August 12, 2008
Drink up
I sometimes get sent free booze for review (I know, I know, how awesome is blogging?!). The truth is most of it is not very...reviewable. And so it is that I've never reviewed any of the bottles I had been sent before. But recently I received a bottle of Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Year Old Rum and it was phenomenal. Like, wow, amazingly delicious. The IC and I are not big drinkers, except for the wine we have with dinner a few times a week, but we finished this bottle in just a few days.
Some background on the rum:
Earlier this year, Matusalem Gran Reserva won the title of "Best Rum" and was proclaimed the "Double Gold Medal Winner" at the San Francisco Spirits Competition – the most prestigious competition of its kind in the U.S.Matusalem Rum was Cuba's best-kept secret until Fidel Castro came and kicked it out of the country. After all these years, Gran Reserva has retained its rebellious spirit, as well as its rich Cuban heritage and history. It's award-winning and appealing to the "outcast" in all of us.
They probably hate Communism. Bonus.
I bought some fresh mint and sugar cane sticks and we mojito'd it up on the Pitt with friends. Turns out that, among his many other talents, the IC makes a mean mojito, my favorite drink. The Matusalem rum was so good it's going to become the standard drink around here. Highly recommended.
Update: Check out their anti-Fidel ad:
Posted by Karol at August 12, 2008 09:48 AM | TrackBackTechnorati Tags: Matsulem+Rum
you get free booze? for a mostly political blog? no one gave me a free bottle of matusalem, that's why my store will never carry it! it's not that you have to give me free booze for me to buy it, but seeing the industry's preferential treatment of the media over the actual retailers that people buy the stuff from pisses me off. there's better rum out there anyway. try a rhum agricole from martinique like j.m., la favorite or neisson. barbancourt from haiti is also very good, and haiti could use a little help these days.
Posted by: wza at August 12, 2008 11:32 AMyou get free booze? for a mostly political blog?
Hey, I blog about food and drink too (actually working on a post about my bolognese sauce from last night). And I was going to call you today about ordering that Matusalem for me. ;-)
Posted by: Karol at August 12, 2008 11:46 AMI've loved Matusalem for several years now, good stuff. Wouldn't make a daiquiri with it, but it's fittingly a superb rum for a Cuba Libre.
wza, you can blame Eliot Spitzer, who as A.G. pretty much destroyed the New York liquor industry's freebies and discounts.
Posted by: Perry Eidelbus at August 13, 2008 01:10 PMbelieve me, i know all about that s.o.b. and what he did to the liquor industry for no good reason.
Posted by: wza at August 14, 2008 04:56 PM
