Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Funk Jamaican Rum Daiquiri

Written by Allison Levine on February 2, 2019

Cocktails

A great daiquiri is a crisp and clean cocktail made with rum, lime juice and sugar. Finding balance between the rum and the lime, a daiquiri should not be sweet but rather frothy, tart and refreshing. And finding the perfect rum for your daiquiri is part of the challenge! Try The Funk Rum in your daiquiri and you will understand why it is the Please The Palate pick of the week!

The Funk Jamaican Rum is an un-aged heavy pot still rum with no added color or flavoring and bottled at 100 proof. The Funk Jamaican Rum is under the portfolio Proof and Wood Ventures. Two years ago, Founder and President Dave Schmier, formerly of Redemption Rye, purchased an un-aged pot still rum. Pot still rum has more intensive flavors and more esters, however, it can have an off-putting character. In fact, Dave’s warehouse manager called him up and said he had never smelled something so awful. Schmier brought the rum to 100 proof, reducing some of the intense funkiness. The result is a rum that is funky, a little bit like a stinky cheese, with tropical notes as well as ripe vegetable aromas. At the same time, the rum is approachable.

The Funk Jamaican Rum is a great rum to use as a modifier in a drink or in a daiquiri, which is how I enjoyed it. And enjoy it, I did! A daiquiri made with The Funk has a lot of character. There is a slight funkiness in the nose but there is depth and roundness in the mid-palate and a citrus-tart finish.

With The Funk Jamaican Rum, a refreshing, clean, classic daiquiri becomes just a bit more interesting and complex and that is why it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Distillery Tour at Lost Spirits in Downtown Los Angeles

Written by Allison Levine on September 8, 2018

Lifestyle Cocktails

My friend’s birthday party this week was at Lost Spirits Distillery in Downtown Los Angeles. I had not been to the distillery before and thought it would be fun to visit. Little did I know what to expect and I must say that without a doubt, the distillery tour at Lost Spirits is like no other distillery tour and it definitely made it the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Lost Spirits Distillery is located on East 6th Street, off of South Alameda Street in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles. A street full of nondescript warehouses, the red building of Lost Spirits stand out.

Lost Spirits was founded by Bryan Davis and Joanne Haruta in 2010 in Monterey County. They opened their laboratory in Silicon Valley in 2014 and in 2017 launched in Los Angeles. Lost Spirits is a producer of rum and whisky.

The tagline of Lost Spirits is “Science. Innovation. Art.” and that is what they are. Through a proprietary aging process that David created, Lost Spirits can produce an aged rum in less than a week. Davis’ process involves special lights breaking wood down into flavor precursors which then accelerates the aging of the wood. The spirit is then heated, with the pieces of wood, to form the flavors you get in an aged spirit.

As Lost Spirits has redefined the production of rum and whisky, it is no surprise that they also redefined the distillery visit. In fact, it is not a visit or tour but an experience. A distillery tour at Lost Spirits is like a trip to Disneyland (on a smaller budget) and using advanced technology and a creative mind, you will be transported to another world. Read More +

Saint James Cuvee 1765 – Celebrating 250 Years!

Written by Allison Levine on August 6, 2015

Lifestyle Cocktails

Most of us probably don’t know the historical happenings of 1765. But here is one thing that happened in 1765: Reverend Father Edmund Lefebure, Superior of the Convent of the Brothers of Charity and a skilled alchemist, created the rum which was given the English name Saint James in order to make it easier to sell to the New England settlers. A pioneer in the industry, Saint James was the first rum to create vintage specific blends and designed a square bottle to maximize storage and minimize breakage on long sea voyages. Even a volcano in Martinique in 1902 couldn’t completely destroy one of the oldest rum brands.

To celebrate its 250th anniversary this year, Saint James Rum has released a special commemorative bottling. This special Saint James Cuvée 1765, an homage to the original 1765 style, is a blend of six vintages that together recreate the style of rum of that year.

Saint James, made from the fresh juice of sugarcane from Sainte-Marie, is a Rhum Agricole AOC of Martinique. In fact, Martinique has the only rum AOC (appellation controllée) in the world.

The rum is a golden amber color with butterscotch notes. It is smooth and elegant with a little spice on the finish.

Happy 250th Anniversary! Here’s to another 250 years!