Posted on

Cruzan Rum Desserts at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

As if we hadn’t already had a week full of wonderful experiences and meeting lots of new folks, we got invited by William Anthony Torrillo, who had become a friend of ours on Facebook, to come to the Ritz-Carlton during our last night on St. Thomas to sample some amazing Cruzan Rum Desserts created by Pastry Chef  Kunal Chakrabarti.

Many of you may know William through his amazing island photography that can be found on his website Old Mango – Guide to the Islands. William is also a fantastic chef and even though Chef Kunal was off the night we came, William prepared the Rum Desserts for us.

The Ritz-Carlton is a gorgeous property and we got there early just to look around. The grounds were beautiful and the staff extremely accommodating.  At 8 p.m. we headed over to Great Bay Lounge to begin our Cruzan Rum Dessert experience.

William met us in the lounge with a beautiful welcome platter that included chocolate covered strawberries,  a french meringue cookie and Cruzan Single Barrel Rum…


The second course was a Cruzan Rum Crème Brûlée tasting and included three different Brûlée’s. We were instructed to eat them left to right as the last one had the strongest taste. The three Brûlée’s were:

1. Cruzan Vanilla Rum with Coconut Macaroon
2. Cruzan Mango Rum with Strawberry
3. Cruzan Black Strap Rum with chocolate cake crumble and homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Well, the Brûlée’s were so tasty that if we weren’t in such a fine establishment, we may have been tempted to pick up the plates and lick them clean, but we remained on our best behavior. After allowing us to let the Brûlée’s settle in, William brought out one last delectable plate. This one was entitled the Cruzan Rum Beignet Plate and consisted of three Coconut filled Beignets with Cruzan Coconut Rum Sauce and a Frappe Shooter made with coffee, espresso, half and half, and  dash of Kahlua.


We enjoyed every moment and taste of the evening and thank William, The Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas, Chef Kunal and of course Cruzan Rum for such a wonderful experience. If you are staying on St. Thomas, I’d highly recommend going to the Ritz-Carlton to sample the delicious Cruzan Rum Desserts for yourself!!
Posted on

The Slimer

Still looking for a Halloween cocktail that you can serve when you have friends for dinner…er…I mean have friends over for dinner? (insert evil laugh…) You might enjoy this one called The Slimer. Now for those of  you who saw the original Ghostbusters movie from 1984, you probably will recall the cute little green thing made of ectoplasm who left a trail of slime everywhere he went. Anyway – this cocktail may be green, but it ain’t too slimy – thank goodness.

So – mix yourself up a batch this Halloween and prepare to be slimed (or to perhaps get slimed if you drink too many?)

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Print Recipe

The Slimer

Prepare to get slimed this Halloween!
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pour rum into glass over frozen grapes.
  • Top with green soda or energy drink.
  • Get slimed!

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Posted on

Spiced Rum Cupcakes

So, I spotted this recipe for Spiced Rum Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting the other day and thought we’d tweak them just a bit.

It wasn’t a hard recipe to put together – even for someone that doesn’t do a ton of baking and well, these babies were REALLY good. So good in fact that I may bring them to a holiday party this year – IF I can make another batch and not eat them all before we get there!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Print Recipe

Spiced Rum Cupcakes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

Cupcakes

Frosting

Instructions

  • Cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk pumpkin, eggs, canola oil and rum. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin. (You’ll fill each cup a solid 3/4 of the way full to make 12 cupcakes.) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before frosting.
  • Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in vanilla and cinnamon with last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate any leftover frosting.

 Find more rum recipes here:

Rum Recipe Picture Directory

Rum Recipes  by Category

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Posted on

The Sunset Cruz

As the leaves begin to fall and the temps drop, I get the urge to try some of the heavier or warmer rum drinks that I’ve run across over the summer. One such drink, The Sunset Cruz, created by Carlton Grooms, was shown being prepared on a video posted on Coastlines & Tanlines. It makes use of rum cream – which is actually quite enjoyable and decadent by itself over ice. This recipe, however, adds coconut water and coconut rum. So, as I turned on the heater in the Rum Therapy kitchen for the first time this season, I assembled the ingredients for this rich and creamy rum drink.

Unfortunately, I was not able to find the Aztec Chocolate Bitters that were used in the video and so just substituted a sprinkling of unsweetened chocolate. I’ll have to compare the taste to the chocolate bitters when I can find them.

The recipe is rich and creamy, yet with just a touch of the tropics. I liked it so much that I might even substitute it for a glass of spiked eggnog during the holiday season. Cheers!~

The Sunset Cruz

2 oz. rum cream
1 oz. Cruzan Coconut Rum
2 oz. coconut water
fresh shredded coconut
Aztec chocolate bitters

Vigorously shake the rum cream, coconut rum, coconut water and ice until frothy. Strain into a glass. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and Aztec chocolate bitters. Enjoy!

