The Real McCoy Rum was highlighted at a Tiki cocktail competition at Highland Brass in Waterbury on Aug. 9. Spirits professional Anthony DeSerio, Connecticut On-Premise Brand Ambassador, The Real McCoy Rum, began the evening with brand education about The Real McCoy Rum, a multi-award-winning small batch rum line named after famed Prohibition rum runner Bill McCoy. Then, local bartenders squared off in a Tiki cocktail competition featuring The Real McCoy Rum as a base spirit. Competition judges DeSerio and Highland Brass Bar Manager Matt Sedlak chose four winners. In first place was Suzie Johnson, Taino Prime; in second-place, Andres Monoroy, Highland Brass; in third-place, Nicole Rinaldi, Vyne; and in fourth place, Bonnie Sharon, also of Vyne. Available in three expressions, The Real McCoy 12 Year Old, The Real McCoy 5 Year Old and The Real McCoy 3 Year Old, the rum is crafted with molasses and spring water, batch distilled in a combination of column and pot stills, and then aged in oak bourbon barrels under the guidance of renowned Master Distiller Richard Seale at Foursquare Distillery, Barbados.
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- The Real McCoy Rum was highlighted at a Tiki cocktail competition at Highland Brass in Waterbury on Aug. 9.
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- Poured tastes of The Real McCoy 12 Year Old, The Real McCoy 5 Year Old and The Real McCoy 3 Year Old.
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- Anthony DeSerio, Connecticut On-Premise Brand Ambassador, The Real McCoy Rum.
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- First-place winner Suzie Johnson, Taino Prime.
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- Johnson’s winning cocktail, Pink Skies Ahead.
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- Second-place winner Andres Monoroy, Highland Brass.
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- Monoroy’s cocktail, La Loca Nostra.
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- Third-place winner Nicole Rinaldi of Vyne.
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- Ronaldi’s cocktail, The Last Minute.
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- Fourth-place winner Bonnie Sharon, Vyne.
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- Sharon’s cocktail, Black Out.
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- Judges Matt Sedlak and Anthony DeSerio ponder the cocktails.
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- Winner Suzie Johnson, Taino Prime celebrates with The Real McCoy Rum merchandise bag.
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- Competitors Dana Genova, Bonnie Sharon and Nicole Ronaldi, all from Vyne.
Photos by Michael Leung.
