St. Croix cruzan Rum

Cruzan Rum is a rum producer located in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Their distillery was founded in 1760 and claims the distinction of "the most honored rum distillery in the world." For three generations through various change in corporate ownership the distillery has been managed by the Nelthropp family. V&S was sold to Pernod Ricard of France in 2008 but Pernod Ricard has announced that their plans are that the rum remains a product made in St. Croix under the management of the Nelthropps.
Cruzan Rum manufactures several varieties of rum, namely:
Cruzan Estate Light: aged two years.
Cruzan Estate Dark: aged two years, available in both 80- and 151-proof.
Cruzan Estate Diamond: aged five years.
Cruzan Single Barrel: aged up to 12 years.
The winner of the title "World's Best Rum" at the 2000 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Cruzan Clipper: an overproof amber rum.
Cruzan Tropical Rums
Available in raspberry, coconut, mango, vanilla, pineapple, banana, orange, black cherry, citrus, and guava.
Cruzan Rum Cream: a blend of Cruzan light rum, pure Irish cream, caramel, vanilla and other flavors.
Cruzan Black Strap: a traditional, heavier rum made from the blackstrap molasses of sugar cane, noted for its low content of fusel alcohol.
The distillery is also the largest supplier of American private and distributor label rum.
Cruzan Rum also makes a pure cane distillate alcohol (in 189-proof), which can be found for sale in the medicine sections of many grocery stores in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Cruzan Mango Mojito

1 part Cruzan Mango Rum
4 chunks of fresh mango
A dash of fresh lime juice
A splash of simple syrup
4-6 mint leaves
Club soda
Muddle mint and mango chucks with simple syrup in
a tall glass. Add lime juice, Cruzan Mango Rum and
ice. Stir, and top with club soda. Garnish with a
mint sprig.

"Caribbean Flavours from Barbados"

Malibu Rum has its beginnings at the beautifull island of Barbados. Located in the southeast corner of the west Indies,the distillery overlooks the beach and white sands of black rock.

Barbados is tradicionally regarded as the birth place of rum, where for more than 350 years rum has been produced. Barbados rums are lighter and more delicate with subtle sugar cane and soft butter rum notes. This proved to be the perfect background to blend exotic flavors.

My visit to barbados and the Malibu distillery took place in 2003 when i was bartending onboard cruise ship "Serenade of the Seas" from Royal Caribbean Cruise line. its an amazing island with friendly islanders, the trip starts with ride on malibu's personnal van, decorated with the Malibu colours and logos, once you get to the distillery, thats when fun starts, after seeing how the rum is produced, you end up right at the beach, with rum barbeques, rum exotic cocktails and clear caribbean water,besides all the water sports and fun you can enjoy a fresh coconut water brought and cut from one of the locals. Indeed an amazing island experience not to be missed when travelling to the caribbean. I also recommend a visit to one of the oldest rum distilleries, the "Mount Gay Rum", set just a few miles from Malibu distillery, right on the corner of one of the main roads. Oh and dont forget to bring some samples and island souvenirs like the Malibu lip stick, or tradicionall island music.

Waloe

1 1/4 oz Malibu

3/4 oz Cointreau

2 oz Fresh orange

1/2 oz Simple syrup

4 Fresh mint leaves

1/4 oz Fresh lime

Muddle gently the mint leaves together with the simple syrup, then add the rest of the ingredients, shake well and serve in a frozen pineapple with crushed ice.

For more Malibu recipes visit www.malibu-rum.com

Cachaça Boom Times!!

Brazil's First National Invention

Cachaça was the first Brasillian invention decades before Bartolomeu de Gusmão's revolutionary hot-air balloon or Santos Dumont's airplane. Though records of its creation are sketchy, it is certain that its invention coincides with the cultivation of sugar cane, the country's first mass crop.


The first seedlings of sugar cane came from Asia in ships commanded by Portuguese coloniser Martin Afonso de sousa arround 1532.Records indicate that the drink was first created in a plantation arround São Vicente, on the southeastern coast of São Paulo,Brasil.


Rum (made from the distillation of molasses) was being made well before the first sugar cane seddlings reached land in the Americas. This drink was eventually produced in Brasil untill someone, by curiosity or clumsiness, filled the still not with molasses, but with fermented sugar cane juice. The result was a less sweet drink with an intense, pleasant aroma. There, one of the world's main spirits was Born: Cachaça.

Sagatiba Wallpaper

1 1/4 oz Sagatiba pura Cachaça

3 bsp of vanilla sugar

3/4 oz of passion fruit

1 small slice of chilli pepper

Mix and stirr all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and double strain into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with chilli pepper and a vanilla stick.