Posted on

The Perfect Mojito

What makes a perfect mojito? When you look on the web, there’s more mojito recipes than you can shake a muddler at.  So what is it? The type of rum used? The amount of mint? The setting?

I had my first mojito in an airport. I know – odd place, but it was in the Miami airport on a layover for a flight to the Caribbean. We were in the mood to get the Caribbean party started and walked past a Bacardi kiosk with a very long line of people waiting for the only drink they were fixing…a mojito. We thought with that long of line the tropical concoction must be good, so we pulled up and eagerly waited to give a mojito a try.

We watched as the bartenders meticulously muddled the mint and lime, added simple syrup and the rum, poured it into a tall glass, added a little club soda and garnished with a stick of sugarcane. After shelling out $12.00 for each drink, we grabbed ours and eagerly took our first whiff. Ahhh…so minty and fresh smelling. After one sip, we were hooked and ended up purchasing an additional one or two before heading for our flight.

We’ve tried many recipes for mojitos since that first taste of one in the airport and truthfully, many are really good. But for some reason, the taste of that first mojito is the one that will always be our favorite and reminds us every time of the excitement we feel when heading south for vacation and a little Rum Therapy…

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Print Recipe

The Perfect Mojito

The taste of a good mojito reminds us every time of the excitement we feel when heading south for vacation and a little Rum Therapy…

Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz. white, light or silver rum (We like to use Bacardi Superior for our mojitos)
  • club soda
  • 12 mint leaves
  • 1/2 lime
  • 2 tbsp simple syrup

Instructions

  • Muddle 12 fresh mint leaves and 1/2 a lime in a tall glass.
  • Cover with 2 tbsp. of simple syrup and top with ice.
  • Add rum and top with club soda.
  • Stir well and garnish with a lime wedge and sprig of mint (and a stick of sugarcane if you can find it!)

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Posted on

Rum Therapy On St. Croix

Last spring we had the opportunity to go to St. Croix for the first time. We’d spent some time in the two other US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and St. John, but had not yet gotten to venture a little farther south to the sunny shores of St. Croix.

copyright Rum Therapy
After just a week, St. Croix quickly became a new favorite destination. It’s the largest of the three islands but has about the same number of residents as smaller St. Thomas. The pace on St. Croix is decidedly relaxed, the people are warm and friendly and you can either find a quiet beach, relax and do nothing or be as busy as you want with activities like diving, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, hiking and enjoying stunning scenery, great bars, music, restaurants and shops.

We’ve determined that one week on St. Croix is not nearly enough to truly experience this Caribbean gem, but until we can go and stay longer, we’ll share with you the things we’ve experienced so far that we think shouldn’t be missed! Click on the links for more pictures and info.

St Croix 2 (600)

 1. Cruzan Rum Factory Tour – if you enjoy rum, this is a must see. Interesting tour and a rum drink at the end!

2. Drive to Point Udall – the eastern most point in the US.  – beautiful vistas.

St Croix 3 (600)

St Croix 18 (600)
From Point Udall, hike down to Jack’s and Issac’s Beach at  sunrise…

copyright Rum Therapy
copyright Rum Therapy
3. Sail to, snorkel and explore Buck Island. (See Turtle Beach, Buck Island and Snorkeling at Buck Island) Great snorkeling, an underwater snorkel trail, hiking and an amazing powder soft beach.

St Croix 6 (600)
4. Enjoy the wonderful Cruzan Rum drinks available everywhere on the island!

St Croix 7 (600)
 St Croix 8 (600)

 5. Explore Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted and other historic buildings in the area to learn some of the the history of the island.

St Croix 9 (600)
Be sure to spend time walking around Christiansted shopping, exploring and enjoying some of the great restaurants and bars. Join the fun at the Crab Races in Christiansted and the Divi Resort on the SE side.

St Croix 10 (600)
6. Head to the northwest part of the island and hike one of the trails in St. Croix’s rainforest. Stop by the Mt. Pellier Domino Club for a cool drink, visit with some of the locals and feed a can of beer to one of the famous “beer drinking pigs”. (Read more about out visit to Mt. Pellier Domino Club here: Mt. Pellier Domino Club)

St Croix 11 (600)
7. Spend some time in Fredriksted and check out the pier where the cruise ships dock. Snorkel, dive, jump off the pier or just enjoy a spectacular sunset. Head over to nearby Coconuts on the Beach and Rhythms at Rainbow Beach to enjoy a cold beverage and live music.

Coconuts 1 (600)
St Croix 13 (600)
8. Spend a lazy day at Sandy Point. One of the prettiest beaches on the island and the location of the beach scene in “The Shawshank Redemption”.

