Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum

There is no shortage of bars in Key West: The ones that have live music; the ones that serve 70 ounces of brain-freeze-inducing drinks with cute names; the wine bars, which I may have mentioned once or twice; the ones with drag shows; and plenty of others.

Last weekend, I happened into the Rum Bar at 1117 Duval, in the Speakeasy Inn. They have an impressive selection of rums, to say the least. Since I had no idea what I wanted, I was given a description of about 20 different rums to help make up my mind, or confuse me even more. I’m a wine geek. I can tell you different flavor profiles of different grapes from different regions. But, rum? I’m completely lost. I ended up choosing one that was aged in bourbon barrels, which was quite good – smooth and sweet !

The bar itself is small, although they do have a very nice porch. It is friendly and unique. The drink of the day when I was there was Blue Hawaiian – I passed, after having an unfortunate experience with Blue Hawaiians in college.

Blue is not a good color for any beverage. Especially true with Gatorade. I learned that one after a particularly ugly case of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

It is easy to avoid the gimmicky drink of the day and go right to the good stuff at the Rum Bar. If you are looking for a relaxing place for a drink, where you get a real glass and friendly service, try the Rum Bar. It’s a good time.