Let's start Friday off with a nice kick. We hear that industry legend Chris Blackwell (of Cat Stevens, U2 and Bob Marley fame) has made his eponymous Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum available stateside.
Blackwell, who is also responsible for the posh GoldenEye Hotel & Resort in Jamaica, hails from one of Jamaica's oldest rum-producing families (can you say 17th century?), so you know this is the real deal.
The dark, robust rum offers up flavors of toasty coconut and honeyed tropical fruits and is available in New York and New Jersey as we speak. It will be rolled out in Florida and California as of September 1, followed by Illinois as of October 1.
How do you drink it? We say drink it like Blackwell, served up in a GoldenEye:
3 shots Blackwell Rum
1 shot orange juice
1 shot lime juice
1 shot pineapple juice
2 shots simple syrup
Ice
1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake. (For a frostier version, blend in a blender)
2. Garnish with orange and pineapple slices to serve.
For more information visit www.blackwellrum.com.