Rum Therapy Blog Archives | Page 43 of 47

January 26, 2012January 15, 2020

Bomba Surfside Shack

Have you heard of the “Full Moon Parties” on Tortola? Then you’ve probably heard of The Bomba Shack.

The Bomba Shack is quite the sight. Erected of materials dropped off by friends, the building looks as if it shouldn’t stay upright in a heavy wind. (It actually made it through a pretty fierce hit from Hurricane Earl in 2010 with minimal damage!)

Update: unfortunately the Bomba Shack was destroyed in the hurricanes of 2017. We are not sure if there will be any attempt to re-build, but we will update this post with any additional information as we receive it.

The walls and ceiling are adorned with graffiti, tons of pictures and clothing (namely undergarments). The architectural style is to say the least ….interesting. During the day, it’s a quiet place with a nice view of Jost Van Dyke.

Bomba’s Rum Punch with Jost Van Dyke in the distance

Bomba opened his bar in 1976 on Cappoons Bay – between Long Bay and Cane Garden Bay. He began the infamous Full Moon Parties in 1989 and due to the popularity of these get-togethers (there have been 800-1,000 people in attendance), Bomba opened up “The Back Yard” across the street in the same architectural style. It includes a bandstand for the live music and another bar.

We attended Bombas Full Moon Party in January of 2010 and did a little research on it before attending. One website said “Not for the easily offended” and after attending, we completely understand what they meant. Leave the kiddos at home – this party starts around 9 p.m., doesn’t really wind up until dawn, and it’s wild!

Many people come to partake in Bombas Mushroom Tea which is only served during certain hours, with special glasses that you need to purchase. Some of the locals we talked to recommended skipping the tea and going for Bombas Rum Punch instead, or adding rum to the tea. We tried both the tea and the punch – for research purposes of course…

Pouring the Mushroom Tea

Midnight rolled around and we said goodbye to Bomba. As we looked around, the place had gotten crowded with both locals and tourists and we waded through a sea of people trying to find our ride. This party was just gettin’ started!

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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 13, 2012January 18, 2012

Rum Bar at the Breadfruit

You lucky Phoenicians. Or for that matter, anyone who spends time in Phoenix. There’s a place in downtown Phoenix that’ll transport you by taste to the islands. It’s called the Rum Bar at the Breadfruit.

We recently learned about and “liked” the Rum Bar on Facebook and commented on one particularly yummy looking Rum Drink that they posted called the Irish Rum Float.

photo by Rum Bar at the Breadfruit

The good folks at the Rum Bar got back to us with their original recipe and we were hooked.

Irish Rum Float
1 oz Zaya
1 oz El Dorado Rum Cream
1/4 oz Coconut milk
1/4 oz Gozio amaretto
1 oz Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

Shake vigorously and double strain into martini glass
Dust with ground cinnamon

We were thrilled to then be invited to and to attend an Appleton Rum Tasting Event at the Rum Bar in December. After the event, we had to try the Irish Rum Float for ourselves and also ordered the scrumptious looking Appleton Rum Sea Scallops.

Phoenix. Really. Head on down to the Rum Bar at the Breadfruit and get an authentic taste of the tropics – Modern Jamaican Seafood, Premium Aged Rum and Cigars.

To find out more about the Rum Bar and The Breadfruit, go to their website:
http://thebreadfruit.com/
and Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBreadfruit

January 9, 2012September 25, 2019

Foxy’s Tamarind Bar

18.43° N and 64.71° W – Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, BVI.

According to their website, this is the location of Foxy’s Tamarind Bar. For those of you, like me, who’d rather get an address you can plug into your smart phone, you’ll be hard pressed to find a street address. Just sail in to Great Harbour, go ashore and look for the party. There’s usually one of some size going on in this eclectic place that boasts one of the greatest “Old Years Eve” parties in the world.

Foxy Callwood is the man behind the name and has been serving food & strong rum drinks to sailors and visitors since 1966. He’s quite the storyteller and loves to talk with and sing to the many folks who wander into his bar.

Foxy’s is a great place to people watch and drink rum – lots of it. Foxy even has his own rum – Foxy’s Firewater Rum, which you can purchase from his gift shop. Foxy’s serves up some serious rum drinks and as hard as we tried to work our way through his Rum Drink Menu during our week on JVD, we fell short – just slightly. Darn. Guess we’ll have to go back.

Foxy has another bar on Jost Van Dyke at Diamond Cay called “Foxy’s Taboo” – named after his dog seen here.

You can listen to live music Thursday—Saturday and enjoy BBQ every Friday and Saturday night and there are many other fun events throughout the year.

