Masham - The Beer Capital of North Yorkshire

This blog post has been a long time coming. For anyone who knows me you have probably noticed that I am a bit obsessed with this small Yorkshire Market Town.

Situated just north of Ripon, a quick 15 minutes off of the motorway is the little town of Masham, if you have never visited the market town, or even heard of it then you will definitely have heard of its two famous Breweries. It is the home of Theakston & Black Sheep.

We first came across this wonderful place when we booked a weekend away 5 years ago, for me the decision was made on the promise of a brewery tour at the Black Sheep Brewery. The hotel we stayed at shares a wall with the latter brewery, even though it is a Theakston pub - take the tours where all is explained.
For the last 5 years we have stayed at the White Bear Country Inn, we even ended up having our Wedding reception here. Sue and the team are so friendly and will always make you welcome, so please pay them a visit...an overnight stay is approx £125 a room including (an amazing) breakfast. I'd like to be able to recommend a few restaurants in Masham, but we have never ventured away from the White Bear for a meal. Apart from the Wedding Breakfast and a Sunday Roast last year I have always ordered the same, Steak & Chips (with blue cheese sauce)...cooked to perfection, you would really struggle to have three courses.
Make sure you try the beer bread - it is served both at breakfast and for dinner and is like a sweet cake with a salty crust...its so good that our wedding guests ordered loaves to take home with them!
At the bar they offer a large range of Theakston beers, including the new craft range...on a recent visit I tried the new IPA and Barista Stout (cake in a glass...yum).

If you are just looking for a coffee, with a view of the market square then I suggest you head to Johnny Baghdad's for a spot of people watching, this is situated on the square next to the church. The markets run on most weekends, but head down early as it gets really busy.

Naturally if you are here you are more or less obliged to hit the breweries, the tours are fantastic. Personally we prefer the Theakston brewery tour & visitor centre as it is more 'oldy worldly' and ironically feels less corporate, when in fact it is Black Sheep who are more of a private firm (the Theakston family still own their brewery but have more corporate ties).
The stories behind these two breweries are fascinating - and the staff clearly love their products and have so much knowledge that you can't help but want to stock up in the shops. The only downside to the shops is that you can find their normal beers cheaper in the supermarkets...but I suppose you only pick up the beers that you can not find locally, the Black Sheep Imperial IPA is worth the money as is the Theakston Pale Ale & Distillers Cask!
In both visitor centres you can relax and enjoy the range of regular and seasonal beers. The Black Bull In Paradise (Theakston) is really cosy in the winter months...make sure you get a taster board, beers do not come better in any pub !

On a more recent visit to Masham we discovered that they have more than just beer on offer. Pop into Corks and Cases if you are looking for a bottle of wine or some spirits, surprisingly this little shop now has its on on site distillery offering it's own Masham Gin. The chap who I spoke to was really enthusiastically about his gin, it has a smooth aniseed flavour and matches perfectly with a bottle of Fevertree tonic water. Naturally this gin has had hops added as a nod to the towns famous export. I bought a bottle for both my wife and my mother in law....safe to say both bottles will soon need replenishing.

So in a nutshell, when you are looking for a day out, or even a weekend away, head out into the dales to my favourite place, browse the market, drink some beer and just take in the atmosphere of this wonderful place.

Gin Tasting - Fuggle & Golding Ilkley

There are certain drinks that you associate with the summer months: pimms, cold lager, prosecco etc But for me, nothing suits a warm afternoon in the sun than a G&T. If we are at a family get together, or just sat in our own garden I will usually grab the nearest bottle of gin, especially with Mrs Tipple and her sister around.

Unfortunately we have not really had much of a summer here in Yorkshire, I think I have spent more time outside in my shorts keeping warm with a coffee than I have had enjoying the sun. But what else do you expect from the UK.

I have spoken in the past about the joy of having local craft beer/bottle shops and how even though the prices can be a little high, I will always support my local beer shop. These independent stores need our support to bring us weird and wonderful tipples that we will not usually stumble upon in the supermarkets. One of my 'locals' is Fuggle and Golding in Ilkley, it is not necessarily 'close' to where I live, but easily accessible - read about them here in a past post. Mrs Tipple and I saw on Facebook that they were moving into 'tasting nights', starting with a Gin Tasting...we could not resist.

