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Waitsfield: Country Christmas Historic Waitsfield Village

Please join us for Historic Waitsfield's neighborhood Country Christmas party!

Santa arrives at 11 am on Bridge Street!

The Joslin Children's Library will be hosting cookie decorating from 10-3 leaving parents hands free to visit all the shops in the village.

There will be a special Christmas Cocktail Trail, all participating businesses will have special cocktail tasters made by sponsors Mad River Distillers! The "bar" will be opening at 12 in the Mad River Chamber offices where Barrie Fisher will be photographing you, Santa and your pets!

At dusk will be the lighting of the luminaries to celebrate our joy for the season ending with a Holiday Chorale Concert at the Waitsfield United Church of Christ at 7:30.

Sponsors: 4orty Bridge Boutique, All Things Bright and Beautiful, Artisans Gallery, Barrie Fisher Photography, Blue Hubbard Stickers, Clear Water Sports, Complexions, Darrad’s Electronics, Joslin Memorial Library, Lincoln Peaks Properties,Mad River Chamber, Mad River Distillery, Mad River Glass, Silver Trout, The Green Closet, The Sweet Spot, Village Grocer, Waitsfield Pottery

Mad River Rum 44
By in Blog Comments Off on What exactly is Rum, anyway?

What exactly is Rum, anyway?

Rum, Defined

Spirit categories can be nebulous and confusing. Some spirits, like gin, must make use of specific ingredients. Others, like bourbon and rye, must use certain ingredients and be aged in a specific way, while vodka can be made from virtually anything as long as it’s distilled at a high enough proof. Rum, on the other hand, comes in a variety of flavors and ages, can be sweetened or spiced, and has some close cousins like Rhum (or Rhum Agricole) and Cachaca. So put on your pirate hat, dust off your eye patch and grab your parrot, we’re talkin’ about rum, ya scallywag!

Sorry about that. I’ll try to keep the pirate speak to a minimum moving forward. 

Anyway, basic rum as a spirit category is pretty straightforward, with Rhum having a subtle but significant difference. Essentially, Rhum (aka Rhum Agricole) and Rum are both distilled from sugar cane: Rhum from sugar cane juice, and Rum from a refined product of sugarcane, such as molasses, turbinado or demerara sugar (which is what we use). If you know the basics of spirit production, the rest is fairly straightforward: the sugar is fermented, and then distilled.

A Difference in Taste

That sugar, however, makes a big difference in the final product. Rhum, for example, is characterized by an earthy, vegetal flavor, while molasses rum errs more toward a sweeter, vanilla-noted spirit. And while most rum (a whopping 97%!) is distilled from molasses, you can also make it from sugar, which is what we choose to do. 

Because molasses is a by-product of refining sugar cane into sugar, it typically requires a distillation at a very high proof to separate out the undesirable elements, most notably sulfur. Rum distilled from demerara, as we do, can be distilled at a lower proof, thereby preserving more flavor in the finished spirit. Specifically, demerara rums are characterized by subtle sweetness, light smokiness and slight vegetal notes.

All About The Finish

The other element that allows different rums to diverge in flavor is how they’re finished. Some producers will choose to spice or back-sweeten (add sugar to) finished rum. Some barrel age their rum and then filter it clear, while some add flavors (coconut pineapple rum, anyone?). At Mad River Distillers we use a variety of different aging and finishing techniques to transform our Demerara Rum into five unique projects. A maceration with vanilla beans results in our Vanilla Rum. Barrel aging gives us our First Run Rum, and finishing in used maple barrels gives us our beautiful Maple Cask Rum (my personal favorite. I don’t want to hurt any other rums’ feelings but hey, here we are) and our double gold medal winning PX Rum gets finished in used Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. 

Our newest product, however, is Rum 44, and it’s silver. No barrel aging, no flavoring, no sweetening. Just a clear, clean drinking rum that gives a beautiful nod to the demerara from which it’s distilled. One of my personal favorite things is being able to taste aged and un-aged versions of the same spirit. It gives you a beautiful glimpse at the character that young spirits can have, while simultaneously showcasing the flavor and complexity that results from time spent resting in a barrel. 

So there you have, ya landlubbers. Hopefully you’re walking away a little more knowledgeable and a little thirsty. Sure beats walking the plank, if you ask me. Cheers!

Burlington: Cocktail Class with Ian Hood of Deli 126

“Whiskey Cocktails And The Bitters That Love Them”

Our next guest teacher is Ian Hood of Deli/126! He is a full time Bartender, an educator on many booze related topics, and is also a certified Sommelier.

Join him for a tasting, discussion, and historical tour of whiskey and the important interplay of bitters with cocktails.

You will experience tasting classic cocktails without bitters in them, then again after adding the bitters to see how they transform the drinks.

We’ll also be providing snacks by Deli/126!

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware on the day of the class.

Tickets are $40.00 per person.

Burlington: Cocktail Class with Olive Robb of Honey Road

A Cocktail Class with an amazing Eastern Mediterranean twist!

Our next guest teacher is Olive Robb of Honey Road Restaurant! She has been bartending there since opening, and now runs the cocktail program. She has been bartending for over 5 years now and pulls inspiration from Cara the Chef, cookbooks from the region, and from her personal experience growing up in Israel.

She will teach you about making syrups, shrubs, infusions, where to find inspiration for your cocktails, and how to pair them with excellent food. And she might even give you a sneak peak of cocktails from their next menu...

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware on the day of the class.

Tickets are $40.00 per person.

Burlington: Boozy Hot Chocolate Bar

Celebrate the first day of Winter with some free Hot Chocolate!*

Stop by our second Boozy Hot Chocolate Bar event of the season. There will be free Lake Champlain Chocolates hot chocolate, all the toppings your heart desires, and for those 21+, you can add our local booze for just $5!