We read somewhere that if dinghying in to Foxy’s for the Old Year’s Eve Party, you should bring a lock and chain for your dinghy, ’cause all dinghy’s look the same at night after some heavy drinking. Apparently revelers occasionally can’t even find their own boat, just pick another to pass out on and worry about finding their own in the morning. Must be that Firewater!!

Have you been to Foxy’s? Tell us about it!

Want to find out more about Foxy’s? Check out their website and Facebook page.

To see more posts on Jost Van Dyke and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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

January 7, 2012September 25, 2019

Ivan’s Stress Free Bar

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems…Kenny Chesney filmed the video for his hit on the shores of Ivan’s and it absolutely fits the feel of this tropical beach bar.

Located on White Bay, separated from it’s famous neighbor The Soggy Dollar Bar by a rock outcropping, Ivan’s is a great place to escape when White Bay fills up with thirsty partiers on day trips from neighboring islands.

Chatting with Ivan is like chatting with an old friend. Quiet and unassuming, he seems genuinely interested in those who wander through his doors looking for a cool libation and to check out the interesting structure lined with thousands of shells.

“Shell Man”

The beach in front of Ivan’s

Enjoying a Bushwacker and some conversation

Ivan’s boasts a real Caribbean Honor Bar – you can make it and keep your own tab, as well as a campground and several modest guest houses.

Stop in and say hi to Ivan, catch some great live music, a delicious Thursday evening barbeque, cold libations, a quiet beach and some of the most beautiful sunsets in the Caribbean. The beers are cold (Bushwackers are pretty darn good too!), the atmosphere is totally laid back and the company is warm and inviting. “Stress Free” it truly is….

Ivan’s was rebuilt in 2014. Click the following link to see photos of The New Ivan’s Stress Free Bar

Other Jost Van Dyke posts you might be interested in:

Rum Therapy On Jost Van Dyke

Barhopping On Jost Van Dyke

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

Foxy’s Tamarind Bar

The Soggy Dollar Bar

White Bay Villas and Seaside Cottages

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

January 5, 2012September 25, 2019

The Soggy Dollar Bar

Our first visit to Jost Van Dyke was in 2010 on a BVI sail trip. We’d come close to landing on her shores in 2006 during another sail trip, but the seas were rough that trip and the Captain elected to head toward Tortola instead – so it remained on our “places to see” list.

During the 2010 sail, we made it to Jost for the first time. Sailing in to White Bay, our jaws dropped – the combination of spectacular white sand against some of the clearest blue water we’d seen…wow!In keeping with the Soggy Dollar tradition, we jumped in the water with drinking dollars in our pockets (hence soggy dollars) and swam ashore.

During a recent 8 day stay on Jost Van Dyke we had the opportunity to spend a lot more time, drink a lot more Painkillers and take a lot more pictures at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

You’d think we’d have our fill of it by now, but instead find ourselves thinking about going back time and time again to say hi to the good folks at Soggy Dollar and enjoy lazy afternoons of extreme Rum Therapy in the beautiful water, sand and sun of White Bay…The infamous Painkiller. Love the Nilla Killa’s too.

Mic doing his magic.

Owner Jerry O’Connell demonstrating the proper Ring Game technique.

White Bay filling up with boats of thirsty partiers in the afternoon.

In the evening, the crowds thin and the real relaxation begins…

Quiet morning at the Soggy.

To find out more about the Soggy Dollar Bar,
Check out the Soggy Dollar website
and Facebook page:
Soggy Dollar Bar

To see more posts on Jost Van Dyke and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

December 14, 2011December 14, 2011

Appleton Estate Rum Tasting Event

I don’t have a favorite. I love them all equally – they’re all my children.
Dwayne Allen, Chief Rum Expert, Rum Bar at the Breadfruit

We were invited to attend an invitation only rum tasting event at Rum Bar at The Breadfruit in downtown Phoenix, Arizona last Saturday. This particular tasting would cover the rums in the Appleton Estate Family.

We arrived at the Rum Bar and met co-owner Dwayne Allen, a soft spoken, personable man with Jamaican roots, who exudes an enthusiasm for the spirit of rum and appeared to have an extensive knowledge of rums in general, rum history and production. As we frequently do, we asked Dwayne if he had an all time favorite rum, and his response was “I don’t have a favorite. I love them all equally – they’re all my children.” That’s a lot of children to love. The Rum Bar normally has 108 rums to choose from – currently they’re up to 114.
The evening was a delicious and educational event. We were greeted with a glass of Kingston Rum Punch made from Dwayne’s family recipe, and served delectable treats created by Dwayne’s partner, Danielle Leoni, such as Braised Oxtail Sliders and Red Stripe Curried Prawns.

