Negroni | Rum, Tiki & Exotic Cocktails

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FIBAR 2015 and the European Tiki Experience

FIBAR is the biggest bar Show in Spain andÂ was held in Valladolid in a pretty cool building that looks like a giant football, theÂ CÃºpula del Milenio on november 17-19.

The first ever European Tiki Experience took place there on the tuesday nov 17th and it was for that I was invited to do a seminar about the history of tiki together with Oriol Elias from the Rum and Tiki blog Three of Strong. We made a seminar called “Paradise Lost, the Roots of Tiki” where we covered the history andÂ roots of the American Polynesian Pop culture with all itÂ´s past and present bars and bartenders, carvers, artists, writers, musics and what the tiki culture is all about.

We also raised a toast with Chief Lapu Lapus to Jeff Beachbum Berry in appreciation of all that he did to uncover the lost recipes and all the books he wrote containing history and recipes for a lifetime! because without him we wouldn`t have all these recipes resurrected today.

And he toasted us back….in a video he made back in New Orleans 🙂

The other speakers in the Tiki Experience were Sly Augustin, owner of the Tiki bar Trailer Happiness in London who made a seminar called “The Future of Tiki”, andÂ Miguel and David Perez also know as the two “Brothers in Tiki” were talking about tiki bar and tiki products.

Thanos Prunarus, owner of the famous Baba au Rum bar in Athens didÂ a seminar about the Anatomy of Tiki Drinks andÂ Miguel Escobedo, (Kona Lei)Â didÂ a seminar calledÂ “Tiki-Orama:50 years of Cocktails and Iberian Tiki”

Among the guest bartenders wereÂ Guillermo Uriel, bartender at Mahiki in London.

Pavon tiki mugs was also for saleÂ and I was happy to be able to grab a few….they have some that are really cool like the big bamboo and the pineapple mugs, they also have a swimming vahine bowl that is pretty cool and another with a smiling tiki that looks very happy and drunk 🙂

One thing that I learnt at the Tiki Experience is that Tiki in Europe is most likely going to become bigger and bigger but be formed in itÂ´s on fashion and inventiveness – but without losing connection with the traditions. I see a very exciting future for both rums and tiki in Europe…

A very interestingÂ seminar that I attended was Luca Picchis seminar about the Negroni cocktail where he also presented his book “Negroni Cocktail an Italian Legend” which I also bought a copy of and I would recommend anyone who`s a lover of cocktails to get a copy, itÂ´s a masterpiece.

Every night after FIBAR there was a party and good food to have…the bar to go to wasÂ El Nino Perdido, great cocktails and nice atmosphere! Bar manager at El Nino Perdido isÂ Juan Valls, also the organizer of FIBAR Valladolid.

There were a lot more things happening at FIBAR but we had only one day of the three so the other things that happened at FIBAR I cannot write about…..but i`m very happy to been able to be there, it was a great experience and I met so many nice people both new and old friends and I hope I can be back again the next year!

Here is as usual when I go to these kind of events, a picture parade….because pictures speak more…

CÃºpula del Milenio

Beautiful Daquiris like these…

Paired with SpanishÂ croquetas…

Yuzu…

Siderit Hibiscus Gin, made in northern Spain and very tasty.

….made a very refreshing gin and tonic.

Hendrick`s Gin booth, give him a drink….

Luca Picchi (Head bartender in Coffee Rivoire of Florence and author of the book Negroni Cocktail) made a greatÂ seminar about the Negroni – The history of the Negroni cocktail and the Italian appetizer !Â

(pic credit FIBAR)

Piano….and Negroni….

FAIR Rum from Belize!

And Puerto Rican Don Q

Mezcal goodness and burnt cinnamon stick – yummy…

Plantation rums! and of course the famous StigginÂ´s Fancy….probably the tastiest pineapple rum I have ever tasted.

Big pineapple tiki mug from Pavon.

And a swimming vahine.

Aloha shirt and rums….

Oriol at our seminar “Paradise Lost, the Roots of Tiki”

And now we`re entering the realm of tiki…

Three of Strong and A Mountain of Crushed IceÂ taking it through the history of tiki to show where it came fromÂ and that tiki is so much more than just the drinks, which btw were some of the worldÂ´s first crafted farm to glass cocktails – in tropical costume.

And no tiki seminar without the Bums books!

Or the Bum himself….