We can't think of a better way to warm up!

*while supplies last

Burlington: Boozy Hot Chocolate Bar

Boozy Hot Chocolate Bar is back!!

You know the drill friends; free Lake Champlain Chocolates hot chocolate for anyone, add your favorite toppings from our complimentary sweets selection, then head to the bar (for those 21+) to add our local booze for only $5.

We start pouring hot chocolate at 12 until supplies run out. We'll be having one every month during the winter season so head to our event page to check out all the dates.

Our bar will be operating as normal as well for all your craft cocktail needs.

We'll see you then!

Burlington: Boozy Hot Cider Bar

It's peak season for foliage, sweaters, bean boots, and Hot Cider!!

This crisp fall air is making us crave a good cup of hot cider, and we wouldn't want to have one without you all! Starting at 12 we'll be handing out free Hot Cider from Shelburne Orchards while supplies last. Add a slice of fruit or a cinnamon stick, and for those 21+ head over to the bar and add our local booze to your cup for just $5!

We'll see you then!

10th Annual von Trapp Brewing Oktoberfest

Join the von Trapp family for their 10th annual Oktoberfest celebration! Enjoy a festive day of family-friendly activities and lawn games, live music from the Inseldudler Band, delicious Austrian fare, and a traditional Oktoberfest Keg Tapping (scheduled for 3 PM). Entrance to the event is free, with the opportunity to purchase a von Trapp Lager and commemorative 2019 Oktoberfest stein for $10 (while supplies last). Additional beer and food available for purchase. Prost!

2019 Wine and Harvest Festival

Set in the backdrop of our world renowned Vermont fall foliage, attendees of the 10th Annual Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival will discover, savor and enjoy Vermont vintners, small specialty food producers, chefs, painters, publishers, cheese makers, potters, jewelers, photographers and farmers.

Waitsfield, VT: 48th Annual Mad River Craft Fair

The 49th Annual Mad River Craft Fair, Sat., Aug. 31 & Sun., Sept. 1, Kenyon’s Field, Waitsfield, VT, 10 am - 5 pm: 2/3 under a giant tent, 100+ juried artists, four bands, delicious food court (craft cocktails and beer), door prizes and free kids' activities! A great family day (rain or shine) to browse handmade items and meet the artists.

www.madrivercraftfair.com

Waitsfield, VT: 49th Annual Mad River Craft Fair

The 49th Annual Mad River Craft Fair, Sat., Aug. 31 & Sun., Sept. 1, Kenyon’s Field, Waitsfield, VT, 10 am - 5 pm: 2/3 under a giant tent, 100+ juried artists, four bands, delicious food court (craft cocktails and beer), door prizes and free kids' activities! A great family day (rain or shine) to browse handmade items and meet the artists. www.madrivercraftfair.com

Burlington: Burnt Rock Bourbon Release Party

You asked, and we answered! The wait is over and our Burnt Rock Bourbon is finally back!!

Join us to celebrate the rerelease of our tasty Bourbon with equally tasty snacks from Noix Ice Cream and Luiza's Homemade with Love! It's gonna be a party you won't want to miss!

And when you buy a bottle of Burnt Rock, we're going to throw in a Mad River Distillers Rocks glass for you to enjoy it in!

We'll see you then!

Shelburne, VT: Vermont Fresh Network's 23rd Annual Forum Dinner

Join us at the Vermont Fresh Network Annual Forum Dinner! For one special evening in August, farmers and chefs from all across Vermont come together to prepare a sensational meal for you and fellow food enthusiasts. It is a fundraiser for the Vermont Fresh Network — all proceeds go to continuing programming that helps bring more Vermont grown and raised food to the table. Tickets on sale now!

We've partnered with Kimball Brook Farm to create delicious cocktails using our spirits and their lemonades! You won't want to miss out!

Burlington: Mad River Distillers Cocktail Class

Join our next cocktail class taught by Vermont's 2019 Bartender of the year Emily Morton! Emily is the Bar Manager at the amazing Deli 126, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar located in downtown Burlington. Emily is a connoisseur of classic craft cocktails and is always on the hunt for new ideas. She is constantly doing research on the industry to stay up to date on new products and trends, as well as to bring back long forgotten recipes of the cocktail world. Her take on a Mad River Distillers Cocktail Class will be quite an original one that you won't want to miss!

Join Emily at her Temperance-style Cocktail Class where she will walk you through classic cocktail recipes, and then provide you with a non-alcoholic way to make it!

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware on the day of the class.

Tickets are $40.00 per person

Burlington: Mad River Distillers Cocktail Class

Join Vermont all star bartender Kate Wise for an afternoon of cocktail making. Kate has worked throughout Vermont at venues like Prohibition Pig, Doc Ponds, and is now currently working at Juniper Bar at Hotel Vermont. She also has her very own cocktail consulting business!

You will walk away with the skills needed to create classic cocktails with a "Wise" twist.

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware on the day of the class.

Tickets are $40.00 per person

Burlington: Cocktail Class with Kate Wise

Join Vermont all star bartender Kate Wise for an afternoon of cocktail making. Kate has worked throughout Vermont at venues like Prohibition Pig, Doc Ponds, and is now currently working at Juniper at Hotel Vermont. She also has her very own cocktail consulting business!

You will walk away with the skills needed to create classic cocktails with a "Wise" twist.

Class includes 1 welcome cocktail and you will leave with the recipes for the drinks you created. Participants receive 10% off barware on the day of the class.

Tickets are $60.00 per person