NEW ORLEANS – Bayou Rum is handmade in the largest privately-owned rum distillery in the nation, located in Lacassine, Louisiana. Utilizing traditional methods with state-of-the-art technology for all four steps – fermentation, distillation, maturation and bottling – Bayou Rum’s facility offers distillery tours, rum tasting bar and a gift shop.
The renown brand will be coming to New Orleans to host two events during the upcoming Tales of the Cocktail festival.
On Thursday, July 20, Bayou Rum will present a Louisiana Creole Cookout Spirited Dinner at Arnaud’s, 813 Bienville St., at 8:00 p.m.
A departure from the classic multi-course, sit-down dinner, this event will feature various stations of food and cocktail pairings, live music from a local band and family-style seating. Each course will be paired with a Bayou Rum cocktail.
The menu will include:
• Soufflé potatoes with Béarnaise sauce
• Fried green tomatoes topped with shrimp Arnaud
• Louisiana gumbo
• Shrimp and grit cake
• Pork tenderloin served with caramelized onions, peppery jelly Creole mustard sauce, assorted rolls and asparagus
• Flamed strawberries Arnaud, with fresh strawberries sautéed in butter with strawberry puree and orange curacao and flamed with brandy and served over French vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and sliced almonds
On Friday, July 21, the Hakuna RUMtata-Tiki Pool Party, presented by Bayou Rum, will offer a “pool tasting” where attendees will be invited to take a dip in the rooftop pool, enjoy the cool rhythms of a local band, and indulge in all things tiki including cocktails made with “America's Rum.”
From 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Bayou Rum will serve multiple cocktails including frozen hurricanes to the classic grog.
Bayou Rum’s national ambassador Ava Kopieczek will be in attendance at the events as well as Bayou Rum’s master blender Reiniel Vicente and head distiller Jeff Murphy.
Vicente is a second-generation Cuban rum maker who moved to the U.S. and joined Bayou Rum in 2013. He’s been in the industry since he was 16 and his father was the master blender of a Cuban rum distillery for 15 years.
Vicente is responsible for the creation of four Bayou Rum expressions that have won more than 95 awards in tasting competitions.
Head distiller Murphy joined the Bayou Rum team in 2012. He was a professional brewer at Singapore-based breweries The Pump Room and Archipelago Brewing Company. He also worked with Rebecca Creek Distillery in San Antonio, Texas, and Privateer Rum in Ipswich, Massachusetts, before making the move to Louisiana.
An Arizona native, Murphy is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Maryland police force.
With an attention to detail that has helped Bayou Rum gain recognition in worldwide tasting competitions, Murphy is responsible for facilitating the hand-crafted, small batch technique behind the spirit’s signature taste.
