Leitz Zero Point Five Pinot Noir ($19).
and Rum Bar keep the spirit alive — literally.Housed in one of the few Key West homes with a basement (ideal for stashing bootleg rum), the building once belonged to Raul Vasquez, who ran a speakeasy and smuggling operation out of the back during Prohibition.
Today, it honors that legacy with more than 300 rums, legendary Painkillers, and a Rum Runner served with a wink and a story.. Florida, in a glass.The Rum Runner is not just a cocktail.It’s a love letter to the tropics.
A nod to the rogues who sailed too close to the law.And maybe most of all, a reminder that great drinks don’t have to be perfect to come with a great story.. “It’s a true Florida creation,” says Crabtree.
“And that’s what makes it fun.”.
In the hands of today’s bartenders, the Rum Runner lives on — not by erasing its humble, haphazard origins, but by leaning into them., and the best part is the beginning, with the Chinese chef chopping with big cleavers," he recalls.
"I thought, 'That's the move!'"So, Leonti bought some large cleavers in Chinatown and a wood butcher block, and set up a soffritto station in the kitchen, where his cooks rhythmically chopped and broke down the whole vegetables into rubble using the same kind of chopping technique I saw a barbecue cook use at Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, North Carolina, to break down the meat of whole smoked hogs into a fine mince.
The size of the mince matters — the smaller the better — Leonti says, because you're multiplying the surface area of the vegetables by a thousandfold.More surface area to caramelize in the pan equals more flavor..
(Editor: New Scooters)