It then was time to get down to business and start sampling and learning about the Appleton Estate Rums.

We first sampled the mixing rums, Appleton White and Gold and were given three aroma sticks to dip in molasses, orange and vanilla to help our senses identify the different flavors in the rum.
We continued with a sample of the first level of sipping rums, the V/X and the Reserve. These rums are traditionally enjoyed neat, with a cube of ice or just a splash of seltzer water.

Danielle then sent out a lovely plate of Petit Fours to enjoy with the next two rums on the menu, the 12 Year Old and the 21 Year Old.

We’d tasted the 12 Year Old before and both it and the 21 Year Old were very good. Through Dwayne’s tutelage we learned to hone in on the aroma and taste differences in the different ages of rum. We enjoyed every golden drop, savoring the pairing of flavors with the goodies shown above.

Dwayne explained that rums that have been properly aged (no additives, etc.) should display and “olive line” a faint green line at the top of the rum in a glass. We witnessed this in both of the rums at this level.
As if we hadn’t experienced rum bliss already, then came the pièce de résistance – Appleton Estate Limited 30 Year Old.
Less than 1,500 bottles of this exclusive rum were manufactured and only 770 made it to the U.S. We were told that the Appleton Estate Limited Edition 30 Year Old is the oldest rum commercially available on the planet. When we learned how rare this bottle was, we prepared ourselves for a rum sampling of a lifetime!

How was it? We are certainly not rum experts or connoisseurs, but we thought it was nothing short of amazing. Absolute perfection in a glass. But don’t take our word for it. Word has it that one of the very few places you can taste this ultra elusive treasure is the Rum Bar at The Breadfruit. Stop by soon before it’s gone for good!

To find out more about The Rum Bar including their Rum Tasting Series, Flights of Rum Events, Cigar and Rum Pairings, Craft Cocktails and Rums, check out their website: Rum Bar

While you’re there, enjoy some award winning modern Jamaican Cuisine at The Breadfruit (the Sea Scallops coated with Appleton Rum and the house hot and spicy jerk rub are awesome!) Check out The Breadfruit website for more info.

December 3, 2011August 12, 2020

Rumbullion! Spiced Rum

We received a small box in the mail yesterday from the UK liquor distributor Master of Malt containing a sample of one of their newest offerings, Rumbullion! Spiced Rum.

Rumbullion! is described on the Master of Malt website as a cockle-warming spiced concoction from Professor Cornelius Ampleforth, based on the kind of rich, full-bodied rums the seafaring fraternity would have enjoyed centuries ago. At the core of this fabulous winter warmer lies a blend of the very finest high proof Caribbean rum, to which was added creamy Madagascan vanilla and a generous helping of zesty orange rind. A secret recipe was followed, and the Professor finished his hearty tipple with a handful of cinnamon and cloves and just a hint of cardamom.

We opened the sample and sniffed, immediately detecting the pleasant aroma of orange, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon. Over ice we took a sip, letting the warm spices wash over our tongues. This certainly would be a good sipping rum for the cold winter months. In the Professor’s own words: “’tis a most heart-warming tipple that will surely see off the Winter blues. Whilst this is rum, it’s certainly not a rum thing by any means and I recommend you enjoy it neat, or with ice and squeeze of fresh lime.”

We found the taste to be very pleasant with a nice long finish. We are certainly not rum experts, but we enjoyed it quite a bit and found ourselves wishing we had a much bigger bottle in front of us! Guess you could say our cockles were warmed!!

The full size bottle is really good looking, and in the words of Master of Malt: Rumbullion! proudly flaunts its maritime inspiration with a label that bears a hand-drawn illustration of a Navy grog tub, emblazoned with the words: “The Queen, God Bless Her”, and just like all of the fine spirits in Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s arsenal, each bottle is wrapped in crinkled brown paper, wound with twine and sealed with black wax. Ordering information

On a side note – Master of Malt is in the UK, so unfortunately the shipping is costly to those of us in the US, but they offer a Premium Rum Tasting Set that would make an excellent gift for anyone wanting to sample different rums before buying full sized bottles. Be sure to check them out!

November 27, 2011October 24, 2013

Rum Therapy Online Holiday Gift Ideas

Are you looking for something special for the island and rum lovers on your list? Here are just a few ideas that should be a big hit! And the best part is – you don’t have to bother with the crowds – they’re all available online!

Rum Therapy Caps and Visors! From the popular Cures What Ails Ya design to the Peace, Love, Rum Military Style Cap, we’ve got a lid your rum lover will really enjoy! Shop Here For Rum Therapy Caps!

