Join Vizcaya At Old Westbury Gardens for “A Night In Old Havana”

If you’re a Vizcaya fan who lives on the East Coast, mark your calendars now for May 19, 2012. That’s the date of “Rum & Rumba: A Night In Old Havana,” which is the theme for this year’s Old Westbury Gardens annual Gardeners’ Fair.

Vizcaya is proud to sponsor this event, which is attended each year by hundreds of high-profile attendees from New York’s philanthropic, social and business communities, and to be the only brand of rum that is poured throughout the evening. Vizcaya Cristal and Vizcaya Cask 12 will provide a smooth, delicious basis for signature Cuban cocktails, while Vizcaya VXOP, the ultimate sipping rum, will be on hand for those guests who prefer to savor their rum straight up or on the rocks.

Additionally, a case of Vizcaya VXOP will be one of the featured auction items. Come place your bid for 12 bottles of the very best rum around, with proceeds to benefit a fantastic charity!

Old Westbury Gardens boasts 60,000 annual visitors. Located on Long Island’s North Shore, the 200-acre estate is home to many events, including children’s programs, concerts and festivals, horticultural classes, tours and talks. The Gardeners’ Fair is a much-anticipated annual extravaganza, and the funds raised on the evening of May 19th will help Old Westbury Gardens achieve its goals of providing environmental education and ensuring that beautiful green spaces are available to all.

Vizcaya is a natural partner for the 2012 “Rum & Rumba: A Night In Old Havana” event, since its family of Cuban-style rums, distilled using premium sugar cane and traditional methods, are rich with flavor and character. Anyone who appreciates the sophisticated nuances of a premium sipping spirit will enjoy the taste of Vizcaya VXOP, its smoothness embued with notes of spice, brown sugar and smoke. For fans of classic Cuban-inspired cocktails like mojitos, El Presidentes and daiquiris, Vizcaya Cristal and Vizcaya Cask 21 fit the bill. These, the newest addition to the Vizcaya line, offer the same high quality as Vizcaya VXOP, while maintaining a more subtle flavor profile. This allows them to be made into top-notch cocktails.

Come hobnob with some of New York’s elite society, drink fabulous cocktails inspired by 1950s Havana, bid on auction items like a case of the ultimate sipping rum, Vizcaya VXOP, and dance in the gardens. It’s “Rum & Rumba: A Night In Old Havana” at the Old Westbury Gardens, and it wouldn’t be the same without you!

For more information, please visit www.oldwestburygardens.org.

Come Drink Vizcaya at Brooklyn’s Friendly, Funky Roneria Caracas

Summer is drawing to a close, and that makes people melancholy, even while it sends them to the streets, seeking to wrest just a little more pleasure from this most hedonistic of seasons. If you happen to find yourself in Brooklyn, feeling a little restless and perhaps more than a little thirsty, may we suggest that you head over to Roneria Caracas for a rum flight featuring Vizcaya VXOP?

Located inside Caracas Arepa Bar Brooklyn, Roneria Caracas is an unusual little venue. The atmosphere is casual, funky, colorful and cozy all at once. With aluminum-siding (yes, we said aluminum siding) and plywood (yup, plywood) décor, a chalkboard listing its collection of premium rums, and a clientele that’s largely comprised of indy hipsters in various array of body modification, Roneria Caracas is not the most sophisticated venue in which to enjoy your Vizcaya—but don’t let that stop you.

Not only are their rum flights a fantastic way to venture into the world of “devil water” if you’re not already an aficionado, but the extremely knowledgeable bartenders will be happy to point you in the right direction if you’re looking for a cocktail. In fact, Roneria Caracas has developed a bit of a reputation for creating fresh, fun versions of old favorites—drinks that are at once surprising and true to the spirit of the original. A mojito with just a soupcon of absinthe; an old fashioned with port-marinated blueberries and bay leaf reduction; a pina colada accented with coconut bitters—these are some of the ways that the cocktails of yore are being reimagined by the mixologists at Roneria Caracas. Naturally, the slightly-smoky, honeyed and spiced notes of Vizcaya VXOP would provide an excellent counterpoint to any of these cocktails, as well as excellent enjoyed on its own.

While you’re at Roneria Caracas, make sure to try the speciality of the house at Caracas Arepa, arepas. These pocket-sized flatbreads can be stuffed with meat, chicken, cheeses or combinations of vegetables, and make the perfect snack to pair with a snifter of Vizcaya, or to nibble in between tastes of the rum flight.  If your appetite is already whetted when you arrive, try one of Caracas’s full plates, or order a tableful of arepas, empanadas and delectable side dishes to share.

