Set to open on in Central Hong Kong next month, The Daily Tot is a shrine to the great tradition of Caribbean rum and the sailor’s daily ration.
Rum. Bless its exoticism, its complex tapestry of flavours, its rich heritage, its soul-soothing effects. As Asia awakens to rum’s many attributes, a new watering hole is set to capture all that goodness and distill it down to one unique rum-swilling experience.
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You might not realise this but the British navy has a long, if not sordid relationship with rum. As the demand for sugar – and rum, a handy bi-product – increased in Europe, traders were increasingly attacked by pirates looking to plunder their amber gold. The solution? Call in the navy.
By this time sailors had knocked back every alcoholic elixir known to man but few navigated the turbulent physical (beer would go off on long sea journeys) and political (gin in those days was Dutch and cognac French, so enough said) waters quite like rum. The fact it was being produced by slave owners and traders didn’t factor at the time. It wasn’t until 1970, when calmer minds mandated that the traditional British navy rum ration was ended.
Paying homage to this tradition, and the spectacular array of rums produced in the idyllic isles of the Caribbean, The Daily Tot, named for said ration, opens next month in Central.
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The new 1,300sqft Cuban-inspired cocktail bar, located on the corner of Hollywood and Peel, hopes to become a new church for lovers of “Nelson’s Blood”. Of course, this isn’t Hong Kong’s first rum bar – it’s not even the city’s first Cuban rum bar – but its dedication to this fascinating spirit, as well as a surge in rum popularity in Asia, just might see it convert its fair share of gin swillers and vodkaphiles.
The bar, headed up by the talented Gerry Olino, formerly of Dr Fern’s Gin Parlour, promises a wide selection of rum styles from across the Caribbean, which in turn will be used to create 12 signature cocktails that will seduce sippers away from sweet, hedonistic tiki styled drinks.
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These signature concoctions, which will join a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, beers, wines and an innovative bar snack menu, will be served in a suitable dark, moody and sophisticated space designed by Louis Chon Studio – the creator of beautiful bars Tell Camellia and The Old Man – that will include comfortable lounge spaces and bar seating for those who prefer to be first in line for their rum ration.
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