As their store is quite small tickets were limited, luckily we jumped straight in there as we would have been really disappointed to have missed out. Tickets were £10 each and included 2x free G&T's, which lets face it that is your £10 there and then with Ilkley prices.
Upon arrival we were greeted by the ever welcoming owners, they explained that the evening would be quite informal and that we were free to just relax and enjoy all the wonderful bottles that they had on offer. I have to admit we were a bit worried that we would have to do the whole 'whats your name and where do you come from' but the informality made for a really relaxing and enjoyable evening.

As soon as everyone had a full glass their gin expert (I forget his name, blame the booze!) took centre stage to discuss how to create the perfect Gin & Tonic - the trick is, plenty of ice, stir for up to a minute to benefit from all the botanicals and do not add too much tonic. I feel like the latter is where we go wrong at home as it is tempting to just fill up a glass with tonic water...the way we were taught tasted amazing, but we started to feel the effects quite quickly!
On the shop counter/bar housed a line up of all the Gin on offer for the evening, as he went down the bar we were all taught about different garnishes that we could use to get the most out of our Gin, whilst at the same time learning about the small distilleries that created these tipples.

Cuckoo Gin

Cuckoo Gin (Brindle Distillery, Lancashire)
We began the night with a glass of Cuckoo & Fevertree, garnished with lemon peel and a slice of ginger. I tried this neat to begin with, it was really smooth and surprisingly drinkable without any tonic water. Mark & his wife, from the distillery, were on site and talked us through the story behind their new Gin...when I say new, they had only started bottling their first batch 5 weeks before the gin tasting. After a long chat and a very large sample of Cuckoo we decided that this was the bottle that we would go home with, check out their website for the story behind the brand - I will be writing a post especially on their Gin within the coming weeks and both Mrs Tipple & I hope they gain the success that they deserve.

Malfy Gin

Malfy Gin (Torino Italy)
I enjoy a Limoncello and anything citrusy, so this was a must have for the evening. When you list the drinks that the Italians make I would never have thought that Gin would be on it. Looking at the bottle it just screams out summer, and even though it is distilled in the north of Italy, the taste is everything that I would associate with a summer on the Amalfi coast. Naturally, the lemon infusion is the big draw for this Gin, making Malfy a very fruity and refreshing tipple.

Three Rivers Gin (Manchester)

Manchester Three Rivers Gin

Mrs Tipple picked this as her second sample of the night. Paired in the glass with frozen cherries this gin has a really mellow smoothness, before a spicy, peppery aftertaste hits. We had not heard of Manchester Three Rivers before the taster evening, but we really want to book a visit. For £95 per person you can book a 'Gin Experience', where you visit the distillery and take a tour of its facilities...i'm sure with a G&T in hand. They then introduce you to their 'Gin School' where you learn about botanicals and flavours, and here is the best bit, you get to create your own unique gin! Once we have finished saving for Tipple Towers then we will certainly be booking a Gin Experience.

A selection of flavours that can be found in Cuckoo Gin

Start of my Whisky Adventure - Glenkinchie 12 year Single Malt

No more tumblers for me! This really enhances the flavour

Generally when it comes to spirits I tend to explore new cocktails, or just stick to one of my favourite rums. Every now and again, at the end of a session on Ale I feel in the mood for a strong, smokey whisky. Over the last 12 months my interest in Scotland's famous tipple has increased and I have developed quite the taste, but still feel like I don't know a great deal about it - I suppose like my taste in beer, I like what I like and am definitely not an expert.
So from now on you may find my beer blog will start to evolve - I am going to keep on blogging about the places we discover and and tipples that we come across, but I aim to start writing short reviews on individual beers and spirits.

If I am going to start tasting whisky I am going to need the correct 'tools' - in his book '101 whiskies to try before you die' Ian Buxton recommends that you ensure you have the correct glass. On his recommendation I have purchased a couple of Glencairn glasses which are designed to heighten the tasting experience - as well as booked a trip to Scotland with my wife at the end of the year - here's to Whisky, and my first whisky review.

Lovely golden colour...starting on smaller bottles until I develop
a better 'taste' for whisky

As an anniversary gift Liz bought a bottle of Glenkinchie 12 year Single Malt. Distilled in one of the very few distilleries in the 'Lowlands' (by the boarder) this light dry whisky has a fruity smell with a dry, sweet taste to it. As you swill you get a citrusy lemon flavour just before the alcohol hits you and brings a smooth heat to the back of your throat - it just borders on too much of an alcohol taste, when I say that I mean like the smell of a hand sanitiser kind of alcohol.

