Mysterious Rum: A Boozy Music Video

Our new music video, "Mysterious Rum," is now online! I can't believe it! This has been about a year in the making. Most of our music videos don't take quite that long but, due to the beach location, the fact that we had to contend with winter after our initial recording session, and the need to re-record a section of the song, it was a drawn-out process.

I remember sitting in Washington Square Park in NYC last July, writing the first draft of the lyrics on my phone. From that day to our first recording session was over three months, filled with writing and arranging. We got the song recorded then, boom, it was the holiday season, then winter. No beach shooting for us. Actually, at that point we didn't even know where we'd shoot. It wasn't until May that we learned our wonderful friends, Alissa and Toby, had beach access and were only a couple of hours away. They opened their home to us and, thanks to them and Chris - another fabulous friend - we had access to a boat and some other amazing props. We couldn't have done it without them, along with our composer, arranger and musicians. Teamwork makes the dream work and we had a dream team for this one. Now, on to the next one!

7:30ish in the morning. We'd already been at it for a while!

Toby makes sure we're actually in the shot.

Recording at Benny's Wash 'n Dry in Brooklyn.

Chocolate Cocktail with Deadhead Rum!

Today's treat is a chocolate concoction with Deadhead Dark Chocolate Rum. It's like a liquid hug - perfect for a winter happy hour!

September is National Honey Month!

September is National Honey Month and we're ready with a lovely libation featuring Don Q Anejo Rum and an easy, yet impressive-looking, appetizer made with Honey Ridge Farms honey! We thank both of them for providing their fabulous products for this episode. These recipes are best enjoyed during your own "bee movie" marathon. The honey may be sweet, but the films are pure cheese! Happy National Honey Month!

Do you need a cookie?

I'm not going to lie - it's been a rough day here at the Kitsch-en. Nothing truly horrible - no one is sick or anything - but it's been a day filled with frustrating tech issues, a distinct lack of replies to mail and rejection. The good news is that it's time for happy hour! And a day like this demands lovely comforting libations, garnished with a cookie!

The Bucolic Banana

2 oz banana milk

1 oz dark Jamaican rum (I used Coruba)

5 dashes of the Bitter Truth's Xocolatl Mole bitters

Shake with ice and serve on the rocks. Garnish with a cookie on a stick*.

*Be sure to create a pilot hole in your cookie before putting it on the stick, so that it doesn't fall apart.

Good For What Ails You

There are so many reasons you might have a headache. Traffic, deadlines, encounters with low-quality individuals, non-stop politics - it all seems tailor-made for cranial pain. Never fear, though! My studies show that this lovely libation washes away the tension on a gentle tide of rum.

All better...

The Spotless Mind

2 oz light rum (I like El Dorado 3 year old)

1/2 oz ginger liqueur

3/4 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

A dash of cherry bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Good luck!

Cocktails For More Of Our Fabulous AIDS Walk Sponsors!

Just in time for the weekend, here are some more cocktails created in honor of a few of our fabulous AIDS Walk New York sponsors!

Mystic Bazaar (created for Jax)

2 oz amber rum

1/2 oz tamarind syrup (Click here to learn how to make your own!)

1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Liqueur

1/4 oz pimento dram

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

A dash of Angostura bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass or serve on the rocks.

Island Sundown (created for Donna)

2 oz dark Jamaican rum

1/2 oz Pavan Liqueur 

1/2 oz blood orange amaro

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into a small tiki mug or strain into a cocktail glass.

Holiday In Oaxaca (created for Mike)

2 oz mezcal

1/2 oz guanabana liqueur

1/2 oz peach nectar

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

2 shakes of ground chipotle-cayenne pepper

2 dashes of orange bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

We'll have more cocktails created for our sponsors soon and we'll be shooting some Friday happy hour videos with even more this weekend! We'll get to everyone, we promise! Thank you so much to our sponsors for your support!