Rum Club at The Rum Barrel samples the Rums of Barbados

KEY WEST, Fla. (October 9, 2012) -- Join The Rum Daddy Paul Airtrip and rum connoisseurs from across Key West for FREE rum tastings and FREE cocktail samples of the Best Rums of Barbados with the Rum Barrel's Rum Club on Oct. 9.

From 5:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m., Rum Club tastings on the Rum Barrel scenic open-air Quarterdeck will feature the lovely Mount Gay Rum Girls, Mount Gay 1703, Cockspur 12 Year, Malibu Black, Mount Gay Extra Old along with classic rums and colas, and cocktail specials.

For the ultimate rum tastings, the best in cane spirits cocktails, and just some plain fun, check out the Rum Barrel Rum Club. Food and drink specials are available during Rum Club meetings. 

Also at The Rum Barrel next week:

• Tuesday, October 9: Bradd Shadduck, acoustic musician, at 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 10: Tony Roberts, Key West singer/songwriter, who plays a mix of folk, reggae and rock, at 7 p.m. 
• Thursday, October 11: Open Mic Jam with guitar blues legend Larry Baeder and Dora at 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, October 12: Jonathan Williams at 7 p.m. 
• Saturday, October 13: Lo Fi's, a three-piece rock band, at 7 p.m.

Rum Barrel Features Artist: The Personal Legend

The Personal Legend

Made up of Brazilian guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Luciano Souza Menezes and singer, songwriter, and acoustic guitar player singer, son writer, and acoustic guitar player Ibere Maravalha Fortes, The Personal Legend is a blend of Menezes’ classical music, jazz, bossa nova and rock influences and Fortes’ sense of Bob Marley and Zeppelin. 

Formed in 2002 on a Brazilian rooftop, the duo moved to Pompano Beach and then Miami Beach, recording and performing at warehouses, local parties, on the streets and at open mic nights. Once known as "Eclepnopcia", the band changed their name to The Personal Legend after reading The Alchemist. They released their first single "No Blame" in March 2011, and then in April, "Life on Fire." They released their first album this year. 

The Personal Legend will perform Friday, October 5, 2012 at 7 p.m. on The Rum Barrel Quarterdeck. Check out the week's line-up.

Taste of the Rum Barrel Rum Bible: Caicos Cooler

2 oz. Rum
1 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Banana Liquor
2 oz. Orange Juice

Combine ingredients with ice in cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour into cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a pineapple wedge.

Rum Barrel's Hops Review Board convenes Sept. 5

The second meeting of the Rum Barrel Hops Review Board will convene on September 5 at 7 p.m. at the Rum Barrel.

Photo courtesy letspartymagazine.com

The rotating 5- to 7-member panel of Rum Barrel regulars, fans and beer connoisseurs meets every quarter--or three to four months--to decide what bottled beers and beer on-tap will be served at the bar for the next quarter. The panel does blind taste tests on up to a dozen beers and rates each one. The top four or five beers are selected for future serving.

A How-To Guide to Beer Tasting

"We wanted to provide customers with a rotating selection rather than the standard fare because there are a lot of new beers always coming out. We also wanted people to feel part of the process," said bar manager Robbie Riley.

To join next week's panel, leave a comment on the Rum Barrel's Facebook page saying why you'd like to be a panel member. To join upcoming panels, email Robbie Riley at Robbie(at)rumbarrelbar(dot)com with a brief paragraph on why you'd like to be a member.

Rum Barrel featured artist: Rock Solomon

Take one slightly insane cult-icon folk singer, mix in a zany old school saxophone player, simmer nine months, season to taste, let stand three more months, then come up with a cool name and you have Rock Solomon.

He performs Friday, August 24, from 8 p.m. on the Rum Barrel Quarterdeck

From a nomadic childhood traveling the Pacific Northwest living in old panel vans, trucks and buses with five siblings and a schizophrenic mother, Rock trained in piano, flute, drums and trumpet in his early teens, later becoming a well-known wild child.

He joined a high school metal band as a drummer, before dropping out of school, getting in trouble with the law and going on the run shortly after his 18th birthday. After a couple years of running from place to place and taking odd jobs, he abandoned everything and fled to Key West to start over. He arrived with no money, no friends, and slept on the beaches.

In a few short years, he enrolled in college and studied art, music, photography, acting and more. He won several art grants including the highly coveted SFCC grant for media. He landed leading roles in The Glass Menagerie, Sordid Lives & Incorruptible that won him great accolades and sold out performances. He won a music contest on MTV and modeled in ads in the New York Times. He wrote a play and a movie, built a recording studio, recorded three albums, made several short films and a feature, discovered romance and new friends, and changed the entire course of his life through sheer passion and determination.

Rock Solomon now lives part time in Key West and part time in Los Angeles where he works exclusively in music, film and acting.