This whisky was really enjoyably  as my 'official' start into whisky exploration as it was not too harsh, the sweetness was a nice surprise as I generally go for a peaty Talisker or Laphroig at the end of a night on the beer.


Smell: 6
Taste: 7
Finish: 5

Cocktails in Vegas

This summer, the newly 'appointed' Mrs Tipple & I took a trip to the USA.
As this was our honeymoon we wanted to go all out, starting with 5 days in Las Vegas before heading over to the east coast for 5 days in New York.

They say everything is bigger in the US...they are not wrong!

On the run up to the Honeymoon a lot of time was spent researching the cities, sites to see, where to shop, where to eat...where to drink? The beauty of Las Vegas is that everything is so over the top, after 2 days it felt like the norm spending the morning in an Egyptian Pyramid at the Luxor before having Gelato on the streets of Venice in the Venetian.
On our first evening we ate at Diablo's, a Mexican diner situated between the New York New York & Monte Carlo Casino's. We visited on recommendation from friends...although the two for one beer voucher I had may have swayed our decision. Upon sitting down Liz ordered a Margarita (large!) whilst I browsed the beer menu. UK supermarkets and beer shops are full of US imported beer now, so I was familiar with most of the offereing's on the menu. I opted for a pint of what on the menu was worded as 'New Castle'...this turned out to be a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale...my quest to try new beer failed at the first hurdle! The fish tacos here was pretty good - however the nachos were amazing, the portion itself was enough to feed a family of four!

In Las Vegas you can walk down the strip with a beer quite happily, considering it was 24hour drinking we felt comfortable and safe at all times - with no idiot drunks ruining everyone's holiday.
Upon exploring the strip we discovered 'Fat Tuesdays'. Essentially, this is a fast food joint for cocktails. We walked in for a cold drink without realising where we were...the back wall was full of giant slush machines, with an option of various cup sizes...from a $10 16oz to giant $35 novelty yard sticks. We started our Fat Tuesday addiction with a Margarita. We chose to purchase these drinks for a bit of relief from the 30+ degree heat on the strip, for the money we expected a iced drink with a hint of alcohol...we were wrong, they were stronger than they looked!

Later in the week we discovered that our hotel (MGM Grand) had a Fat Tuesday outlet, and being cheaper than the main bar we visited frequently to keep us 'hydrated' whilst we fluttered in the Casino. For an extra dollar we were offered an extra 'shot'...this seemed to be at least 50ml of extra tequila...well worth the money!!!
Throughout the week we tried 'Hurricane (rum & fruit juice), Pina Colada, Amaretto & Whisky (strong!!!) as well as about 5 Margaritas.
As I mentioned earlier, Vegas was so safe and was a world away from Leeds City Center on a Saturday night, which was surprising given the reputation of Sin City. As a business model, Fat Tuesday was perfect for the Strip in the blazing heat of the desert, I couldn't see it working in the UK as people would just abuse it and make a mess in the streets...but if you are ever in Vegas, you need to try it!

Las Vegas is America's playground. It is full of shows and attractions that would keep you occupied for weeks, all before you even spend time in the Casino. We are definately not gamblers, Vegas was booked so we could experience the 'spectacle' of it all, the Eiffle Tower, the Stratosphere, the fountains at the Bellagio. When you are in the casino though you can not help but have a little flutter. The night before we left Las Vegas we decided to go out for a nice meal, spend time on the casino floor and just enjoy our final night. After a week of fast food it was nice to sit down at Grimaldi's Italian at the Palazzo and just enjoy a quiet pint of Sam Adams and a glass of prosecco (similar to in NYC, the measure of prosecco was enormous considering what we have in the UK). The pizza here is to die for, best order one to share between two though due to the size!


When we arrived back at the MGM Grand we spent an hour losing money on the slot machines before retiring to one of the casino's many bars. Whisky Down is a bar that I had researched several months before our visit to Las Vegas, open 24 hours it offers a bit of class in an brightly lit casino floor. Walking past it I imagine it to be similar to how old fashioned US speakeasy's were during the prohibition, or somewhere that a wealthy gambler could wind down with a cigar and a glass of Bourbon.  However tempted I was to order a large Bourbon and watch the world go by I found myself tempted by the cocktail menu. We ordered their signature 'Whisky In A Jar' which contained Old Forrester Bourbon, mint, watermelon & ginger beer $15. We also tried a 'Black Basil Smash' with Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, honey syrup, lemon juice and blackberries for $14. Both drinks were really nice, but the stand out was the Whisky In A Jar...considering the quality of the drink we found the prices to be quite reasonable, especially due to its central Casino location. Next time we visit though I will try to work my way through their Bourbon shelf, neat with one cube of ice!

