+ News and Press
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Rum Festival Starts Thursday
Monday 10th October, 2005 (Cayman Compass)

Front, Pat Opitz, and back, from left, Derek Bellini, Doug Cushman, Kathy Cushman,
Jennifer McCarthy and Jan Borgwardt at the T–shirt stand.

This week it’s time to savour the flavour of rum in Grand Cayman.

The forthcoming first annual Rum Festival in Grand Cayman looks set to have something for everyone – tourists and locals alike – this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The event, which will be hosted at Grand Old House, will feature rum tasting, learning about cooking with it, mixing the liquor into drinks, hearing interesting facts on rum, along with an international salsa band, hole–in–one golf competition, wonderful food and a free art exhibition.

“Rum is the flavour of the Caribbean and this event has never been done before,” said General Manager of Grand Old House, Martin Richter.

Mr. Ronald C. George, Sales and Marketing Manager, Beverage Division, for one of the major sponsors, Jacques Scott, commented that the Cayman consumer appreciates rums and is very familiar with Caribbean brands, aside from Appleton Rum, which dominates the local market here.

Some of the rums that Jacques Scott will have available at the festival include Appleton, MountGay Rum from Barbados, Matusalem from the Dominican Republic, Angostura from Trinidad, Cruzan Rum from St. Croix and Havana Club from Cuba.

The festival will be an added attraction for tourists as well as locals, and the Department of Tourism has offered its support to the festival, promoting it overseas.

“I think it’s a great event to have here and it really shows a different side of the Caribbean,” said Manager Public Relations DoT, Kathryn Jackson. “We were delighted to sponsor this event and it is wonderful to see someone from the private sector put on such an event,” she said.

The festival, which is organised by the Slow Food Convivium, opens with a free art exhibition at 6.30pm this Thursday, 13 October. The art exhibition “Constrantes Abstractes” is by Angel Rivero Sierra, member of the Experimental Workshop of Graphics in Havana, with international exhibitions in New York and Spain and in the Museum of Art and Graphic in Berlin, Germany. Proceeds benefit the Cayman Islands National Recovery Fund.

On Friday, 14 October treat your taste–buds to the world’s finest rums and spirited cooking by Paul Yellin. Entertainment is by international pianist Ms. Vilma Comas. Participate in one of four formal workshops of your choice: Rums from the Caribbean and Central America; Vintage Rums (8 – 23 years); Spirited Infusion Cooking; Creative Mixing with Rum. Ticket price of CI$125 per person includes workshop, tasting and dinner.

On Saturday, 15 October a rum infused Caribbean market buffet takes place. Dance to the sound of Body & Soul and Candela, a sizzling hot international salsa band. There will be free rum tasting and an opportunity to mix with rum producers until 8pm.

From 6.30pm to 10.30pm there will be a hole–in–one golf tournament under the stars with top prize a brand new Mercedes 2005SLK Roadster. This is a fundraiser for the Cayman Aids Foundation. The ticket price of $150 per person includes a hole in one fee, dinner, two drink tickets per person and live entertainment. Without the golf a single is $90 and a double is $175.

Tickets are available at Grand Old House, Cayman Aids Foundation, Autohaus or members of the Slow Food Convivium.

Other sponsors include Cayman Airways, Autohaus, Ministry of Tourism and Tortuga Rum Co. Ltd.