’ beautiful beaches?

Find out more about The Longboard by visiting their website, and following them on Facebook and Instagram.

Have you enjoyed dinner (or at least a Frozen Painkiller) at The Longboard yet? If so, tell us about it!

A special thanks to The Longboard and Rebecca for arranging our delicious dinner!

Find The Longboard on our St. John Map

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

February 3, 2017June 6, 2019

Frank Robinson and BES Craft Cocktail Lounge, St. Croix

His business card reads “Frank Robinson, a bartender who cooks” and should, in our opinion, include, “award winning mixologist and one of the nicest guys around”. Frank recently opened his own cocktail lounge called BES Craft Cocktail Lounge in the heart of Christiansted, St. Croix.

We wanted to visit BES during our recent adventure on St. Croix and wandered into Frank’s establishment at about 9pm on a Thursday to an intimate and well designed space with lighting and music that created a welcoming vibe and a perfect place to meet, mingle and chill. We introduced ourselves to Frank, who behind the large bar, was busy creating some beautiful craft cocktails – cocktails where many of the elements are handmade, include interesting and creative flavor combinations, and are tailored specifically to the drink. If you’ve never experienced a true craft cocktail, well, the results of the hard work can be quite…satisfying.

While assembling our cocktail choices using fresh and local ingredients and liquors infused with fruits, vegetables, roots and herbs (you can see the array of infusions in bottles and jars behind the bar), Frank alternated between moments of intense concentration and bouts of joviality – his infectious, booming laugh filling the bar.

We ordered a drink called “The Darker The Berry”,

featuring Plantation Rum and a caramelized spiced orange,

and a “Crucian Queen” that included Cruzan Single Barrel and a Tamarind-Habanero Syrup.

Both unlike anything we’d tried before and both quite delicious.

Did we enjoy our visit with Frank at BES? So much so that we returned the following night, where we enjoyed a private rum tasting with Frank, who so very kindly brought in some of his private and vintage Cruzan Rum stock to share and compare with us.

During our rum tasting, we picked up a mouthwatering aroma coming from the kitchen and ended up ordering some Beef Meatballs Smothered in Curry Sauce, created by none other than Frank (remember – the bartender who cooks?) which tasted even better than they smelled, if that’s even possible. Excellent night, excellent experience at BES.

Have you enjoyed some time at BES Craft Cocktail Lounge? We’d recommend putting it on the list of places to visit while in Christiansted!

To find out more about BES, follow them on Facebook and Instagram or give them a call at 340.773.2985.

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

January 27, 2017June 6, 2019

Virgin Island Food Tours – a Taste of St. Croix & So Much More

When visiting new locations, do you look to find out more about the local cuisine and restaurants? Do you consider yourself a foodie? Are you equally as interested in local culture? If you answered yes to any of those questions and you’re visiting St. Croix, you will love the Virgin Islands Food Tour in downtown Christiansted.

We joined our guide, Anquanette for the Virgin Islands Food Tours – Taste of Twin City tour last week while on St. Croix. This 3 – 3.5 hour food tasting & cultural walking tour meets in Christiansted and winds its way around Christiansted’s historical sites and restaurants.

We enjoyed a good sized taste of local cuisine from 6 very different restaurants that featured food samples with Crucian, Trinidadian, Latin and West Indian influences,

as well as treats from a local bakery, a homemade ice cream shop and a rum drink.

In addition to the delicious food and drink samples, the tour introduced us to Christiansted and St. Croix history – made even more interesting by Anquanette, a personable and knowledgeable Crucian native and by actually stopping to visit some of the sites.

Want to know what Bush Tea is? What does West Indian Food taste like? What are Lentil Balls?

Delicious Lentil Balls

How many flags has St. Croix flown under? What is Armstrong Ice Cream? For answers to these questions and so much more – consider booking yourself on a Virgin Islands Food Tour in Christiansted during your next visit to St. Croix!

To find out more about Virgin Islands Food Tours, visit them on their website, Facebook page and Instagram!

A special thanks to Anquanette and Virgin Islands Food Tours for arranging for us to take this very special tour!

January 26, 2017June 6, 2019

Caravelle Hotel & Casino – Comfort and Convenience in the Heart of Christiansted

During our recent VI adventure, we were given the opportunity to visit Caravelle Hotel & Casino, a newly refurbished waterfront boutique hotel in the heart of Christiansted, St. Croix, and we jumped at the chance. In previous visits we found ourselves wishing for more time to explore this pretty, historic town on the north side of St. Croix and we were excited to have the chance to do so.

Our trip to St Croix from St Thomas was via a Seaborne Airlines sea plane. The short and convenient flight left from Charlotte Amalie and landed in Christiansted Harbor within walking distance of Caravelle Hotel, just down the scenic boardwalk. You can read more about the sea plane flight here.

