Rums or rum bars in New Orleans?

[Kristian]

Hi!

I'm planning a trip to New Orleans next April (all the way from Finland) for a conference and I was wondering if anyone in this forum could tip me of about restaurants or liquor stores that I should visit?

Since Kaniche Guadeloupe is the only aged rum available in Finland (Clement's Rhum Vieux is being removed from the selection), I'd like to find some place in which I could spend a night or two to taste a variety of brands (eh, perhaps only a couple since I'm not really keen on getting drunk) and then buy a bottle or two to bring home.

Any rums (premium and aged, preferably) that you would recommend? Any bars with a good selection and a bartender who knows his business and doesn't start offering me rum and coke? :)

[Jason Perlow]

I wish I knew the answer to that. New Orleans is a big bourbon town, although there are many mixed rum drinks served.

I would imagine though any reasonable liquor store in NO would have a good rum selection, however.

However, there is ONE notable rum that is actually produced in New Orleans, N.O. Rum. If you go to Luis Ayala's website, he has a newsletter that profiled the company that makes it:

http://www.rumshop.net/newsletters/september2001.pdf

You'll need the Adobe Acrobat reader to read it. Great site.

EDIT: N.O. Rum and many other premium rums are avaliable at Dorignac's a huge liquor store in New Orleans. Here's their premium rum listing:

http://www.dorignac.com/rum.htm

[Kristian]

Wow! Thanks for the great links! I had briefly visited the RumShop site before, but I hadn't noticed the newsletters. I bet my better half will be letting out a long sigh tonight when I start reading these in bed...

[ChrisinNola]

Two things to add:

Another great place to shop is Martin Wine Cellar; Dorignac's is excellent and has an excellent neighborhood feel to it because it is a grocery store.  Martin's has most of the same collection and their prices are competive with Dorignac's who is just down the street.  MArtin Wine Cellar also carries Cruzan Single Barrel which Dorignac's does not.

New Orleans rum has a pretty good site at: neworleansrum.com

Cheers,

Chris

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Am going to check out both the NO rum & Dorignac's this weekend.

[Kristian]

Zap! No thread is too old to resurrect!

Well, the trip to NO is now getting near (AERA conference is arranged in the start of April) and I'm again fussing about some rums that I should buy and bring back home.

Since my experience with rums is quite pathetic (given the _extensive_ selection that we have here in Finland), I'm asking for your help.

Given the selection at Martin Wine Cellar and Dorignac's in NO, which rums would you recommend I try? I prefer to sip aged rums, neat, and thus far I have only been able to get Clement's Rhum Vieux and Kaniche Guadeloupe (both French tradition) here in Finland and I have liked both of them. However, I'd like to at least try some molasses based rums as well to see how they compare to those that I have got used to.

Any recommendations? (and, please, not too expensive ones (>40$) since my fiancé might... well, you know what I'm getting at...)  

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Kristian, seems they are updating, so we'll have to wait to see the Dorignac's selection. :confused:

[JOHN REEKIE]

Marko.... Hi , I think going to New Orleans what is important is that you find the best stores and selections and not what WE all think you should buy.  The forum has already passed on a couple of stores to find.  The selection will be so great that you will be a "kid in a candy store".

What is most important is that you set your budget (plus what duty & taxes you will be paying on returning home) . Then go out , find a bar with a good selection of rums,  talk to the barman, buy half dinks, This way you could taste a few with out getting drunk to soon. Do a rum tasting, find what you like then go and buy.  When in St Thomas,  my hotel 1829,  had a selection of fifteen rums , Clement Fifteen being a rum in the middle of the selection,  over three nights sitting at the bar I tasted all and repeated many. But I only had then half an ounce at a time, with five glasses lined up in front of the bottles on the bar. So as not to mix up the samples and also to "Feel"  and "Read" the bottles.

My advive to any traveler is to allways buy fewer bottles,  but  buy the best rum that your budget can afford. I have had friends bring me back a gallon of white rum that the found at a bargin price of $9.99 . Thinking they were doing me a favour (rum punch maybe). Now I only ask for  specific rums, and give them the money before they go.

Good luck on your  trip to New Orleans!

John Reekie

[Kristian]

Just my luck to have Dorignac's updating their pages just when I was going to start really thinking about my trip...

Thank you, John, for your advice. I have taken a note of the stores recommended here and I have the maps printed out on my desk, ready to go.

A difficulty that I have with my trip is that it is a conference trip and the schedule is quite full - I doubt I'll have much time to myself and trying to find a good bar to sample rums in.

The problem with New Orleans and its bars is (I think without anything to base my thinking on) that it is a tourist and popular conference city and therefore full of bars etc. which will be good at mixing hurricanes and other such fancy drinks, but might be lacking on their knowledge and selection when it comes to good rums.

I was hoping that someone could give me a name (and location) of a bar I should visit on some free evening, or else I'll just have to rely on my luck and buy them according to others' recommendations. Luckily, this forum is quite a good place to catch the names of quality rums.

So, does anyone know a good bar with a good bartender and a fine selection of rums to help me along? ...And I'll take care not to drink full portions when I sample their wares...  

[JOHN REEKIE]

Marko... Lets try some thing  different as this forum is not getting you anywhere. Why dont you try through the RESTAURANT topics put your question to restaurant  people rather than the BAR types.  Ask the same question but stress the fact that you are looking for old rums not mixing rums.

Good luck.

John Reekie.

[Kristian]

Actually, I came to the same conclusion about this question. I'll come back to the rum recommendations once Dorignac's have finished their updating (if it happens before my trip).

Thanks again to all who helped me!