{"id":22329,"date":"2020-12-08T22:37:09","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T03:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/?p=22329"},"modified":"2023-09-25T18:16:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T22:16:18","slug":"rum-spotlight-ed-hamilton-brings-new-west-indies-blend-to-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/2020\/12\/08\/rum-spotlight-ed-hamilton-brings-new-west-indies-blend-to-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Rum Spotlight: Ed Hamilton brings new West Indies blend to Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated Dec. 23, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

Importer Ed Hamilton has announced the arrival of a new Hamilton Rum blend bottled for the Florida Rum Society, soon to be available in retail locations across the Sunshine State. Plans call for the rum, a blend of Jamaican and Guyanese rums, to be distributed in 2021 to other states as well.<\/p>\n

\"Ministry<\/a><\/p>\n

The first shipment arrived in Orlando on Friday (Dec. 4) from Hamilton’s New York bottling facility, he announced during a Zoom happy hour event that evening. On Thursday, he teased Florida rum lovers with an Instagram post<\/a> containing the label, announcing that the rum was “on I-75 on the way to Florida.”<\/p>\n

Jump below:<\/strong> 15 things you need to know about Ed Hamilton and Hamilton Rum<\/a>
\nRecipe: <\/strong>Hamilton Navy Grog, as served at The Mai-Kai<\/a><\/p>\n

The quick arrival pleased the longtime rum connoisseur, author and owner of his own boutique label and import company, Caribbean Spirits.<\/a> The new rum will be part of Hamilton’s Ministry of Rum Private Collection, containing a similar label but more limited-edition bottlings than his standard Ministry of Rum releases. These include a variety of rum blends sourced from Jamaica, Guyana, St. Lucia and other islands.<\/p>\n

He also imports a selections of acclaimed rums from Martinique, including the Neisson, La Favorite and Duquesne labels. Ministry of Rum<\/a> refers to the website and message board Hamilton launched in the late 1990s that remains an essential reference tool<\/a> for researching and learning about all rum.<\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/a>
Ed Hamilton spars with rum ambassador Ian Burrell at thefirst Miami Rum Congress<\/a> in February 2019. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the Florida Rum Society<\/a> blend, Hamilton said he went with a modified version of his popular Navy Strength blend,<\/a> a powerful 114-proof combination of 60 percent Guyana rum and 40 percent Jamaican rum. The new blend is more accessible, clocking in a 45 percent alcohol by volume, or 90 proof. Hamilton said the blend is 65 percent from Demerara Distillers<\/a> in Guyana and 35 percent from Worthy Park Estate<\/a> in Jamaica.<\/p>\n

Besides the proof and percentages, there’s a slight variation the age of the rum, Hamilton said. The Jamaican component is a 1-year-old rum while the Navy blend contains unaged distillate. The Guyanese rum is the same blend of 2- to 5-year-old rums that Hamilton uses in the Navy Strength bottling, as well as the Hamilton 86<\/a> and 151 Guyana rums that are well-known and loved at Tiki bars across the country. Check our in-depth look<\/a> at Hamilton’s journey in bringing these rums to market, and their use at The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n

The Florida Rum Society blend promises to be more versatile and just as tasty as the Navy blend, its lower proof and added aging making it more assessable as a sipper and all-purpose mixer. It’s also a higher proof than the similar New York Blend,<\/a> an 84-proof version of the Navy blend. At 65 percent Demerara, it could also make a fine substitute for Hamilton 86 in cocktails. During the Zoom meeting, Hamilton sipped on one of his favorite easy-to-make highballs, a blend of Hamilton 86, Hamilton Jamaican Pimento Dram, and orange juice. I tried a mix of 1 part dram, 3 parts rum and 6 parts juice, and it was delicious.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The flagship Hamilton rums from Guyana are available at Total Wine stores in Florida. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward, August 2016)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new rum should also work well in classic Tiki cocktails that call for a roughly equal blend of non-overproof Demerara and Jamaican rums, such as the Navy Grog<\/a> (and Beachbum Berry’s The Ancient Mariner<\/a>), Pearl Diver’s Punch<\/a>, and Sidewinder’s Fang.<\/a> The extra 5 percent ABV will give the drink a boost to help it hew closer to the original rums. In the mid-century heyday, it was not unusual for standard mixing rums to be higher than 80 proof, especially those from Guyana and Jamaica. During the Zoom meeting, I enjoyed a Navy Grog featuring three of Hamilton’s signature rums (see recipe below)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Florida Rum Society on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for updates on distribution. Hamilton confirmed that the main retail location will be the Sarasota Liquor Locker<\/a>. The rum society boasts a robust online store<\/a> with quick delivery across the state featuring rums stocked by the Sarasota store.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:<\/b><\/font> Sarasota Liquor Locker and the rum society’s online shop<\/a> were the first get the rum. Soon after, it was on its way to Five Star Liquor & Wine in Orlando, Primo Liquors in Broward County (multiple ocations), Big Game Liquors in Miami, and Beach Liquors in the Panhandle (multiple ocations).<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

Hamilton said he expects retail outlets across the state to carry the rum. Part of the goal of the partnership with the Florida Rum Society, he said, is to leverage the group’s influence to persuade more retailers to carry the Hamilton (and Caribbean Spirits) product line. The bottling includes 112 cases, he said, though he didn’t rule out another batch in the future depending on demand. If the store you frequent in Florida doesn’t carry Hamilton rums, or you’d like to request the new blend, ask them to contact the distributor: Progress Wine Group from Opa Locka, (321) 230-4682.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:<\/b><\/font> The Florida Rum Society announced an online cocktail contest featuring the new blend<\/a>, with the winner earning “a hoard” of Hamilton rums. The group has quickly ramped up its activities after forming only in mid-2019. Members began holding in-person gatherings before the pandemic and have continued them online, with Hamilton and other high-profile rum industry veterans, such as Privateer Rum’s Maggie Campbell, joining in.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Florida Rum Society (@floridarumsociety)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n