RumHuggers!! Keep those piña coladas and rum punches nice and frosty with a “slap” RumHugger. Molds right around your favorite cocktail, bottle or can! Get one, or a Party Pack of 4! Find them in Rum Therapy Accessories!

Shop for Rum Therapy Men’s Tees HERE – including our new Island Tees!

And don’t forget a Rum Therapy Tee for your lady HERE!

Keep checking back for more specials as the holidays approach! Cheers!

November 22, 2011November 6, 2020

Triple Chocolate Rum Cake

A couple of days ago I spotted a recipe from the folks at Kōloa Rum for a Triple Chocolate Rum Cake. Having just returned from a week in the islands drinking rum and enjoying some great food, I was actually thinking I should cut back for a few days on rum…and chocolate…and food in general, but what the heck, the recipe sounded really good – and I still had some Kaua`i Dark, Kōloa Rum.

I assembled a shopping list and quickly realized that this cake HAD to be good. It contained cake mix, pudding mix, and although it called for one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels, Kōloa said to use the whole bag!!! I ran to the store and purchased what I needed and started mixing the cake together.

One of us, and I won’t name names, but it’s not me :), is an absolute chocoholic and upon tasting the Triple Chocolate Rum Cake, declared it a HUGE success. In fact, he said it should be re-named Death By Rum and Chocolate! Hmmm – what a way to go….

Triple Chocolate Rum Cake

Recipe courtesy of Kōloa Rum Company

Cake
1 Box Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (18.25 oz)
1 Box Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding (2.8 oz)
1 Cup Kōloa Rum, Kaua`i Dark
4 Eggs
1/2 c. Milk
1/2 c. Canola Oil
1 c. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (we used the whole bag per Kōloa’s recommendation)

Glaze
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Kōloa Rum, Kaua`i Dark
1/3 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Powdered Sugar (optional)
Whipped Cream (optional)
Raspberries (optional)

Preheat the over to 350. Spray and flour bundt pan. Take a large bowl and add pudding mix, cake mix, eggs, rum, mild and oil. Beat it with an electric mixer on low speed for about 1 minute and then increase speed and blend for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour blended mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Let the cake cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile for glaze, add sugar, butter, and 1/2 cup rum, to a small pot and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat; add vanilla, set the rum cake glaze aside. Prick holes all over the cake while it is hot, then pour the glaze all over the cake. Let the glaze soak completely in the cake. When done, remove the cake from the pan, dust it with powdered sugar and whipped cream and serve.

Find more rum recipes here:

Rum Recipe Picture Directory

Rum Recipes by Category

November 18, 2011November 18, 2011

Cruzan Rum Desserts at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

As if we hadn’t already had a week full of wonderful experiences and meeting lots of new folks, we got invited by William Anthony Torrillo, who had become a friend of ours on Facebook, to come to the Ritz-Carlton during our last night on St. Thomas to sample some amazing Cruzan Rum Desserts created by Pastry Chef Kunal Chakrabarti.

Many of you may know William through his amazing island photography that can be found on his website Old Mango – Guide to the Islands. William is also a fantastic chef and even though Chef Kunal was off the night we came, William prepared the Rum Desserts for us.

The Ritz-Carlton is a gorgeous property and we got there early just to look around. The grounds were beautiful and the staff extremely accommodating. At 8 p.m. we headed over to Great Bay Lounge to begin our Cruzan Rum Dessert experience.

William met us in the lounge with a beautiful welcome platter that included chocolate covered strawberries, a french meringue cookie and Cruzan Single Barrel Rum…

The second course was a Cruzan Rum Crème Brûlée tasting and included three different Brûlée’s. We were instructed to eat them left to right as the last one had the strongest taste. The three Brûlée’s were:

1. Cruzan Vanilla Rum with Coconut Macaroon

2. Cruzan Mango Rum with Strawberry

3. Cruzan Black Strap Rum with chocolate cake crumble and homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Well, the Brûlée’s were so tasty that if we weren’t in such a fine establishment, we may have been tempted to pick up the plates and lick them clean, but we remained on our best behavior. After allowing us to let the Brûlée’s settle in, William brought out one last delectable plate. This one was entitled the Cruzan Rum Beignet Plate and consisted of three Coconut filled Beignets with Cruzan Coconut Rum Sauce and a Frappe Shooter made with coffee, espresso, half and half, and dash of Kahlua.

We enjoyed every moment and taste of the evening and thank William, The Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas, Chef Kunal and of course Cruzan Rum for such a wonderful experience. If you are staying on St. Thomas, I’d highly recommend going to the Ritz-Carlton to sample the delicious Cruzan Rum Desserts for yourself!!