The above is just a small selection of the amazing bars and restaurants located in Las Vegas itself. This city is not just for the gamblers and party animals...but it is definitely a place for Foodies and surprisingly enough, a great place to relax.
We have already booked to go back - the trip can not come soon enough!

First Dabble into Sloe Gin - Part 2

As you probably read a couple of months ago, after many years of toying with the idea I decided to have a little 'dabble' into Sloe Gin making.

It was great fun making the gin, I ended up with a classic Sloe Gin, an Xmas Sloe Gin and finally (with the leftover sloes) I made a bottle of Sloe Vodka. The recipes can be found here.

Every couple of days I have been shaking the bottles, holding in my anticipation to finally sample these delights...well that time has come.

After leaving the tipples for at least two months all you need to do is bottle up. For this I sterilised the intended bottles and made a make-shift filter. I took a measuring jug, a blue kitchen cloth (unused) and one of Liz's bobbles. Once the filter was 'assembled' all you have to do is slowly pour the contents of your jars into the jug, depending on the amount made it may fill up several times. Once the filter has done it's job all you have to do is pour your tipples into their bottles, then when you fancy a festive treat pour some into a shot glass and enjoy.

Once I had sampled all of my Sloe Tipples I had made some notes for next year. The classic Sloe Gin had the intended flavour, where as the Xmas blend had a bit too much of a hit of aniseed - it really overpowered the cinnamon flavour that I was after. The main note I made was that even though the taste and colour were all to plan, it was a bit too thin. The other day I tried a family members blackberry vodka which had the texture that I wanted, sad to say mine did not match up. So if you are in the Guiseley/Otley area please let me know where I can find fresh sloe's ready for next year, as I do think that this will be my last attempt using dehydrated sloes. Just as an added note, after wittering on about Sloe Gin for months I have to admit, the tipple with the strongest and fruitiest flavour was actually the Vodka!

At the weekend we had a couple of friends round for a little get-together and naturally I wanted to showcase the tipples...so find below the 'reviews' of the 2015 vintage.

"Not harsh, quite tasty" - @andybrindley
"Mmmmmm, really nice considering I dont usually drink Vodka" - @elizabethrdawson
"I liked the cinnamon taste as it hit the back of my throat, it warmed me up and tasted just like how Christmas would taste" - @chloeconnett
"Sweet but not too sweet, it has the right balance of spices and alcohol" - @ameliavictoriax

As I type this I am ready to pour myself another glass, knowing that by the new year it will all be gone.

Have you made any this year? If so tweet my a picture so we can compare.

- Sam

Shaken, Not Stirred - my favourite tipples from the world of James Bond.

'Maybe I misjudged Stromberg. Any man who drinks Dom Perigean '52 can't be all bad' - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Unsure whether you have noticed or not, but there is another Bond film coming out.
SPECTRE, Daniel Craig's fourth outing as the legendary 007 opens in cinema's on 26th October...do you have your tickets booked?  We sure do!

A lot of people know me to be quite a geek, with a love of all things superhero, Doctor Who etc.  Many of you will know me for my love of beer.  However, my biggest passion is the franchise goliath that is James Bond.

Still taken from Goldfinger via Getty Images 

Ever since I opened a VHS copy of Goldeneye & Dr No at Christmas and saw the Q-Boat chase of The World Is Not Enough in the cinema (I am only 26 after all) I have been obsessed with the giant that is the worlds longest running movie franchise.  Even featuring it when discussing the role of British film franchises in cinema for my university dissertation, so it is safe to assume my excitement of seeing 007 come up against an old enemy in the form of the villainous organisation that is SPECTRE.

Throughout the cinematic history of 007 (and even in the novels), alcohol has played a huge part in James Bond's lifestyle. Whether it to be a way to showcase his lavish lifestyle, a way to figure out a villain in plain sight (Red Grant in From Russia With Love 'Red wine with fish, that should have told me something') or even as a blatant piece of product placement. Here I will discuss my favourite tipples from the James Bond franchise.