Weather permitting, enjoy your smooth distinctive Vizcaya on Roneria Caracas’s patio and watch the fascinating parade that the Brooklyn streets provide. Cheers!

Savor the Culture of Vintage Cuba at Rumbar with Vizcaya VXOP

If you’re looking for a sophisticated, refined yet inviting space in which to enjoy Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 rum, look no further than Rumbar, located inside Key Biscayne’s Ritz-Carlton. The name of this storied hospitality company is synonymous with luxury and exemplary service, and Rumbar puts a decidedly Latin spin on the Ritz-Carlton’s elegance.

With deep, inviting leather couches and armchairs, crimson walls and rich mahogany woodwork, Rumbar looks every bit the gentleman’s club. The atmosphere is genteel and relaxed—perfect for kicking back to savor the spice and complexity of Vizcaya. Rumbar also has a humidor that boasts an extensive collection of cigars for your smoking pleasure.

Despite its decidedly vintage feel—Rumbar reminds patrons not just of Hemingway, as so many Cuban-inspired rum-friendly establishments do, but also, with its slowly turning wooden ceiling fans, of Bogey and Bacall—the small plates offered by Rumbar’s kitchen have a decidedly modern feel. Choose from short-rib sliders topped with goat cheese mousse and arugula, yuca fries with a creamy chimichurri dipping sauce, or a Caribbean pineapple pizza with cilantro. The classic Cuban sandwich composed of ham, pork, pickles and cheese, the Media Noche, is reworked as a panini. Key lime pie is topped with mango coulis in a delicious marriage of two tropical flavors.

As you would expect at a such a delightfully old-school bar, there is a comprehensive list of cocktails, ranging from time-honored standards like daiquiris, mojitos and caipirinhas, to innovative specialty martinis. The true rum lover, however, will probably bypass these in favor of a vertical rum flight—or possibly a tasting of his own devising. It’s also possible to rent one of Rumbar’s VIP rum lockers, in order to store your own personal bottle of Vizcaya VXOP.

Make sure to check out Rumbar on Saturday nights, when Grupo Nostalgia, a four-piece Latin music group, will truly transport you and your date to Old Havana. Any night of the week, however, is a perfect night to sit back and enjoy a cigar as the friendly bartender pours you a neat Vizcaya, at Key Biscayne’s upscale destination for the enjoyment of rum and Cuban culture.

Photograph courtesy of K. Hurley

The Past, Present and Future of Rum: Vizcaya VXOP and Smuggler’s Cove

Celebrating the past, present and future of rum, Smuggler’s Cove rum bar in San Francisco offers a selection of premium rums and rum-based cocktails, including Vizcaya VXOP, the ultimate sipping rum.

Smuggler’s Cove offers “traditional drinks of the Caribbean islands, classic libations of Prohibition-era Havana, and exotic cocktails from legendary tiki bars” in a venue that is reminiscent of historic tiki bars and that also prides itself on nautical décor. When you step into the venue, located at Gough and McAllister Streets, you’ll immediately feel the spirit of the islands, the sea, and the people who have inhabited them throughout the ages.

Of course, Smuggler’s Cove wouldn’t be worth its salt if it didn’t offer an extensive list of premium rums, and it does just that. Try a rum flight or, if you’re truly a connoisseur, ask the bartender for a scorecard. You can keep track of all of the rums and cocktails you’ve tried, and when you’ve worked your way through the menu, you’ll receive an exclusive gift and merit badge—and have your name added to the Smuggler’s Cove Manifest. Another nice touch that the rum bar’s owner, Martin Cate, provides is a tasting notes section of the website, where rum lovers can view the truly spectacular menu and make their own notes as they experiment.

With capacity for only 49 people, Smuggler’s Cove is an intimate experience. The bartenders and mixologists who are here to serve you will take their time crafting a premium cocktail for you, whether you choose one of their specialties from the menu, or give them a little more leeway in making your drink. This is a place to gather with a few good friends, sip a cocktail and enjoy a spirited conversation.

Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 rum, which prides itself on a robust, complex palate of flavors—including allspice, clove, nutmeg, butterscotch, vanilla and honey—is, similarly, a drink that is best enjoyed when you have a little leisure to fully appreciate its nuances. Smooth, sippable and even sultry, Vizcaya is the ultimate sipping rum and one that will conjure up the remarkable qualities of a traditional, handcrafted Cuban-style rum.