Courtesy of "Cachaça Sagatiba, pure spirit of Brasil" http://www.sagatiba.com/

Pomegranate Martini

DiDi's Pomegranate Martini

2 oz Pama Pomegranate liqueur
1 oz Absolut Ruby Red
1/4 oz Monin pomegranate
Splash of Sweet & Sour

Pour the pomegranate syrup in a mixing glass, then add the vodka and the pomegranate liqueur, finally add the splash of sour mix and ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. To decorate, flame an orange peel and twist it into the glass and serve.
Instead of the syrup you can also use the pomegranate seeds and muddle them with a hint of simple syrup to give a more real flavour to the cocktail.

Passion for pomegranates

Punica granatum L.

Punicaceae

Common Names: Pomegranate, Granada (Spanish), Grenade (French).

Related Species: Punica proto-punica.

Origin: The pomegranate is native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and was cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. It is widely cultivated throughout India and the drier parts of southeast Asia, Malaya, the East Indies and tropical Africa. The tree was introduced into California by Spanish settlers in 1769. In this country it is grown for its fruits mainly in the drier parts of California and Arizona.

Mr. Próspero Cocktail selection for 2008 summer season at Dunas Douradas beach Club/Portugal.

Mr. Próspero Cucumber Martini

"Excuse me Bartender, there's a poem in my gin"

"Gin and the Bore "

“A gin is a gin is a ginswore the bore nothing odd can be.” But if that gin should win eleven botanicals inoh, then what a gin it would be. So we tricked him in bed, gave him Hendrick’s instead then fully sober, he shouted with glee “this gin is not gin like others that be yet it tastes even more like gin to me.”

Cortesy of Hendrick's gin

4 or 5 slices of cucumber
1 1/4 oz Gin hendrick's
3/4 oz Midori melon
1/4 oz Simple syrup
Dash of fresh lime

Muddle the cucumber with the simple syrup and the fresh lime in a mixing glass then add the gin and the midori.
Shake well and double strain into a chilled martini glass.
Decorate with a slice of cucumber and a mint leave.

You can try this drink in "DiDis" Martini bar at the Dunas Douradas Beach Club, Algarve/ Portugal.
Courtesy of myself, Mr. Próspero.

What is Flair Bartending?

Flair is a style of bartending that has existed for at least 150 years. Fabled American bartending legend Jerry "the professor" Thomas performed Flair in the mid 1800s, whenever he made his famous Blue Blazer, pouring flaming scotch and water from mug to mug in a long, fiery stream
Any bartender who has ever put two or more bottles in one hand uses Flair. Flair is simply efficiency of movement with a little style. Technically speaking, Flair is the act of flipping, spinning, throwing, balancing, catching bottles, drinks, and various bar tools while in the process of making cocktails. Flair involves highly technical pours and cuts that ensure accuracy and no spillage while performing various tricks and moves.
Speed Bartending- a form of Flair in that the fastest, most efficient way to make drinks involves multi-bottle pours, inverted catches and grabs, stylish and even behind the back throws and catches from time to time.
Definition courtesy of the F.B.A. (Flair Bartenders Association)

Today there are inumerous flair competitions arround the globe, and various famous flair bartenders like the brothers Christian and Rodrigo Delpech, Tom Dyer, Marco Canova, Danilo Oribe,Nicholas saint jean and many others. These bartenders can be found in the most famous bars and clubs arround the world, las vegas, London, Dubai,etc.

To find more about the flair world i reccomend a visit at some web sites like:

http://www.barflair.org/

http://www.bartender.com/

http://www.worldflairassociation.com/

http://www.iba-world.com/

http://www.ramoscocktailacademy.com/

http://www.roadhouseflair.com/

http://www.flairco.com/

http://www.barproducts.com/

Bar team @ Dunas Douradas Beach Club

Esta é a equipe de bar do mais recente resort algarvio. O Dunas Douradas Beach Club é o mais recente projecto do grupo hoteleiro norueguês fundador da linha de cruzeiros Royal Caribbean Cruise line. Um resort moderno e bastante acolhedor onde podera disfrutar de uma excelente experiencia gastronómica. Com uma carta de bar cuidadosamente elaborada capaz de proporcionar finas sensações, o convidado terá a sua disposição as habituais criaçoes classicas e intemporais bem como novas composiçoes elaboradas pelos simpaticos bartenders. Tendo uma boa relaçao com a conhecida Cocktail Academy e com o World master bartender Paulo Ramos, os bartenders tém uma constante formaçao e actualizaçao sobre as tendencias do mundo da mixologia.

Sem dúvida alguma vale a pena uma visita ao espaço e convido a fazer uma prova de cocktails.

www.ddbc.pt

Flavio Próspero