Caña Rum Bar was jumping Tuesday night as “Rumble in the Jungle” pitted expert mixologist Aidan Demarest, armed with a blender, against Team Caña, which was armed with a cocktail shaker. The event was a celebration of Selvarey rum’s recent launch here in California. The room was packed with such cocktail royalty as bar owner Cedd Moses and noted writer Caroline on Crack.
The showdown over who could mix the best Selvarey daiquiri was based on both recipe and methodology. Team Caña offered a classic cocktail comprised of rum, lime and simple syrup. Aidan Demarest shook things up a little by adding Licor 43, a vanilla liqueur from Spain. Both cocktails were delicious, but the heat and the crowd prevented the shaken cocktails from maintaining their temperature. For that reason only, the blender-mixed frozen daiquiris had a slight edge.
Of course, the real winners were the guests as we were handed cocktail after cocktail. The room was practically humming with energy. One enthusiastic guest toasted me and shouted, “This is the best party I have ever been to!”
