![]() We are so excited to get out of MN for a week and do some exploring down south. House-made basil syrup replaces mint, as Constable believes basil better complements strawberries and highlights the rum’s natural flavor instead of overwhelming it.My wife and I arrive Friday for 4 nights on Fort Myers Beach, then plan on taking a road trip to Key West for the last half of the trip. “Bourbon prefers lemon, but rum prefers lime,” assures Tricia Constable, Papa Pilar’s distillery director. Also in the mix: strawberry purée and, in a Floridian twist, lime juice instead of lemon juice. The Hemingway Smash trades in bourbon for the operation’s blonde rum, a light rum with a pale golden color and a whisper of vanilla on the palate. Then there’s the craft rum distillery Papa’s Pilar, which serves a spin on the whiskey smash. The result is a complex beverage, made with quality ingredients, that takes itself seriously, but not too seriously. A dash of cream gives this martini the rich texture associated with Key lime custard. Among their specialties is the Key Lime Pie Martini, a marriage of rum, fresh lime and pineapple juices and Licor 43, a versatile citrus-and-spice liqueur from Spain. Shop The 7 Best Ice Shaving Machines for Making Frozen Treats at Home Read MoreĪnother bar of note is Berlins, a speakeasy-inspired cocktail lounge right by the boardwalk. ![]() Distillers no longer have to rely solely on bar owners and storekeepers to promote their products, and the ability to serve and sell their spirits on-site has helped make craft distilling in Key West a more appealing business venture. This is largely due to a 2013 Florida law that allows small-batch distillers to sell spirits at their own distilleries. ![]() While Key West bars still import plenty from Caribbean islands and Central America, a boutique industry of craft distillers has cropped up on the island in recent years. ![]() Today, Key West’s beverage landscape continues to have a big emphasis on rum. Coast Guard for the purpose of shutting down the illegal liquor trade, “rum runners” made it their mission to think up new and creative ways to get around those barriers. Even when former President Calvin Coolidge increased funding to the U.S. The sheer volume of coastline in Florida made it difficult for enforcement agents to crack down on nautical booze transport, according to the Florida Maritime Museum. Spirit Ratings The 6 Best Rums for Piña Coladas Read More This became especially true for rum, which was, and still is, the most commonly-produced liquor in the Caribbean. ![]() Key West’s Rum-Splashed Historyĭuring Prohibition in the 1920s and early 1930s, Key West’s position at the far southern end of the Florida peninsula-just over 100 miles from Cuba and less than 300 miles from the Bahamas-made it a hotspot for Caribbean Sea smugglers with illicit spirits in tow. In more recent years, however, local bartenders and craft distillers have made it their mission to give Key West imbibers higher-quality drink options without sacrificing the laidback energy that defines the region. But because of Key West’s tropical-island vibe and popularity as a day-trip stop for cruise ships, the city’s cocktail scene is often associated with the sugar-bombed frozen piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris sold in huge plastic novelty glasses on Duval Street. It features lax open-container policies, very late last calls, a rich history of high-profile bar regulars, including Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and an impressive bars-per-capita count. In many ways, Key West is a barfly’s paradise. We’re talking about Key West, Florida, the southernmost city in the U.S. In the farthest reaches of Florida, there’s an island with a world-famous reputation for coral reefs, water sports, quaint coastal architecture and very enthusiastic bar hopping. Decorative Wine Racks & Modular Systems. ![]()
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