There's a new spirit in town, and in case you've yet to try Afrohead rum, you can do so with a passport to the West Indies.
From April 17 to May 19, Afrohead's rum savant Toby Tyler wants you to do one thing and one thing only: respect your rum. "People don't," he says. "Coke is about the worst thing you can do to a rum." Indeed, Afrohead seven-year aged dark rum and 15-year premium rum are both sip worthy on its own. But during your rum voyage, which will lead you down either a luxury path or unbeaten path (you decide), you'll sample, sip, and learn all about what makes Afrohead drink more like a scotch than the average rums you've been accustomed to mixing and diluting your entire life. "This is what rum should taste like."
Prior to becoming a distiller, Tyler was a lifelong lover and daily drinker of rum. After surfing waves and playing music during most of his youth, the native Aussie took up residence in the Bahamas where he subsequently took his love of imbibing to the next level and inevitably became the island's resident rum expert. Even with his adept knowledge and palate, however, Tyler had yet to find the world's best rum. "I asked him what the world's best rum was," says friend and proprietor of Harbour Island's the Landing Guest House and Restaurant Joe Farrell. "When he replied with it hasn’t been made yet a lightbulb went off in both our heads that someone certainly needed to make it." And that's exactly what the duo did.
After much success with their blends at a single location in the Bahamas, Tyler and Farrell decided to take Afrohead to the rest of the world, beginning with Miami. The spirit launched here in January (and this past week in Nashville), and now the Afrohead team has been busy finding fitting partners and people who personify the rum culture. Luckily, they've found a good crew thus far, beginning with brand ambassador Isaac Grillo who's pouring Afrohead at Repour (one of the stops on the unbeaten path of the rum voyage).
Now collect your passport from Afrohead's Facebook page (the crew was at Rum Renaissance this past weekend dishing them out to locals and industry folks) and make your way through all the locations listed on the road of choice. Do you like the finer (and more expensive) things in life? The luxury path is likely for you then. On it: Lure Fishbar and Rum Line, any of the food and beverage options at the Thompson (so Seagrape, Crown Room, and 1930's House), Il Mulino, DB Bistro, and Drawing Room. For a more low-key and who-know's-what'll-happen-tonight kind of experience, head down the unbeaten path, which includes Bodega, Drunken Dragon, Radio, Clandestino Pub, Foxhole, and, of course, Repour.
If you're ambitious (and trying to get boozy) you can technically finish your path in one night (remember to Uber). You'll show your passport at each participating establishment and get a $3 discount on their signature Afrohead cocktail. Get all six stamps and get a 10 percent discount from an Afrohead bottle at retailers including Vintage Liquors and Grove Liquors. And if you tag @afroheadrums and hashtag #respectyourum along the way, you can even score some special prizes.
What are you waiting for? It's time to drink some rum.
Follow Carla on Twitter and Facebook.