… who he was.”
Born in Puerto Rico, Mercado began his career as …

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It isn’t easy for a rum brand to get the one-name not of approval from rum aficionados.

It takes time, it takes energy and it takes a product that is as consistent as it is

But travel to rum hubs in the United States — from Sarasota to Miami to Palm Beach, and you’ll hear rum lovers call it, simply, “Pilar.”

It’s quite a rise for a brand part-owned by the Hemingway Estate and designed around the adventurous spirit of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

And that rise has happened steadily since the brand first launched in 2013.

But what’s most impressive about Pilar’s growth is that the company has not rested on its laurels.

It’s always experimenting, always trying new things, always tinkering and always coming up with new ways to satisfy rum palates.

The latest effort is its most ambitious: Marquesa.

Like all Pilars, it’s a blend, this time of seven rums aged up to 24 years, all put together by the brand’s master blender, Ron Call.

The company says the new blend honors Hemingway’s time in the Marquesas Keys, the tiny islets near Key West, where Hemingway was once stranded while on a fishing expedition.

The expression was finished in #4 char Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels, part of what Call says was the desire for a more “whiskey-forward experience.”

So what is it like?

The aroma has notes of caramel, key lime, oak and even a hint of chartreuse.

The flavor profile has notes of caramel, brown sugar, malt and vanilla.

And then there’s a sensation the brand first managed to convey in its previous release, “The Lost Cask” – a kind of warmth — not of heat, but of spirit.

While it’s exceptionally complex, Marquesas delivers a warm embrace on the palate, wonderfully balanced and harmonious, delicate but luxurious.

The finish is nutty, a note we haven’t encountered before with Pilar – but a welcome one.

This rum is a journey — the kind you wouldn’t mind getting stranded on for a few weeks.

Rum Journal Review
95 Points

— CJ

The post Rum Journal: Another Exceptional Rum from Papa’s Pilar appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The island of Trinidad has unveiled some bold goals to grow its long-under-the-radar tourism sector. 

Tourism Trinidad Limited, the island’s destination marketing company, says it is planning to increase visitor arrivals by 7 percent for the 2019-2020 fiscal year period, according to a recent statement. 

The island, which has one of Caribbean’s most vibrant culinary scenes, a robust eco-tourism product and a hotel stock consisting largely of business-friendly hotels focused in its capital of Port of Spain, is looking to reach average hotel occupancy of 64 percent in the same period. 

For the current year, Trinidad has seen a 2 percent increase in tourism visitors, with a total of 276,269 international visitors, according to data from the state-owned TTL. 

“This is an ambitious agenda for Trinidad’s tourism. Our focus is on developing a clearly identifiable Trinidad ‘brand’ to raise awareness of the destination throughout the world, deliver an outstanding visitor experience and establish Trinidad as a destination of choice,” said Howard Chin Lee, the chairman of Tourism Trinidad Limited. “To this end, we have developed a comprehensive roadmap on how we can partner with government and stakeholders to take our tourism sector to new heights.”

The company said it was also looking to develop a “framework” to help local communities build their own tourism offerings. 

Officials say they’ve identified three “key niches” to grow tourism: sports, events and conferences. 

Of course, it’s not easy to grow arrivals without developing new air routes, something TTL says will be a priority. 

The aim is to “deliver better and more sustained connectivity, introduce new routes and airlines to the destination,” the company said. 

Trinidad has a separate destination marketing arm from its sister island of Tobago, which offers a vastly different tourism product and has long marketed itself as a haven for nature lovers. 

Trinidad has long been one of the Caribbean’s most developed destinations, with a surfeit of urban, business-friendly hotels (like the excellent Hyatt Regency Trinidad) and what is arguably the Caribbean’s most popular festival, its signature annual Carnival. 

The 7 percent goal is a lofty one, but it’s the kind of big thinking that Trinidad’s largely neglected tourism sector needs — and what could be a major boost for a destination that teems with untapped potential. 

For more, visit Trinidad. 

— CJ

The post Trinidad Has Big Tourism Plans appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… Maria devastated large swaths of Puerto Rico, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Google … to Puerto Ricans.”  
Google and Miranda have worked together on Puerto Rico relief … Art de Puerto Rico, attended by Miranda, as well as Puerto Rican politicians, cultural …

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By Nigel Spence

Mushrooms are generally not high on the list of foods that Caribbean folks hold in high regard. That may be because we are not and have never been a mushroom growing or consuming society.

What I was taught when growing up was that mushrooms were poisonous
and should be avoided at all costs lest you touch it, keel over and meet your Maker.
As I got older the only other mushrooms ever encountered were of the
hallucinogenic variety and those too came with tales of going over to the dark
side, never to return to normal.

Needless to say, with all these dark tales, there was
absolutely no reason for me to further explore the possibilities of mushrooms
being a part of my diet.

Then came the girlfriend.

She was Italian, with a good dose of crazy, and quite
opinionated.

Among the many firsts I experienced with her, one that I can
mention is the introduction to EATING mushrooms.

It was love at first bite (the mushrooms, that is).

It was that savory satisfying food that I didn’t know I
needed in my life, unlike the girlfriend who had to move on to someone more in
keeping with her character, because at that time it just wasn’t me.

I do thank her for the introduction as it has turned out to
be a “happily ever after” story with the fearsome fungus my mom always warned
me about.

Mushrooms don’t need a lot of in-depth preparation for it to
be awesome; sometimes the simpler the better.

SCOTCH
BONNET MUSHROOMS

1  LB SHIITAKE
MUSHROOMS, FRESH

2 TABLESPOONS ITALIAN PARSLEY, CHOPPED

1 TEASPOON SCOTCH BONNET SALT (RECIPE FOLLOWS)

¼ CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

METHOD:

REMOVE STEMS FROM MUSHROOMS AND DISCARD. HEAT OLIVE OIL IN
LARGE SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT. PLACE MUSHROOMS BROWN SIDE DOWN IN SKILLET. LET
MUSHROOMS SIT AND SAUTE IN THE OIL WITHOUT MOVING THEM FOR ABOUT 4 MINUTES.
TURN OVER TO THE SIDE WITH THE GILLS AND COOK FOR AN ADDITIONAL 2 MINUTES.

REMOVE TO A LARGE BOWL AND TOSS IN SCOTCH BONNET BUTTER AND
CHOPPED PARSLEY.

SERVE WARM AS A SIDE DISH OR ADD AS A FILLING TO
OMELETTES,  TO PERK UP A WARM SALAD OR TO
ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO POTATO SALAD.

SCOTCH
BONNET SALT

Ingredients

20 Whole Fresh Scotch Bonnet Peppers roughly chopped

1/2 Cup coarse Kosher Salt (or sea salt)

1 Large Mortar & Pestle (or food processor)

Method:

Put both ingredients in mortar and pestle and pound until it is the
texture of a chunky paste.

Work in batches if your mortar and pestle is not big enough to hold everything at once.

Nigel Spence, a Culinary Institute of America alumnus, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Nigel freelanced at the Television Food Network for 3 years where he worked with culinary luminaries such as Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse. Chef Spence has appeared twice on Throwdown with Bobby Flay where he emerged the victor in cook offs against the Food Network star and was featured on CBS when he appeared on Tony’s Table as well as ABC’s Neighborhood Eats, NBC’s The Today Show , Sirius’ Everyday Living with Martha Stewart and TVFN’s Chopped. The acclaimed and New York Times-reviewed Ripe Kitchen and Bar is Mr Spence’s first entrepreneurial endeavour.

The post A Great Caribbean Mushroom Recipe appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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