Caravelle Hotel recently underwent extensive remodeling, re-opening in 2016 and now has a breezy, modern tropical feel on the inside, while the exterior vibrantly retains the Danish architectural charm found in much of Christiansted.

Lobby
In addition to the new décor in all 42 rooms and the lobby, Hotel Caravelle now incudes a new on-site casino with 76 slot machines.

What we loved the most about our stay at Caravelle Hotel & Casino was its close proximity to the many fine amenities found in Christiansted. All within walking distance, (or request a ride on one of their golf carts), you will find fine dining options such as balter, St. Croix, Zion Modern Kitchen and 40 Strand Eatery. BES Craft Cocktail Lounge is just a few blocks from Caravelle Hotel and is an excellent place to relax and enjoy craft cocktails masterfully created by award winning mixologist Frank Robinson. In addition to the many dining and drinking options, we enjoyed shopping at the nearby jewelry stores which offer beautifully handcrafted and original pieces, boutique clothing shops – and exploring the rich history of Christiansted at Fort Christianvaern . We also enjoyed learning about (and tasting!) some of the authentic flavors of St. Croix on the Virgin Islands Food Tour – an excellent guided food tasting and cultural walking tour in Christiansted. Or, if you don’t want to leave the comfort of Caravelle Hotel, you can dine and/or enjoy a cocktail at Rum Runners (downstairs and on the water), or stop in Big Beards Adventure Tours (attached to Caravelle) to set up an excursion to beautiful Buck Island.

In addition to all the wonderful things to explore in Christiansted, we took the two St. Croix rum distillery tours: Captain Morgan and Cruzan Rum. We easily toured both in one afternoon via a taxi so that we could enjoy the rum drinks offered at the end of each distillery tour.

After all of the exploring, we had a hard decision to make; pull up a lounge chair at the pool overlooking Christiansted Harbor, or take a short water taxi from the boardwalk to the pretty beach on Protestant Cay. We ended up doing (and enjoying) both!

And – at the end of each day, this was a really great place to land…

View of Christiansted Harbor from our room

Caravelle Hotel & Casino – comfort and convenience in the heart of Christiansted.

Are you ready to enjoy some time exploring Christiansted, St. Croix? Get more information on Caravelle Hotel & Casino on their website and follow them on Facebook and on Instagram.

A special thank you to Caravelle Hotel & Casino for arranging our wonderful stay. Stay tuned in the next couple of days as we post more about some of the fun things we experienced in Christiansted!

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

January 25, 2017June 6, 2019

Taking the Sea Plane from St. Thomas to St. Croix

“Port to port with no airport” is the phrase used by Seaborne Airlines representative Angelia when spoke to her about the short flight on a sea plane from Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas to Christiansted Harbor in St. Croix.

And sure enough, we conveniently boarded the sea plane from a dock in Charlotte Amalie, received our flight safety information from the pilot while in the cockpit, then skimmed over the water of the harbor, passing boats and buoys, taking off on our way to St. Croix.

20 minutes later, after a smooth and scenic flight, we descended into Christiansted Harbor, gently touching down on the water and then pulling up to the dock to de-plane.

No airports – no fuss and there we were, just feet from the boardwalk in Christiansted! How convenient is that?

From there, we were able to walk right down the boardwalk to our hotel in Christiansted without having to rent a car or get a taxi – although both are available right at the Seaborne Terminal as well, if needed!

Check out the Seaborne Airlines website for more information on the Sea Plane flight from St. Thomas to St Croix and other flights available.

A special thanks to Seaborne Airlines for providing our flight from St. Thomas to St. Croix!

To see more posts on St. Croix and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

January 2, 2017June 6, 2019

Dos Maderas Luxus. A Rum Too Good to Share?

During a rum tasting at The Breadfruit & Rum Bar in Phoenix, our host, rum expert, Dwayne Allen, prefaced the tasting of a premium rum with these words; “There are some rums you buy to serve in a cocktail at a party. There are some rums you buy to share only with the closest of friends & family, and there are some rums, well, that are so rare and special, that you save them just for yourself.”

Those words have remained etched in our brain as we have ventured into the world of fine rums – something we knew nothing about a few years ago.

Enter Dos Maderas 5+5. Also first experienced during a rum tasting, we immediately fell for it. Made by Williams & Humbert – a sherry maker, this rum is aged for 5 years in the Caribbean in bourbon casks and then taken to Jerez, Spain, where it’s aged for an additional 5 years in sherry casks. Unfortunately Dos Maderas 5+5 was not easily found, and we ended up ordering a couple of bottles from Hi Times Wine Cellars.

