New England Tequila & Rum Festival
Paul Senft brings us coverage of the New England Tequila & Rum Festival in the June 2015 issue of "Got Rum?" magazine.
New England Festival Coverage
by Paul Senft
Sweeping landscapes of budding trees and river ways nestled along historic buildings on one side and a circus train on the other. This was my first view of Providence, Rhode Island, as we sped down the interstate. Our destination: The town of Lincoln, located just north of Providence and home to the Twin River Casino which recently hosted the first annual New England Tequila and Rum Festival.
When we first heard about this festival we were immediately intrigued; after all, the New England region of the United States is the birthplace of American rum. The Tequila side of it was a curiosity for me; I later learned from Frank Martucci, the mastermind behind the festival, that Tequila’s growth in the region as a quality spirit warranted a dual themed Agave and Sugar Cane based spirit festival. After monitoring the website and watching the growing lists of brands and people involved, my wife and I knew we had to take this trip.
So we found ourselves arriving at the casino property on a Thursday morning, powered by coffee and adrenaline, to attend the first day of Spirit Industry Seminars. Right out of the gate we knew we were in for a very different experience. Other festivals that we have attended traditionally have their seminars during the event. These seminars were comprised of interesting subjects presented by top minds in their respected fields. For example, we started the day discussing Terroir Driven Spirits: Agave and Sugarcane presented by Benjamin Jones of Rhum Clément and Will Thompson of Tequila Ocho. All of the seminars were well attended by USBG members and media who asked great questions and sometimes sharing knowledge and insight on a particular piece of subject matter.
The day sped quickly by as Junior Merino of The Liquid Chef and Jonathan Pogash of the Cocktail Guru discussed “Sours” and the cultural interplay they had in different cocktails. Jennifer Ferreira of Bols USA and Marshall Altier of Denizen Rum educated us about the DNA of Tiki and the use of rums and liqueurs. The seminar series wrapped with a discussion about the Tequila Interchange Project present by Miguel Huerta.
This left the afternoon to rest and recover before returning to the casino for the Spirited Dinner by Bacardi. This four course dinner guided by Señor Willie Ramos of Bacardi was a delightful culinary experience. Each course was married with a signature cocktail from a local mixologist and creation from a chef from Johnson and Wales University or Fred & Steve’s Steakhouse. This fun filled evening was brought to a close with a toast of Facundo Exquisito.
An overcast Friday morning found us gathered at the Johnson and Wales Culinary Arts Museum for a VIP experience and Blind tasting competition. Esteemed guests were allowed to preview and sample some of the festival participants’ products while the Blind Judging competition took place behind closed doors. As people who enjoy history and unique museums we really enjoyed this venue. It was fun to explore and witness some of the artifacts in their collection. After our experiences at the museum came to a close, we spent the rest of the day exploring Providence and trying some of the local cuisine.
Friday night found us back at the Casino for two parties: The Freaky Tiki Party sponsored by Don Q Rum and the Hemingway and Marley party sponsored by Appleton rum. The Freaky Tiki party lived up to its name as Esteban Ordonez and his team whipped up a slew of Tiki concoctions for everyone to enjoy. The Hemingway and Marley party, hosted by Willy Shine, was a more mellow affair and with cigars and snifters of Appleton rum leading to more conversational environment. No surprise we found ourselves spending most of the evening bouncing between both events and enjoying the company of all of the people we had met over the past two days. Sadly the parties wrapped up and we departed for our hotel with the anticipation of the festival day before us. With two excellent days of events leading up to it, would it be possible for the festival to meet our expectations? We were about to find out.
Saturday we met up with some friends and arrived at the Twin River Casino Event center. Registration and Check in was one of the fastest I had ever experienced at a Spirits event. We were checked in and waiting for the doors to open in less than five minutes. Every person was given a tasting glass along with food and drink tickets. The tasting glasses, we learned, could be exchanged for clean ones throughout the day. The doors opened, a band began to play on the main stage, and we entered the convention hall. Every spirits festival has a different environment. The first thing that struck me about this layout was it was comfortable. The flow was set up to showcase the spirit companies and their products balanced by an interplay of food and water stations. The sound level of the music was loud, but for the most part still conducive for good conversations with the brands. Early on it had a solid trade show vibe that about half way through transitioned to the vibe of a spirits festival.
Overall there were over 60 brands present: Appleton/Wray and Nephew, Bacardi, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Brugal, Bully Boy, Clément, Cruzan, Damoiseau, Denizen, Don Q, Mount Gay, Privateer, The Real McCoy, the list just goes on and on, and this was just on the rum side of things!
The entertainment was fun and well thought out, showcasing fun panels, Rhum Clément Ti Punch competition, a fire dancer, and different musical acts. The food was from the various restaurants located in the casino and was a great way to keep the food/alcohol ratio balanced. From open to close the event ran smoothly with a wonderful mix of participants showing the appeal of both spirit categories.
As the event drew to a close and we departed the venue in search of dinner with our friends we all felt that our minds and palates were educated in a positive way from the experience. The fact that this was a new event was not lost on any of us as we had not experienced the negative scene so often encountered at other festivals. Special thanks to Frank Martucci and his team for providing the region with an event that represented both spirit categories so well. We look forward to seeing you again in 2016.
Paul Senft
Featured “Got Rum?” Writer