Chief Lapu Lapu was served….

And it was good….

Sly Augustin (Trailer Happiness, London) talked about the exciting future of tiki.

(pic credit FIBAR)

While Miguel Escobedo (Kona Lei, Madrid) Â made a seminar called -Â Tiki-Orama:50 years of cocktails and Iberian Tiki, and ThanosÂ Prunarus (Baba au Rum) spoke about the anatomy of The Anatomy of Tiki Drinks and of course his world famous rum bar, Baba au RumÂ (pic credit FIBAR)

Guest bartending wasÂ Guillermo Uriel, bartender at Mahiki in London.Â (pic credit FIBAR)

The Tiki Experience was created by MiguelÂ PÃ©rezÂ MuÃ±oz and David Perez, also known as the “Brothers in Tiki“Â (pic credit FIBAR) who also did a seminar aboutÂ tiki bar and tiki products.

Three Dots and a dash, one of my fav tiki cocktails

There were so much more than what these pictures have shown and we were there only one of three days! try to go and visit the FIBAR in 2016!

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TALES OF THE COCKTAIL 2011 – part 1 – Toast, Rum and Negroni

Saintsations and Young Pinstripe Brassband to kick off the Taless 2011 toast.

Brassbands…some of the best music you can hear.

The yearly toast to kick off Tales started with music and dance by the Young Pinstripe Brassband and the Saintsations! and as a huge Saints fan i was very happy to see them! And then followed the toast to Tales to honor the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society and the Sazerac Seal of Approval winners.

The 2011 Sazerac Seal of Approval recipients are Sylvain, Napoleon House, Tujague’s, Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House, Dominiqueâ€™s and Loa in the International House hotel.

This was followed by the the worldÂ´s largest Genever slurp toast -Â the Bols Genever Kopstootje (pronounced kop-stow-tjuh) represents the original Dutch ritual of a beer paired with a Bols Genever shot.

So the street was set with long tables with shots, a Bols t-shirt and a cold beer and everybody who did get a space did the slurp together. Those who didnÂ´t get a space (me for example) since the street was completely packed did get the beer andÂ t-shirt.

The calm before the storm..

People wanna do the Kopstootje slurp!

And slurp!

So with this Tales was on!

The first seminar i went to was not surprisingly a seminar about rum. “6 Rums You Will Probably Never taste Again” led by Ed Hamilton from Ministry of Rum.

THEREÂ´S A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC IN EVERY BOTTLE OF RUM…

Six very special rums is what we got to hear about and taste and these six were rums from Prichard`s – barrel aged (Tennessee), Botran Reserva and Solera 1893 (Guatemala) Flor de Cana (Nicaragua) Abuelo Centuria (Panama) Santa Teresa Bodega Privada selection (Venezuela) Neisson RÃ©serve SpÃ©cial (Martinique)

Ed showed us pictures from the distilleries and told the story about these rums. These were all very good rums, i specifically liked Abuelo Centuria and Neisson RÃ©serve SpÃ©cial.

Taste is personal…but hereÂ´s a little about how i found these six rums:

Prichard`s – barrel aged – fruity, a bit oaky and vanilla.

Botran Reserva and Solera 1893 – sweet, a little oak,Â fruity and caramel

Flor de Cana, from a barrel sample that was put aside for Ed – lots of depth,Â this was unfiltered rum right out of the barrel. Woody, oak, much complexity and long finish. each sip was full of flavor.

Abuelo Centuria – The only one of these six that has been commercially bottled and fetch a price of USD 136. ItÂ´s a blend of rums, where the oldest rumis over 130 years old.

Very tasty and fullbodied, sweet, round, sugarcane, excellent rum.

Santa Teresa – As part of their Bodega Privada selection, the Santa Teresa sells a blend of aged rums to those who want their own rum which is stored in casks at the Santa Teresa warehouse until it is bottled for the owner.

This sample belons to an anonymous friend in the industry. The oldest rum in the blend is 12 years. A quite light rum with flavors of vanilla and oak.

Neisson (1993) – 18 yo, a bit higher proof. Rhum agricole made from sugarcane juice. Excellent, dry, rich and aromatic, very flavorful – superb.

That was a rum filled and interesting seminar with some good rum samples to enjoy!

Next seminar was all about the Negroni.

NEGRONI AN ICONIC COCKTAIL

I went to this session because i`m a lover of the Negroni and of Campasri and so this was a must. We got the history of the Negroni told with some very interesting photos to see from the old days in italy.