First up I will start with the champagne. From dining with colleagues and villains, to (mostly) accompanying him to bed with one of his many Bond Girls, champagne is present in almost all the James Bond films.
'Bollinger? If it is a '69, you were expecting me' - Moonraker
I have to admit, I first purchased a bottle of Champagne Bollinger purely after seeing 007 drink it, I was not disappointed in the taste! I remember having some friends over many years ago where we drank a bottle watching a Roger Moore 007 film. Sometimes the bottle is hidden in the back of shot, however I can remember at least three times where it was blatantly in shot of the camera...my favourite being the champagne cooler built into Pierce Brosnan's DB5.
Champagne Bollinger has been present in the James Bond films since Roger Moore in Live And Let Die and continues to pop up even now into Daniel Craig's era.
Due to the iconic connotations of Bollinger, the brand has taken up the 007 logo on many limited edition bottles...something that I have yet to have the joy of purchasing. For SPECTRE, Bollinger have released a limited edition Crystal cooler. at £4500 it is certainly not cheap, but one for the collectors.

Image taken from JamesBondLifestyle.com.

Bollinger SPECTRE 007 Limited Edition Crystal cooler

with Bollinger R.D. 1988 Magnum bottle.

photo © Champagne Bollinger

So Bollinger is still Bond's Champagne of choice, however he has not always had such a tie to one brand. Another famous Champagne seen in the films is Dom Perignon. This champagne was present from Sean Connery to Roger Moore. I have not yet had the opportunity to sample this tipple so I can not really comment on it...when ever I see a bottle in Selfridges it is at least £100 more than my budget for that day.  However what I love about the inclusion of this brand is that 007 uses it many times to comment on his adversaries...or even just to impress a woman.

'My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perigean '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees fahrenheit. Thats as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs' - Goldfinger (1964)

Moving on to the most famous of James Bond's tipples...the Martini
Iconically ordered by Sean Connery in Dr No to be 'shaken, not stirred' this quote can not be said without trying to imitate Sean's Scottish accent. As Daniel Craig's films aimed to take 007 back to how Fleming wrote him it was natural to bring the recipe of 007's own version of the drink into the films. In Casino Royale, 007 orders a Vodka Martini with:
'Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin slice of lemon peel'
This is then named the Vesper...which is now top of the list of the Martini section in many cocktail bars in Leeds...even though one ingredient Kina Lillet is no longer available. As I have never had a Martini containing Kina Lillet I have never actually had a Vesper, but many bars just add vermouth. The first time I ordered a Vesper was whilst trying to impress Liz in Harvey Nichols on Valentines Day...she is still with me so didn't scare her off, which was probably down to holding in the Connery accent. On a personal level though, I have to say I generally order a gin martini as opposed to 007's vodka martini, which I now find strange how for years Bond ordered 'vodka martini' when the Vesper contains two parts Gordons....anyway I digress.
Just a note for those in Leeds, the 360 Bar in Trinity Kitchen does an amazing Martini with Bombay Sapphire, the barman even attempted a Connery accent!

Finally I wanted to discuss the alcohol that Bond drinks which are clearly paid for by the company themselves. Now I have nothing against this, product placement in movies is more often than not a vital way of the producers being able to actually finance the film...my favourite moment being when Bond first meets Vesper in Casino Royale when she is literally sizing up 007. Vesper comments on his expensive watch 'what is it...Rolex?' to which Bond replies 'Omega' with the face of the watch facing the camera...they could have just taken that clip for Omega's ad campaign. In Skyfall there was a small uproar about Bond drinking Heineken. Beer has been present in several of the films, but not really associated with the 'gentleman spy' image. However Daniel Craig has openly commented how Skyfall could not have been made without the advertising funds...I think I read that Heineken paid £30million ! Luckily Bond takes a few swigs before drinking a Scotch with Silva.
In SPECTRE Bond will be drinking Belvedere vodka, whether he will actually request the brand or whether it is just in the background is currently unknown however the brand are cashing in on their investment with limited edition bottles...is it sad that even though we do not generally drink Vodka in our house I still want a bottle in my bar?

SPECTRE opens on Monday in the UK...I have booked for Friday so no spoilers on Twitter or Facebook please !!! - Sam

First dabble into Sloe Gin

Winter is coming !
What tipple do you most associate with the cold weather, roaring pub fires and the snow. If you are like me you will immediately think of Sloe Gin.
In the village where I grew up the local pub hosted an annual Sloe Gin competition, where the locals would battle out for the tastiest tipple of the year. Working behind the bar was always a benefit as I managed to sneak many samples throughout the night...this began my taste for Sloe Gin.