We’re proud that Vizcaya VXOP is among the offerings at Smuggler’s Cove, and invite you to indulge in a cocktail made with this premium rum, or to savor a glass neat or on the rocks, in the remarkable seafaring atmosphere of Smuggler’s Cove the next time you’re in San Francisco.

Vizcaya VXOP and Dominos At Philly’s Rum Bar

Let’s face it: when you think of rum, Philadelphia is not the first location to come to mind. The owner and mixologist behind Rum Bar, however, wants to change that.

Adam Kanter has painstakingly crafted a rum list and cocktail menu to showcase a variety of rums, including the ultimate sipping rum, Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21. Rum Bar, which is located conveniently just off Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square Park, is a cozy yet not overly intimate setting in which to sip a glass of Vizcaya and perhaps indulge in a small plate or two from the restaurant’s island-inspired menu. After all, who could resist an order of jerk chicken wings, Jamaican beef patties, or ahi tuna tacos with pineapple slaw, pico de gallo and sweet avocado sauce?

Don’t let the delectable food offerings fool you, however; this is a serious rum bar, with a collection of over 140 rums and a cocktail menu designed to showcase them. The knowledgeable bartenders at Rum Bar will mix you up something familiar—a mojito or Mai Tai made high-end by the addition of Vizcaya—or something a little more esoteric. How does a creole daiquiri or a cucumber-rum sour sound? And should your companion be less of a rum enthusiast than you, there’s also a unique selection of South American wines.

Rum Bar features live music, ranging from samba to calypso to rock, every Saturday night, as well as rum flights, and drink and food specials that differ each day. Perhaps most notable among their special events, however, are their Save the Daiquiri Wednesdays, in which the bartenders will craft authentic daiquiris for half price, while patrons can enjoy a spirited game of dominos and the laid-back sounds of live reggae music.

The ambiance at Rum Bar is lush, warm and inviting—much like the experience of sipping Vizcaya VXOP. So the next time you’re in Philly and want to talk rum or enjoy some good company while drinking great Cuban-style Vizcaya VXOP rum, stop in to the Rum Bar Lounge and Restaurant.

A Taste of the Tropics: Brought to You By Eva’s Carribbean Kitchen and Vizcaya VXOP

If you’re like us, you’re always looking for exciting and unique venues in which to enjoy a glass or two of Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 Rum. So we’d like to let you in on a little secret: Eva’s Carribbean Kitchen.

A hidden gem located just off the Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, California, Eva’s is an adventure in Carribbean cuisine and cocktails. The expansive rum tasting list is matched only by the house cocktails. Why not start your evening with a glass of Vizcaya VXOP rum punch? Or try one of the fruitier house specialties, such as a Pink Punani, a Mango Tango or a Rum Cosmo.

The taste of the islands isn’t just in your glass, however. You’ll experience it in the crunch of the Carribbean conch fritters—which are billed as “Carribean Viagra”!–or the heat of cajun prawns, served with grilled pineapple, roasted pepper and passionfruit relish. And these delectable small plates are just for starters. Jerk chicken with mango chutney, blackened catfish, and pineapple-glazed pork loin are some of the entrees that await you. Whatever you choose, make sure to leave room for dessert—West Indian key lime pie, say, or banana passion flambe—complemented by another Vizcaya VXOP, this time served straight up or on the rocks, perhaps with just a squeeze of lime to bring out its sultry, slightly spicy character.

Dining at Eva’s is like embarking on a minature vacation. The décor is as bright, fiery and spicy as the food, lively Carribbean music sets the scene, and the service is attentive, quirky, laid back. Don’t be surprised to see owner/chef Eva Madray herself mingling with the diners, exchanging warm greetings and hugs, and ensuring that everything is up to her high standards. Not only that, but Eva likes to spoil her diners by giving them complimentary tastes of everything from her Callaloo soup to her signature rum libations.

Whether you hail from the tropics and want a taste of home, or you’re simply a foodie and fine rum aficianado, Eva’s has something special in store for you. Drop in, enjoy a glass of Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 Rum with some delectable seafood or a cooked-just-right jerk steak, and feel the ocean breeze. Eva’s Carribbean Kitchen, as its many loyal guests will attest, is an experience that will transport you to the islands.