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January 19, 2018 Joe Barwin

Make a hogo-licious Appleton Rum Jungle Bird & Pineapple Negroni
Jamaican Rum is the classic example of hogo, a term derived from a French phrase describing slightly decayed meat, "haut gout". Hogo represents a highly aromatic and heavier style of rum brimming with molasses, fruit, and funk. The name is inspired by the overripe, strong flavor and smell of that funky fruit, like an old banana whose aroma has intensified and concentrated. Counting 265 years of history and the lion’s share of the local market, the J. Wray & Nephew distillery is the hometown favorite. Its J. Wray and Appleton branded Rums offer options from affordable to super-premium, for cocktailers and connoisseurs alike.
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January 19, 2018 Joe Barwin

Mix a Trader Vic approved Original Mai Tai with Lemon Hart and Coruba Rum
The SF Chronicle has always had a talent for tiki spotting. Back in 1941 Herb Caen gushed over the original Trader Vic’s, proclaiming that “The best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland.” The brand would continue to grow over the 50’s and 60’s, with 25 additional restaurants opening around the world. Tiki’s fortunes faded in the 70’s, reaching something of a low point in 1989 when Donald Trump made the decision to close the Trader Vic’s at his newly purchased Plaza hotel because it had “gotten tacky.”

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January 19, 2018 Meredith Lantz

Wired's Must Read Piece on Silicon Valley's Favorite Craft Distiller
You know when someone from your small hometown goes out and does something big and makes something of themselves? And you are like, "Oh my gosh! I know them! Good for them!"

That is exactly how we felt when we saw Bryan and Joanne of Lost Spirits Distillery featured in a big glossy spread in Wired (print and online). Sure they aren't country bumpkins, but they are scrappy booze nerds, and for that, it feels we are kindred spirits from the same tiny zip code.

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January 19, 2018 Meredith Lantz

Celebrate the world’s first female master blender with 25 Year Rum
With the release of “JOY” rum, Appleton celebrates a woman who has broken through in an industry that continues to be dominated by men. After graduating with multiple science degrees, Joy Spence joined Appleton in 1981 as Chief Chemist, and became enthralled with the process of blending rum. After working for 16 years under the previous Master Blender, Joy had developed an unrivalled palate and was named Master Blender in 1997. Both an artist and a scientist, Joy has spent the last twenty years creating some of the finest rums the world has ever tasted, and was even recognized by the Jamaican government for her contribution to the rum industry.
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January 19, 2018 CJ Best

Don’t judge this rum by its cover
Move over J. Wray and whoever his Nephew is, there’s a new overproof Jamaican rum in town and it’s on Fire. Part of Hampden Estate’s relaunch, Rum Fire is pure unadulterated Jamaican rum in all its ester-full glory. Rum Fire has been in production since 2011 and we here in the United States could only enjoy it on the rare trip abroad. That is until early 2016 when it had its first US launch in Seattle. It quickly spread through the local tiki scene showing up in cocktail bars from Rumba to Tacoma Cabana.
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January 19, 2018 Preston Lai

The Spring Break Cocktail: 100% fun, 0% regret
The Spring Break of our Salad Days was a sun filled booze bonanza with a more is more motto. The week-long bacchanal is in our rear view mirror now, but we're happy to embrace a Spring Break state of mind, or in this case, cocktail recipe.
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Make a hogo-licious Appleton Rum Jungle Bird & Pineapple Negroni

Mix a Trader Vic approved Original Mai Tai with Lemon Hart and Coruba Rum

Wired's Must Read Piece on Silicon Valley's Favorite Craft Distiller

Celebrate the world’s first female master blender with 25 Year Rum

Don’t judge this rum by its cover

The Spring Break Cocktail: 100% fun, 0% regret