This seminar was moderated by Paul Clarke and the panelists were Jacques Bezuidenhout, and Livio Lauro

The Negroni – both a perfect and icoic cocktail, fresh and vibrant with a deep and true history which you`ll soon be able to read in a new book that is coming out.

The book is written by Kuca Picchi and is called “The true Story of the Negroni Cocktail” and if youÂ´re interested you can send an e-mail to – Negronibook@gmail.com for further info and to reserve a copy.

The Negroni originates from the italian coffeeshops and the aperitivo is a way to keep italians from going home…and the ritual started in Turin, Florens and Florens or Firenze is the capital of the Negroni.

We tasted 3 different Negronis, one classic, a Negroni Swizzle and one carbonated. What vermouth adds to a cocktail is both sweetness and acidity and bitters adds some spice and fun! The appeal of the Negroni is that it uses bitters, speaks of it`s place (Italy) and is a very special cocktail!

There was actually much more Negroni to come during this Tales…

There was also the Negroni with a Twist Party with the Worldâ€™s largestÂ Negroni cocktail ever made at the Sonesta and a more packed room than that one i have never seen before, i tweeted “How much people can they possibly fit into a room”??????

It was almost impossible to move…much less balancing two cocktails and a plate of food….seems like most everybody wanted a taste of the worldÂ´s biggest Negroni…which was served from a huge ice block. Well, huge crowds is very much a part of the Tales…

The recipe included Campari, Beefeater 24 London Dry Gin andÂ M&R Sweet Vermouth. Also other twists of the Negroni was served made with talian brands such asÂ Luxardo, Aperol and Mionetto Prosecco.

To go with the Negroni cocktails was served crispy grissini sticks, strawberries with balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese and some very fat yummy green olives.

The third Negroni event was a Negroni toast hosted by Campari to celebrate the nominees of this yearâ€™s Annual Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award and NegroniÂ´s was served in the Monteleone lobby.

This was allÂ for now – part two from Tales is soon to be posted. I apologize for being late with my posts but i just came back to Sweden after almost a month in New Orleans.

Next up are the sessions about the Mai Tai, the 151 Swizzling around the World, Vanilla and Agave spirits followed by part 2 about some good Nola food.

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MxMo XLIII: VERMOUTH

Vermouth is the topic of this Mixology Monday – a topic that to me brings back many sweet memories from my early travels in my teens, especially it means Italy to me, not only was i introduced to Campari there but also to Vermouth namely Cinzano and Martini.

We used to drink them neat with ice, maybe a sprinkle of lemon in the lazy hot afternoon. When i drink a sweet vermouth with iceÂ i`m immediately transported to those memories and can mentally almost feel the warm sunny floor on the terrace of a small apartment in Napoli. It was not until many years later i learnt to use Vermouth as a component in cocktails.

Cocktailians are the host for this MxMo and i`m happy for this topic, thanks Vidiot for hosting!

The drink i got in my mind to make already before i had thought so very much about what to mix was the much beloved Negroni, it pairs 3 ingredients i really like. But i didn`t want to make the common Negroni this time so i decided to experiment with another of my favorite spirits – mezcal – instead of gin.

Really if i could have chosen i would have wanted to try Carpano Antica Formula in this drink but its not sold here so instead i had the choice between Martini Rosso or Punt e Mes. Need i say that i would love to see Carpano sold here? its really a shame it isnt.

I chosed the Martini because i find it better for this drink, a bit more neutral than Punt e Mes. And like Carpano and Punt e Mes Martini Rosso its strong enough to stand up against both Campari and the smoky mezcal (i used Ilegal joven which is an excellent mezcal)

And because it was mezcal in this i also added a small sprinkle of fresh lime, i feel that`s what this drink wanted and instead of an orange peel garnish a lime wedge went into the glass. It turned out to be a good drink, i cannot say its better than the classic Negroni but its an interesting twist.

I wish Vermouth could be stored longer than it can, even in the fridge it starts loosing its flavour after some time and therefore i usually buy small bottles because despite that i really do like vermouth i don`t use it often enough and really i should use more of it. Its a lucky thing that they are not so pricey. When the flavour isnÂ´t so fresh anymore i usually use up the rest in cooking, its good in different pasta sauces.

SIGNORA ROSSA