St Croix 14 (600)
9. Enjoy “life in the left lane”. Rent a jeep to explore the entire island and drive on the left side of the road – from the left side of the jeep!

copyright Rum Therapy
10. Take a day trip to St. Thomas or Puerto Rico by seaplane.

St Croix 16 (600)
Whatever you do or however long your visit, be sure to slow down, relax and take advantage of all that St. Croix has to offer!

St Croix 17 (600)
See our St. Croix Map for locations of these attractions


To see more posts on St. Croix and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

 

Copyright©Rum Therapy
 Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Posted on

Sex On The Beach with Rum

Last week, while having an after-golf beverage with friends, one person in the group asked the bartender to surprise her with a refreshing tropical beverage with rum. He returned a short time later with a frothy, cold, pleasantly colored beverage that he called “his” version of Sex On The Beach – using rum instead of vodka. She sipped the beverage, sighed, then declared that it may in fact be better than the “real thing”. What?? Either she was REALLY thirsty, or this was one magical beverage!!

Jump to Recipe

We asked the bartender for the ingredients and set out to re-create this rumgasmic drink on our own!

The ingredients (sans measurements) given were: Malibu with a splash of spiced rum, fresh squeezed orange slice, cranberry splash and some pineapple juice. After comparing his recipe with the “typical” Sex On The Beach recipe, we came up with our own version using rum. Better than the real thing?? Hmmm….we’ll let you be the judge of that!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Print Recipe

Sex on the Beach with Rum

A frothy, cold, pleasantly colored beverage that uses rum instead of vodka. Better than the real thing? You be the judge.
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients with ice, shake vigorously until frothy and pour into tall glass over ice.
  • Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Posted on

Rum Glazed Spare Ribs

BBQ – Holiday Weekend – our house. We were in charge of the grub and drinks and started looking for something a little different. Cruzan Rum had posted a delicious looking Planter’s Punch recipe from St. Croix mixologist Jesse Card so we had the drink – what should we BBQ? We settled on a delectable looking rib recipe that called for rum and even though the recipe calls for the ribs to be cooked in the oven instead of on the grill, we finished them off with a few minutes on the grill for that good BBQ taste. We used Cruzan Black Strap in the rib recipe and well, it was a hit with the guests filling the house with an incredible deep rum aroma. Enjoy!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Print Recipe

Rum Glazed Spare Ribs

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim excess fat off ribs and brush both sides with vegetable oil.
  • In a bowl, mix brown sugar, paprika, cumin, pepper and salt.
  • Rub mixture evenly over ribs. Place ribs in a large roasting pan and pour in 1 cup water. 
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, 1 1/2 hours.
  • In a small pan, mix rum, sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove foil from roasting pan, pour off all but 1/2 cup of liquid in pan and pour rum mixture over ribs. Return pan to oven and continue baking, uncovered, turning ribs several times and basting with liquid in pan, until meat starts to pull away from bones and is very tender, about 1 hour. Add a little water as necessary to prevent scorching.
  • If desired, place them on the grill for a few minutes, basting with the liquid from the pan or BBQ sauce.
  • Let ribs rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice into individual portions and serve hot with barbecue sauce on the side, if desired.

adapted from www.myrecipes.com

For more delicious rum recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory
or Rum Recipes by Category

 copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Posted on

Witty Words and Clever Comments

We hit 4,000 Facebook friends last night and want to say thank you to all our wonderful Rum Therapy friends! Less than a year ago we started our Facebook page with just a few random pictures and a tropical drink recipe or two, wondering if people would enjoy dreaming about islands, rum drinks and escaping as much as we do. Judging by the participation on our page we see that there are a lot of “like-minded” Rum Bums out there and we love the way you interact with us through your comments on our posts!

Some of your comments make us chuckle and some make us sigh, “oh, yeah”. To say THANK YOU, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite recent comments and give one random person one of our new Quiet Please – In Session T-shirts.
There were SO many good comments that it really was hard to narrow them down to a few favorites! We love hearing how some of our beach pictures and tropical drink recipes help transport you back to a relaxing vacation experience – even if for just a moment! The shirt winner had a comment that we felt was especially relevant to our company name “Rum Therapy” – I mean, combining pirate with a therapeutic term….

Thanks again! We appreciate ALL of our Rum Therapy friends!! Here are just a few of your wonderful comments:

Runners up:

Holly Richardson-Ross commented on the Aug 27 post:…give me a minute & you should see me come into the lower right of this pic! :)

“Only worry in the world” post Aug. 30 had several funny comments:
Karen Whited Haun’s worry was ….what if somebody finds me?
Jim Thielen apparently had many worries: 1. How long is my sun-block good for?, 2. How Do They Make the Ice out here? 3. Who is going to turn my chair for me so I can follow the sun’s rays.. 4. Does anyone have cell signal to order in Rum when we run out!