Now you can pick up Sloe Gin anywhere nowadays, with Gordons offering their own brand, as well as specialist companies such as SloeMotion. This for me just is not the same, it has to be home made!
So this year I decided to finally (after years of saying 'this year I am going to...) make my own.


The only problem I found that I know nowhere local where I can find hawthorne bushes, so this blog may seem controversial to the purists. I went online and (wait for it) purchased a bag of dehydrated sloe's. They came from amazon at around £7.50 posted, which for someone with no time to go exploring the woods was quite a bargain. The only problem with purchasing these sloe's is that on starting the gin the rich red colour that you usually see is not as rich as you would expect, at this stage a purply grey... I am sure in time it will get better!



So the recipes:
I decided to make two different tipples, a conventional Sloe Gin & a Christmas version.
You need (makes two gin's):
500g Sloe Berries
500g Caster Sugar
1litre Gin (cheaper the better...apparently)
2x flip top jars (found for less than £2 each in IKEA)
2x months of patience



Simply, take 250g of sloes (if you buy dehydrated make sure you soak and wash them thoroughly, then leave to soak in warm water overnight...just to rehydrate them). Add the sloes to the jar, followed by 250g of caster sugar and half a litre of gin. It is as simple as that !

For my Christmassy Gin I used the above recipe and added a cinnamon stick and a couple of whole star anise....little bit on an experiment.
All in all, for all the ingredients (inc the Xmas spices) it cost just under £20.

Following this leave the jars out of direct sunlight and turn every couple of days. After approximately 2 months strain out the gin, rebottle and enjoy...maybe with a mince pie!
Once we completed the Sloe Gin, we still had a lot of sloe's left...so out came our untouched bottle of Smirnoff (for guests as we do not usually have vodka!) and a bottle of Sloe Vodka was added (same recipe just different spirit)

Like I said earlier, the inclusion of the dried sloes is a bit of an experiment...it may or may not work, so come back in two months and lets see what it is like!

-Sam

My Rum Diary: Part 2

If you look at our home bar you will see a huge mix of differnet tipples, we have Gin, Amaretto, Vodka, Tequila, Red Wine, Prosecco and finally Rum...lots and lots of Rum.
I have always enjoyed drinking Rum, this all began after a holiday with friends to Lanzarote many years ago where I was introduced to Havana Club. I tried to get into Whisky as it is my Dad's favourite, but the spirit of my choice is definately Rum. I think it is because it is sweet and has many different variations. A current favourite of mine is Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum....little hint, stray away from the coke and try it with fresh orange juice...it really is a winner!

Now if you read my last blog you will know of our trip to Cuba last September. When we were planning our holiday I used my love of Rum as one of the main selling points of Varadero. Unfortunately you can only bring so much back with you to the UK. We had a real issue, ow on earth do you pick what to bring back when you are in a country famous for Rum...you sample as many different types as you can.
In the hotel, the first thing we did was to make friends with some of the bar staff. This way when ordering a Cuba Libre we managed to try various different brands as opposed to the house Rum.
Varadero is very much a tourist resort, you could walk out of the hotel, jump on the bus and explore the town without any safety worries. We were told by our rep that there was a shop called the House of Rum....we had to visit it.

 


When we arrived it was heaven for me and Liz, the shop (as can be seen in the picture) was absolutely crammed full of every different Rum that you could imagine of...it was perfect for me seeing so many bottles of Havana Club. As we browsed we were asked the question 'would you like a sample?' how could we say no? Usually when that question is asked you will get a single shot of what ever spirit you are sampling...by the time we had finished we had sampled 8 different shots each (white, golden, spiced, sweet, dark...what a mix).
After having 16 shots between us (small measures may I add) we made the decision to purchase our holiday rum from this shop. Originally I went for the Havana Club bottles that I know and love (for about a third of the UK price), however Liz suggested that we picked out bottles that we had sampled and that we would not see on supermarket shelves in the UK.
Each bottle of Rum that we purchased cost 8 Cuban Pesos...so approx £5.
This is what we came home with:

The first Rum that we purchased was Havana Club Ritual (37.5%). At the time this was a brand new product, we purchased it as the closest supermarkets that will stock this will be in Spain. This is perfect for a Cuba Libre! It is a mix of sweet and spiced rum (mainly sweet)...think of a smoother Sailor Jerrys. You can get this in the UK now, but just online only at https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-26840.aspx.

