Rum tasting at...
11 in the morning on a Friday is an excellent way to start a weekend. My parents and I spent a couple days in New Orleans and Natchez last weekend. We made up our agenda the night we landed in GulfPort/Biloxi. Not a normal Dukes thing to do, arriving without a true plan, but it turned out excellent. Rum tasting was the first event, and it took place at the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery This is the only rum distillery on CONUS and it "was conceived by a band of artists and musicians better known for consumption than fabrication." How can you argue with a statement like that? The palette cleanser was their spiced rum in iced tea. Not having inherited my Dad's affliction for the cold crazy concoction, when a spiced rum is added, it definitely peeks my interest. They currently distill 4 types of rum, Crystal, Amber, Cajun Spice, and a 10 Year Special Edition. The special edition is a result of Katrina and lost paperwork. After the storm, some barrels were discovered and through a process of elimination it was determined they were fairly well aged, and have now developed a strong, unique flavor on the level of a bourbon. I was a fan of the Cajun Spiced brew and brought a bottle home. (We returned a few days later, as Mom wanted a bottle as well. Clearly, I wasn't sharing) :-D They had a cool Tiki bar for the tasting, and, if your a fan, you'll realize that the shirt I was wearing was appropriate:
Backing up a bit; we flew skybus out of c-bus. I left work a bit later than I had wanted, so I had to rush to the airport. It's a good thing I know how to get through security thanks to TSA Bob I was out of the car and through check-in and security in roughly 20 minutes. Plenty of time to spare. However, upon landing in Gulf Port, I realized the top portion of my checked luggage had come unzipped, and my custom fit sunglasses were missing. Picked up the rental car, and my parents convinced me to check with the skybus counter and see if my sunglasses had been recovered. Low and behold, they had them, so I'm not 100% like my father. (He's lost like 3 pairs of sunglasses while on vacation) Evidently that was the last skybus flight I'll take. They have decided to discontinue service:
We strolled around the French Quarter for the rest of Friday. Stopping in the art shops, Hoodoo shops, and assorted souvenir sellers. Be sure to ask my dad how he got glitter on his face. It's a great story.
The evening came to a close after an amazing group of musicians in Preservation Hall The combined age of these gentlemen had to be a least a millennium. It was interesting though, we waited outside of the venue for over an hour, just to cram ourselves into a tiny space to watch these guys perform. You would think that would cause the spectators to respect the wishes of the performers. They politely asked for no flash photography during the performance, but some people missed that and there were some flashes, and some of the "red eye reduction lamps" during their first two songs. During the second song, the trumpet player started clapping during the saxophone solo. ::RANT WARNING:: I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but a large number of the audience started clapping as well. In my opinion, never clap during a musical performance, unless it's truly obvious that the performers want you to. For example, if the performer says, "Everybody, clap your hands" feel free to do so. All the same, if you're going to clap to a song, be sure to know what the @#$% you're doing. During this second song, an audience member attempted to clap along, and really only got about every third beat to line up. I don't know how in the world someone could rhythm that terrible, especially when said audience member is only 15 feet from the musician clapping. This guy was more than just a beat off, and he couldn't even watch the trumpet player for the timing. The drummer finally pointed a stick at the guy, and started shaking his head. The guy promptly stopped, and I busted out laughing. This dude in the audience just got pwned by a New Orleans drummer. Excellent.
The evening officially ended with us leaving Preservation Hall and walking down Bourbon street, just as things were starting to liven up. No, we didn't stay long, and no, my Mom did not make any of the "Bourbon Street Style" videos. I would like to go back and party with some people who are not my parents, so if you're up for it, I can at least show you around. Let's find some cheap plane tickets!
Backing up a bit; we flew skybus out of c-bus. I left work a bit later than I had wanted, so I had to rush to the airport. It's a good thing I know how to get through security thanks to TSA Bob I was out of the car and through check-in and security in roughly 20 minutes. Plenty of time to spare. However, upon landing in Gulf Port, I realized the top portion of my checked luggage had come unzipped, and my custom fit sunglasses were missing. Picked up the rental car, and my parents convinced me to check with the skybus counter and see if my sunglasses had been recovered. Low and behold, they had them, so I'm not 100% like my father. (He's lost like 3 pairs of sunglasses while on vacation) Evidently that was the last skybus flight I'll take. They have decided to discontinue service:
We strolled around the French Quarter for the rest of Friday. Stopping in the art shops, Hoodoo shops, and assorted souvenir sellers. Be sure to ask my dad how he got glitter on his face. It's a great story.
The evening came to a close after an amazing group of musicians in Preservation Hall The combined age of these gentlemen had to be a least a millennium. It was interesting though, we waited outside of the venue for over an hour, just to cram ourselves into a tiny space to watch these guys perform. You would think that would cause the spectators to respect the wishes of the performers. They politely asked for no flash photography during the performance, but some people missed that and there were some flashes, and some of the "red eye reduction lamps" during their first two songs. During the second song, the trumpet player started clapping during the saxophone solo. ::RANT WARNING:: I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but a large number of the audience started clapping as well. In my opinion, never clap during a musical performance, unless it's truly obvious that the performers want you to. For example, if the performer says, "Everybody, clap your hands" feel free to do so. All the same, if you're going to clap to a song, be sure to know what the @#$% you're doing. During this second song, an audience member attempted to clap along, and really only got about every third beat to line up. I don't know how in the world someone could rhythm that terrible, especially when said audience member is only 15 feet from the musician clapping. This guy was more than just a beat off, and he couldn't even watch the trumpet player for the timing. The drummer finally pointed a stick at the guy, and started shaking his head. The guy promptly stopped, and I busted out laughing. This dude in the audience just got pwned by a New Orleans drummer. Excellent.
The evening officially ended with us leaving Preservation Hall and walking down Bourbon street, just as things were starting to liven up. No, we didn't stay long, and no, my Mom did not make any of the "Bourbon Street Style" videos. I would like to go back and party with some people who are not my parents, so if you're up for it, I can at least show you around. Let's find some cheap plane tickets!
posted by Allen @ 8:19 PM
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