And the “out of focus” post Aug. 29 brought out the wittiness in several of our friends!
Allan Large: I think I see some EKG readings in there … all that rum has you too excited.

John McBride: I think I saw that at a Crosby, Stills,and Nash concert 30 years ago…..

And the Quiet Please – In Session shirt goes to…drumroll please… Steven who taught us about a pirate psychoanalytical remedy!

Steven Bart Hetfield:  What you have to do is employ a little bit of regressive drinking therapy Rum Therapy.=) Try the shots you may be able to remember doing and drink them until you retrieve this level of consciousness. This is an old pirate psychoanalytical remedy.

The Quiet Please – In Session T is available in three colors and can be purchased here:
http://rumtherapy.com/products-page/mens/quiet-please-in-session/
 
Be sure to check out our other awesome T designs, caps, shot glasses and Tropical Drink Recipes at www.rumtherapy.com
Posted on

Tears of a Mermaid

We’re always on the lookout for individuals who are doing something they love to do – especially if it involves something tropical. That’s why we were thrilled when William Torrillo – the amazing photographer who we interviewed for our “Through the Eyes of a Tropical Soul” article told us about Elizabeth. William suggested that we check out Elizabeth’s sea glass jewelry and we’re glad we did! Elizabeth had long enjoyed collecting sea glass during walks on the beach with her daughters and recently began making jewelry from the glass they have found. We asked if we could interview her and this is what we found out:

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I have lived in Maryland all my life and I’m 32 years old. I’ve lived in Calvert County for about 22 years. We are a water oriented area, known for crabbing and our ginormous Rock Fish! We are surrounded by water here on 3 sides. The Chesapeake Bay to our East and the Patuxent River to West, The Patuxent spills into the Bay at the southern tip of the county. We are a family of Beach Bums for sure and at home in Maryland we lived about 5 blocks from the Bay and our Beach House is in the Outer Bank of North Carolina where we spend most of our summers.

2. What made you decide to start making your own jewelry? I am a stay-at-home Mom of 3 Daughters 10, 7 and 4. I’ve been home about 5 years and my collection of sea glass was getting out of hand. So, my Hubby suggested we try to wire wrap a few pieces and see what happens. 3. Why sea glass? 3 years ago I found my first piece of Cobalt which is not easy to find. I found it on a girls weekend trip to our beach house and you’d have thought I had found a million dollars!! I immediately took it to a bead shop and had it made into a necklace. Everywhere I go to this day I’m complimented on how gorgeous my necklace is…  After years of finding tons of glass and a friend sharing her secret beach for amazing glass, we decided to give the jewelry making a try!

4. Where do you find your sea glass? The majority of my sea glass is from a place my girls and I call “Our Secret Beach”.  We find gorgeous colors there, aquas, lavenders, and cobalts, as well as the more common colors like greens, browns and whites.

5. What are the challenges of using sea glass? What are the benefits? My only challenge so far has been the earrings. Finding two pieces that are somewhat similar in shape is not an easy task! The benefit is that I have plenty of glass!! HA!

6. Where do you sell your jewelry? We showed the pieces my Hubby and I created to some friends and got an overwhelming response so I decided to open a shop on Etsy.com.  I chose the name Mermaids Jewelry Box because of the old folk lore that says that pieces of Sea Glass are Mermaid’s Tears. 7. Has this been a good career change, choice or path for you? I’m not really looking to make a career, my Hubby and I enjoy sitting together and wrapping the glass. It’s more of a passion that I wanted to share with others that may not have access to it like we do.

8. Is there anything else we should know about you or your business? I never use artificially made sea glass. I use pieces from my own collection. For some reason “Our Secret Beach” keeps us well stocked. I don’t have much luck finding glass in the Outer Banks, only random pieces here and there.

Oh, and I don’t know if I mentioned it or not but the little girl in the picture is my youngest daughter Haley. She’s a Sea Glass Mermaid also! She knows all about it… She’s my Sea Glass Buddy, we go hunt for glass when her older sisters are at school!
And yes, after checking out Elizabeth’s Etsy shop, I had to get a Mermaid Tear of my own (see pic above!) Be sure to check out the Mermaid’s Jewelry Box and see if there’s a piece calling your name too.

Other posts on Making Your Tropical Obsession Your Profession:

4242 Miles to St. Lucia – The Boiled Frog Guesthouse – Danielle and Steve Unruh

Searching for Pieces of Eight – Thomas Gidus

Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge, Kailua Kona, Hawaii – Brice Ginardi

Vessels of Freedom – Captain Darrel Hearne

Through the Eyes of a Tropical Soul – William Anthony Torrillo, Photographer

A Pirate Looks at 10 – Fletcher Morton, Trop Rock Musician

I’m Gonna Live My Life Like a Jimmy Buffet Song by Anthony Bjorklund (book review)

Railean Distillers – San Leon, Texas, Kelly Railean