Sometime last summer, we noticed a post on the Dos Maderas Instagram page with a photo of Dos Maderas Luxus. Luxus, a blend of rums produced on the islands of Barbados and Guyana, is aged for 10 years in the Caribbean, then shipped to the Williams and Humbert facilities in Spain, where is rests for an additional 5 years in oak-wood sherry casks. Due to the age and intricate process, this luxurious rum costs a bit to procure – $125-150+ a bottle.

Since we’re quite fond of the 5+5, we immediately we began a search for the Luxus and mentioned it to our fellow rum aficionado, Dan. A few weeks later, we got a call from Dan, asking if we’d like to do a rum tasting of Luxus – he’d found a bottle and had it shipped to his home.

The exquisite elixir did not disappoint; very smooth, rich and complex, slightly sweet, with a subtle hint of sherry. One glass led to another until the bottle was half empty.

Luxus is a limited edition and Dos Maderas releases only 5,000 bottles of it a year. Although we feel Luxus might fall in the “rums so rare and special, that you save them just for yourself” category, it was definitely nice to share notes and thoughts with a friend. Thank you Dan, for letting us in on the Luxus experience!

December 30, 2016June 24, 2021

Rum Therapy’s Top 10 Rum Recipe Posts of 2016

It’s become a Rum Therapy annual tradition to summarize the 10 Most Visited Rum Therapy Island Blog Posts of the year and then follow it up with Rum Therapy’s Top 10 Rum Recipe Posts. Kind of like the iconic Dick Clark New Years Eve Countdown, but, well, you don’t have to stay up as late!

Ironically, the top 3 most viewed drink recipes are the same as 2015! Guess everybody really likes a good Bahama Mama, Painkiller and Caribbean Rum Punch.

So now, without further adieu, we present the countdown of Rum Therapy’s Top 10 Rum Recipe Posts of 2016:

#10 Coconut Rum Punch

A delicious combination of tropical flavors that will make you feel like your sitting with your toes in the sand. The recipe makes 4, but you can easily double or triple for a larger batch.
Coconut Rum Punch Recipe

#9 Mai Tai

This one may have been catapulted onto our 2016 list after we posted (many) photos of the Mai Tai’s we enjoyed on our trip to Maui & Lanai. The recipe is for a traditional version of the Mai Tai, but we found that every tiki bar and restaurant that we visited added their own special twist – such as pineapple juice (it is Hawaii!), a couple drops of grenadine and, of course. a garnish of flowers.
Mai Tai Recipe

#8 Dark Mojito

Well, this one was a bit of a surprise. Not so much that a mojito made the list – why wouldn’t it? But that it wasn’t the Perfect Mojito! The combination of brown sugar and a good dark rum in the Dark Mojito really is a good one though… If you’re a mojito lover, you might want to check out these 10 Mojito Variations as well!
Dark Mojito Recipe

#7 Authentic Rum Punch

A more “authentic” Caribbean recipe version of Rum Punch which uses the rhyme: 1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong, 4 of weak. Usually not as sweet as the juice heavy Caribbean Rum Punch Recipe (see #1), but absolutely rumlicious!
Authentic Rum Punch

#6 Dirty Banana

We first sampled this creamy rum cocktail in Jamaica years ago, yet the delicious taste is still fresh on our minds…
Dirty Banana Recipe

#5 Rum Runners

Some are frozen, some on the rocks. Some have an orange hue, some are reddish – but one things for sure – Rum Runners are delicious.
Rum Runner Recipe

#4 Bushwacker

An adult milkshake if we’ve ever had one, this potent, creamy and delicious rum cocktail is quite popular in the Virgin Islands. Don’t let the cold and creamy taste fool you into thinking it’s a milkshake though – this is one strong (but tasty!)beverage.
Bushwacker Recipe

#3 Bahama Mama

Oh my goodness, this one packs a punch with 3 different rums and Kahlua, but my oh my – it tastes great. Find this popular tropical cocktail recipe here:
Bahama Mama

#2 Painkiller

Given its popularity, it’s not a big surprise that the Painkiller made the Rum Therapy Top 10 list again! It’s easy to make and the taste will surely remind you of relaxing in the sun and sand on your favorite island (maybe Jost Van Dyke?)
Painkiller Recipe

And the number one most searched recipe on our site for the 2nd year in a row?

#1 – Caribbean Rum Punch!

Caribbean Rum Punch differentiates itself from an “Authentic Rum Punch” in that a variety of fresh fruit juices can be used, creating tastes that can vary immensely depending on the combination. The recipe calls for orange and pineapple juice, but why not try mango or papaya for a completely different taste?
Caribbean Rum Punch Recipe

Be sure to watch for even more rum recipes in the coming year on our site and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see videos on how to easily create some of our favorite rum drinks.

Find more rum recipes here:

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