The second Rum purchased was again from Havana Club. It was the Anejo Reserva (40%). Translated this is their Old Reserve. You can purchase many of the normal Havana Club Rum's in many drinks shops (3 year, Especial, 7 Year) but I have not seen this one. It is certainly one to purchase. Like the Ritual, this Rum is a mix of sweet and spicy. But at the same time is essentially the opposite to it, there is definately more spice than sweetness from this Rum. If I were to compare this to a Rum in the UK it would be Captain Morgans, but as this is an aged Rum you can really taste the quality, it has an oaky flavour and slight harshness to it (less harsh than the Havana 7 Year). If you were to drink this with coke you can taste the smooth flavours from an average shot...whereas for the Ritual a larger shot is recommended so that the mixer doesn't drown out the flavours. You can order this on Amazon, or again from the Whisky Exhange website http://www.amazon.co.uk/Havana-Club-Anejo-Reserva-Reserve/dp/B00BFMA9BW

Ron Mulata Elixir De Ron (32%). Now this is a brand well known in Cuba, our hotel bar was fully stocked with all the different types. Unlike the famous brands, Ron Mulata is still a fairly new product for Rum...the brand is only 20 years old. Check out their website ... this will soon be seen in UK bars. http://www.ron-mulata.co.uk/

As I previously said we decided to bring back only bottles that we knew we couldn't really find in the UK...that is the dissapointing thing about the bottle of Mulata that we brought back, I cannot restock my bar with it. We purchased their sweet rum, which is not on their UK site...and I'm still awaiting a response on twitter whether they will introduce this. Unlike the other rums that we purchased I would recommend to drink the Elixir De Ron as it is, over ice. As soon as you pour a measure you can smell the sweetness of it, it kind of reminded me of a dessert wine, with a mix of raisins and oak flavours. I cant give you a link to where you can purchase this unfortunately...but if you find this in the UK then let me know ASAP.


Last but certainly not least Ron Legendario(34%). Until we arrived home and searched for this online we thought that Legendario was the name of the rum, but like Mulata it is the brand name. They have a mix of white, spiced, dark and aged rums available. I found a link on amazon where you can buy the them all http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legendario-TastePack-bottles-Elixir-Superior/dp/B00GB36RIE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1431176709&sr=8-4&keywords=legendario yes it is alot of money but certainly worth it. We purchased the Elixir De Cuba. Similar to the Mulata this rum has a sweetness to it, but out of the 4 that we brought back this is the closest to a dark rum. If you want a dark rum that is not too harsh then this is for you. Honestly I think some dark rums are a bit harsh (Lambs Navy Rum), but the sweetness in Legendario offsets that.
Out of the bottles in our bar this is our favourite, and probably the best priced to buy online...its about £24.00. If you come round to ours for a drink and get offered a Legendario then you are definately one of our favourite people.
Again this goes well with coke, but it has a really kick to it mixed over ice with fresh orange.


So for about £20 we managed to purchase all these amazing bottles. From our experience at the Casa De Ron in Varadero I now tend to sample random tipples that I have not heard of in bars hoping to find a new gem (as when ordering rum I tend to stick with what I know). So tweet me with what Rum you are drinking, and if you see any of the above then buy them ! It is certainly worth stocking up your bar with one if not all of these tipples.

My Rum Diary: Part 1

Last September we went on a trip. We spent two weeks sat by the beach in Varadero, Cuba. It really was the perfect holiday, we spent our time relaxing by the pool and the beach, touring the historic city of Havana and most importantly drinking rum.
I wanted to share our experiences of Cuban Rum in two parts. This blog will explore what we drank whilst in Cuba, whereas in Part 2 I will be sharing and reviewing the rum that we brought back to the UK…and showing where you can order it from.

