Tag Archives: Rum

Epic World Rum Tasting Tour

  Okay, okay, maybe we didn’t actually tour the world, but some years back Kim and I tasted the world’s rums. We wanted to find the finest rum we could, that we both agreed was the best. Why? Because we had recently completed our Epic World Tequila Tasting Tour and we needed a new drinking challenge. Besides, we were about to quit our jobs and live on a boat, so we figured we needed to become rum drinkers. 

  Caribbean Islands are famous for making fine rum so we started with various offerings from Barbados, Jamaica, BVI, Trinidad, etc. We found mostly dark rums that didn’t really suit us. Most dark rums are aged in whiskey barrels, giving them a smoky aftertaste like bourbon. Yuck. We both dislike bourbon and found most dark rums unsuitable, even though expensive and highly regarded. 

  There was an exception, and that is Pyrat. It’s a super premium rum from the British West Indies, rich dark color and hints of heavy molasses with an extremely smooth finish. I put it on my list of possibles, but Kim wasn’t so sure. 

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  Eventually we turned to clear, or silver rums. Fewer choices but we were zeroing in on what we liked. Your run of the mill silvers found in every liquor store just weren’t up to par for us. Bacardi, Cruzan, etc. were inferior in our opinion, We had a hard time finding new silver rums to try. 10 Cane, from Trinidad was pretty good. As was Atlantico Platino, from the Dominican Republic. We put them on the list but kept searching for the perfect taste that we BOTH could agree upon. 

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  We had tried over 100 dark rums, and maybe 50 whites, when we stumbled upon an ad for something new from Captain Morgan. Lime Bite was a white rum with lime flavoring. We always like Captain Morgan spiced, but it seemed so ordinary and common. We thought we needed to discover a really fine rum from someplace exotic. We figured what the heck, we’ll try it. We started searching our local liqour stores and came up short. We were told “coming soon.”

  We managed to find a few other new rums to try, but still had not made a final decision. Finally Lime Bite started showing up the shelves locally. We bought our first fifth and brought it home to sample. We chilled the bottle in the freezer first. When we poured that first shot and sipped our first taste, we knew. This was it! We both loved it. Our Epic World Rum Tasting Tour was complete. We learned a lot about what we liked and didn’t like as far as rums go. The Lime Bite tastes best straight up, chilled. For mixed drinks we use Mount Gay, a reliable standby. 

  So in our opinion, Lime Bite is THE best sipping rum in the world. Good old Captain Morgan proves his worth yet again. 

 

 

 

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 We love it so much we buy it by the case, and it’s inexpensive. Here in Florida we can get 1.75 liter bottles for $19.99. That’s the big bottle for you drinking novices. I am not a novice. I could be a personal trainer for people who don’t drink well. But take it from an expert. Here’s what Intoxicology 101 has to say about Lime Bite:

Upon opening the bottle, the artificial lime flavor immediately hits you. Initially the aroma reminds me more of that of curacao or triple sec. The lime flavor is very apparent but not overwhelming giving you a nice balance of flavor and alcohol. I sampled the product in several ways: first warmly sipped, secondly cold in a shot form, and 3rd in group of mixed drink recipes provided by CaptainMorgan.com.  When sampled warm and cold there is a taste of lime followed by very little bite from the alcohol. As a cold shot the lime flavor is featured more and the alcohol is almost non existent making this treat and alternative to those that like shooting blanco tequila but hate the after taste. I tried mixing it both with cola and ginger ale, classic mixers for the original and felt that the new lime addition only made the marriage a bigger success. Overall I would highly recommend this to fans of the Captain and those that usually shy away from spiced rum. 

  Go out and get yourself a bottle to try. I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

 

Cheers from the lovely Miss Kim!

 

 

 

 

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Read more about Kim and Ed’s rum-fueled adventures in these fine books:

http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Robinson/e/B00F42LGJ8

 

Top Ten Tropical Facebook Pages

If you long for the island life, like Jimmy Buffett and Trop Rock, or simply love the ocean and the beach, I have compiled my list of favorite Facebook pages for you to Like. These pages post high quality content on a consistent basis and have plenty of fans. Seeing their posts will brighten your day on Facebook, guaranteed. 

Number 10: I had to squeeze eleven pages into my top ten list so number ten is a tie.

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Do you love the tropics for travel or adventure or want to capture its essence in your life or home? Tropicalogy is your online tropical destination bringing together the best tropical themed products, travel, and informative content through unique and brand name organizations, blogs, and news sources. Decorate your beach house, dress for a luau, plan an exotic getaway, or just sit back and browse the most tropical website in the world.

https://www.facebook.com/tropicalogy

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Spreading the Love of Trop Rock and Island Music. 

https://www.facebook.com/troprockblog

Number 9:

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SeaBoards “Coastal Coordinates” specializes in Nautical / Coastal Signs that have the appearance as if they have been hanging on a Beach or nailed to a Pier for years.

https://www.facebook.com/sea.boards.1?fref=ts

Number 8:

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We are scuba divers, underwater photographers, Marine conservationists, Marine biologists, Ocean artists, boaters, surfers, fishermen and beach-goers. We are an Ocean-Minded on-line community on the Facebook Inter web.. We are unique to each other in many ways but we have one over-arching and common interest. We are ~ Ocean Lovers ~

https://www.facebook.com/EternalOcean

Number 7:

