This Monday I was invited to an industry night at Jungle Room. This was in celebration of Coconut Cartel, an anejo style Guatemalan rum out of Miami.
The setting just fit as the female brand reps works out of Jungle Room, rum has a long history in tropical drinks, and Jungle Room is well known for their Asian fusion fare.
What sets this rum apart is that it is cut to proof with fresh coconut water, instead of regular well water, like other similar brands in the space.
The one night only event included specialty Coconut Cartel cocktails, a blind box daiqiri mixing competition, and on the house tattoos.
The three available cocktails were as follows and sold out mid way through the night.
More Passion, More Coconuts was their night cap pick me up with Coconut Cartel Anejo rum, passionfruit, coffee liqueur, espresso, and salted butter foam topper. I liked the bitterness of the coffee cut with the salty and sweet of the cheesy savoury foam. Didnt get any tart fruit, but the foam is what made it truly unique anyways.
The La Jefa was Coconut Cartel Anejo rum, acidified mango, Cocchi Americano, French vermouth, and angostura. This drank like an old fashioned, where I got get the sweetness of the rum, but not the mango in place of orange, which would have added levels to it.
The Oh Zazu!!! was Coconut Cartel anejo rum, lime, pulparindo cordial, miso, and ginger. This was my favourite of the lot, a great digestif with the ginger. The miso offering a slight umami flavour that made me go back for another sip. The most enjoyable to nurse.
The competition began an hour into the evening and pitted six local bartenders, one at a time on their mixing stage. The hitch, each would get their own secret ingredient that they would have to incorporate into their daiquiri, on the spot, as a curve ball.
The three industry judges would then taste and grade each based on flavour and balance, brand representation, use of the black box ingredient; and the presentation considering glassware and garnish.
The audience saw quick thinking with caramel syrup, a passion fruit cordial, blueberry syrup, coconut milk, strawberry lemon cordial, and a jalapeño lime water.
In the end it was Brooklyn from the Jungle Room that came in as runner up, winning herself a Mount Vintage Provisions gift card.
Just as well as the grand prize was a bottle of Coconut Cartel and a gift card to the Jungle Room. Kabir from Zarak won that honour.
It was a great competition to watch and certainly got the room going, cheering for their friends and favourites.
I made sure to get in line for the complimentary tattoo. I didn’t need one, wasn’t planning on one, but could not pass up a free one. They paid local tattoo artist Lindsay of The Fox Den Tattoo for the night and had her do as many tattoos as possible. My patience earned me the last of the evening.
You were able to choose from a set of predetermined designs. I gravitated towards the monstera leaves and chose it to represent my growth during this time in my life: as a counsellor in-training, working on my own healing.
Overall a great night and one I won’t soon forgot, especially with my new reminder on my arm.
Jungle Room
961 Denman St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2M3
(604) 558-4343
jungleroom.ca