After 9 hours sat on the plane I looked out of the window to see a beautiful Caribbean Island, it looked just like the photographs with vast green land mass, turquoise sea and clear sand beaches. We pulled up at our Hotel, the Blau Varadero. The hotel was huge and you could see it from such a distance whilst on the coach. The first thing that excited me about this country was the cars, I looked in the car park of the hotel and it was full of 50’s American cars. Now I know that the cars are an iconic image of Cuba, however I did not expect that every single car would keep within that image. They were all different bright colours and worlds away from any car park in the UK.
The Blau Varadero housed 4 bars: the pool bar (where the staff gave you a funny look if you did not have rum in your drink….even at 11am), the beach bar (perfect for a cold beer whilst looking out at the ocean), the piano bar (where we had our last drink of the night listening to the bar staff sing opera) and finally the main hotel bar. I really hope that the above image does this bar justice as it was unbelievable, there is no where in the UK that I could compare this to…if it was in Leeds City Center then the drinks would be very expensive.

On having our first cocktails we decided that we would try everything on the menu. I am only going to talk about our favourites otherwise this blog would go on forever.

First of all is the Blau Varadero (you guessed it, named after the hotel). This cocktail was perfect for any time of day, however we preferred drinking this during the afternoon whilst sat on the beach. The base of this drink was the hotels Pina Colada mix, available all day from Slush Puppy machines. To the Pina Colada mix they added rum and a very large measure of banana liquor. It was both sweet and refreshing. 8/10

Our trip to the Blau was full of mixing drinks, we would begin the day by drinking Cristal (the local lager in Cuba). We then moved onto pool & beach cocktails which were all rum based, before moving onto wine in the evening and ending the night with more cocktails. The most popular cocktail in Cuba is the Cuba Libre, which is rum and coke for us brits…this is served with a very large measure of rum with a squeeze of lime juice…I wont go into much detail as we have all had this drink in the UK.

The second Cuban cocktail that I wanted to share with you is the Canchanchara…I must have ordered this twice a day once I discovered it, it was amazing and if you ever see this on a cocktail menu in the UK then tweet me where I can get one. I am still amazed how I managed to order this drink as to this day I can not pronounce this. This drink was made up of three ingredients: lime juice, a double measure of white rum and a spoon of honey. The bar staff shook this all up and then poured it into a whisky glass filled with ice. It really had a kick to it, which you can imagine considering it was pretty much just rum! If you are like me and have a sweet tooth then this is for you. Whilst in Cuba I drank a Canchanchara late in the evenings whilst Liz drank Margaritas. In Cuba they used their generic white rum, but if you ever want to make this cocktail for yourself then I would recommend Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos. 10/10 !!!

The excursions that we did in Varadero were amazing, this included a dolphin show and a Catamaran trip to a private island for sea, sun, BBQ & rum!
The best day trip that we took was called ‘Havana Club & Cigars’…this trip is essentially what it says on the tin. We spent the day exploring, drinking rum and smoking cuban cigars. We took a coach into the beautiful city of Havana, we started at the Havana Club Museum where we learnt about the history of rum making on the Island and the history of the brand itself…which was perfect for me as Havana Club is my favourite rum brand. In the museum we started with a rum and fresh orange juice (which is a great change if you don’t fancy coke!). We learnt about the history and all the different rum on offer from Havana Club, including a sneaky shot of their 7 year dark rum!

Following the museum we had a walking tour of the historic town which ended with drinking Daiquiri’s at the famous El Floridita bar…who claim to have invented the cocktail.

Whilst on our walking tour we stopped off at the Hotel Ambos Mundos. Located in the center of the old town this hotel was made famous as the hotel favourited by American author Ernest Hemmingway, before he took up residency in Havana. I really can not explain how hot it was whilst walking through Havana, by the time we reached the Ambos Mundos we were ready for a drink.
This leads me to the final drink that I wanted to talk about… The Mojito.
Lets face it, the Mojito is THE most famous rum based cocktail in the world. We did drink these in the hotel, but they did not match the quality of the drink in the Ambos Mundos. To make a Mojito you take a high ball glass, add sugar lime juice and mint sprigs. You muddle this before adding sparkling water and a large measure of white rum. This drink is refreshing mainly due to the mint and is very drinkable, even with a large measure the alcohol is not too over powering. In the UK a decent Mojito would cost at least £6 (in Leeds anyway). However in the center of Havana we spent 6 Cuban Pesos on two of these drinks…which is about £2 a drink. 8/10

If you go are planning a trip to the Caribbean then you should give Cuba a try, you will not regret it…next on my list is Jamaica, to compare their rum to that of the Cubans.

In a couple of days I will be posting a blog about our visit to Varadero’s house of rum and reviewing the tipples that we brought back with us.