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I love the beach, seashells, sunshine and living in SW Florida.

https://www.facebook.com/seashellsandsaltyair

Number 6:

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Leavin’ the grind behind…
If you enjoy vacation as much as we do, then we are the place for you!
Sand, Sun, and a Cold One!
Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Palms-n-Paradise/348128148614000

Number 5: Key West Chris

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Chris has his finger on the pulse of Key West and is a fine singer/songwriter to boot. 

https://www.facebook.com/ChrisRehm09?fref=ts

 

Number 4: 

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Island Jay celebrates the Caribbean lifestyle with daily stories and pictures of the Island & Beach life along with products that enhance that way of life.

https://www.facebook.com/IslandJay

Number 3:

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Close your eyes and remove yourself from the everyday. Picture your toes in the sand and waves lapping at your feet. I live a bit of that life. Follow and become a Castaway! (and rum drink recipes!)

https://www.facebook.com/RumShopRyan

Number 2:

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Through our original photographs, blog posts, rum recipes and short clips (Rum Therapy Mini-Sessions) you can not only daydream about that perfect stretch of sand, but you can learn more about areas and islands where you can someday take that much needed tropical break.

https://www.facebook.com/Rumtherapy

Number 1:

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All things Buffett, Key West, Beaches and Bars and good books and Bob Marley. This is a great page for lovers of the tropics. Lots of interaction with over 45,000 fans.

 

Of course, there is always my own page, we’ll give it an honorable mention.

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They gave up everything and now they have it all
Follow them as they leave the working world behind and become carefree boat bums and beachcombers. Read how one couple got rid of all their belongings, quit their jobs, and moved onto a boat.

https://www.facebook.com/quityourjobandliveonaboat

 

I’m Gonna Live My Life Like A Jimmy Buffett Song

   Anthony Bjorklund helped me out when I was just getting started. I asked him for a favor because he has such a loyal fan following, and because his books are just so darn good. They take you away to the Islands. I think some of the readers of my book, Leap of Faith / Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat, would appreciate Anthony’s books as well. 

   It all started with “I’m Gonna Live My Life Like A Jimmy Buffett Song”.   The first book of Di Island Song Series,  begins the adventures of Jack Danielson. Jack always thought he had the perfect recipe for happiness; a serious career, a tall, skinny, blonde girlfriend, and a condo full of Ikea furniture. But one day an icy Minnesota freeway and a Peterbilt truck make him rethink his choices in life, and he hits the road and migrates south in search of rum, spices, new experiences, and a song of his own to sing. Written as a tribute to Jimmy Buffett and the Parrot Head way, this light and breezy book is seasoned with a healthy peppering of Buffetteria, and is the perfect read for anyone who ever dreamed of chucking the daily grind and slowing down to live each moment to the fullest.

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“Jack And Di Rum Song” is the second book in Di Island Song Series, and the equally fun sequel to “I’m Gonna Live My Life Like A Jimmy Buffett Song”. The adventures of Jack Danielson continue right where they left off, when our hero inherits a dilapidated rum factory on a tiny island in the Caribbean. Filled with more colorful characters than you can shake a limbo stick at, “Jack And Di Rum Song” is a perfectly mixed concoction for an escape from the ordinary. Just be sure to keep a weather eye open for pirates…

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“Let Di Song Of Change Blow Over My Head” is the sequel to “Jack And Di Rum Song”, and book three of Di Island Song Series. Travel once more to di island and join Jack Danielson,Crazy Chester, Jolly Roger, seaplane pilot Gus Grizwood, the ghost of pirate Captain Billy Black Dog, and the rest of di islanders as a song of change blows towards their tiny Caribbean home. It’s a story of islandittude at its best, filled with tropical fun, sun, and rum.

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“I Just Had To Go Back To Di Island” is the fourth book in Di Island Song Series. Yes, the tropical adventures of Jack Danielson continue after all. Return to di island once more for the Rum Daze Festival, political intrigue, lost Puerto Rican pirate treasure, and a quick solar recharge with Moon Man. It’s a groovy time for all, mon.

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Crazy Chester is missing, and there’s only one man for the job; Captain Harry, the son of di beach. Join Harry and many of your old friends from Di Island Song Series Novels, as well as some new faces from Paradiso Shores, as they follow the island hopping trail of that shoeless and shirtless forever, Caribbean amphibian, Crazy Chester.
 
The Captain Harry Series of books, of which this is the first, are light mysteries focusing as much on the joy of life in the tropics as the whodunnit aspect of the story. You can expect colorful characters to go with those colorful shirts and drinks, and a simple, laid back style of writing that’s perfect for that beach towel in Jamaica or backyard hammock.
 
Note: While this story is the first in a new series of books (The Captain Harry Series) and was written to stand on its own, it incorporates many of the characters from my Island Song Series novels. In other words, in most ways it is both the first story in the Captain Harry Series and the fifth in Di Island Song Series, overall. How you choose to enjoy them is entirely up to you.
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All of Anthony’s book are available at Amazon, including complete collections in one set.
Make your island escape today by clicking the link below: