Still looking for a great holiday bottle as a drop-off gift? Here are a few more that should be on your radar:
SelvaRey
Put some Uptown Funk into your gift-giving this year with Bruno Mars’ latest rum contributions: SelvaRey’s Chocolate Rum and White Rum. The award-winning musician has worked on this U.S.-based rum brand that’s distilled in Panama for a few years now. The bottles are the first clue that this rum is different, both in sleek, curvy triangle-shaped bottles with big round cork tops.
These single-estate rums are the result of Master Blender Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez and Mars’ collaboration. Tasting the rums either by themselves or in various cocktails will probably mean you’ll want to keep experimenting. They are smooth-tasting rums and enhance a pina colada (the white rum) or eggnog (the chocolate rum) in a way that will send your friends back to the bottles every night for more. The white is a combo of 3-year-old and 5-year-old rums, while the chocolate is a 5-year-old rum. You may want to pour the chocolate rum over gelato, too, just sayin’. Try the recipes below. Cost for the white rum is $29.99, the chocolate rum, $34.99.
Bruno says these are tropical luxury escapes in a glass. He and three other co-owners are working on more SelvaRey varieties. We say stay Just The Way You Are. https://selvarey.com/shop-rum/
Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651
Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651
It’s been a good year for gins all around, but I have to say this brand is the main reason I’ve gone back to drinking gin martinis. Tod & Vixen’s is from The Vale Fox Distillery in Hudson Valley, NY. It was created in collaboration with three bartenders specifically for use in classic cocktails, and it has hit the mark perfectly. It’s a lush, botanical gin that has a delightful, light floral nose and taste, along with some juniper and a hint of citrus; it’s made by macerating eight botanicals. That’s why it’s such a smash by itself in a martini (I use a smidgen of vermouth). Available online here for $47.99: https://thevalefox.passionspirits.com/the-vale-fox/tod-vixen-gin-750ml.html
Signature Cocktails
SelvaRey White Rum Piña Colada
Ingredients
- 2 parts SelvaRey White Rum
- 2 parts Pineapple Juice
- 3/4 part Coco Lopez/Coconut Cream
- Lime Wedge Squeezed In
Method
In a mixing vessel or blender, combine all ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Strain over crushed ice into a Rocks Glass. Garnish with a pineapple leaf.
24K Mojito
Ingredients :
- 1 part SelvaRey White Rum
- 4 Lime Wedges
- 2 tsp Superfine Sugar
- Splash Club Soda
Method
Muddle mint, lime and sugar in a highball or Collins glass. Add rum, ice, and stir. Top with Club Soda, and garnish with a mint sprig.
SelvaRey Highball
Ingredients
- 1 part SelvaRey White Rum
- 2 parts Ginger Beer/Ale
- Squeeze of Lime
Method
Combine over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
SelvaRey Chocolate Rum Cold Brewno
Ingredients
- 2 parts SelvaRey Chocolate Rum
- 1 part Espresso or Unsweetened Cold Brew
- ½ part Kahlua
- ¼ part Simple Sugar
- ¼ part Creme de Menthe
Method
Combine all ingredients with ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake for 5-10 seconds. Strain over ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Chocolate ‘n’ Cold Brew
Ingredients
- 3 parts RTD Cold Brew
- 1 Part SelvaRey Chocolate Rum
Method
Combine over ice and enjoy.
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