I have been in the drinks business since my husband and I opened our first Irish pub in Bogota, Colombia in August 2001 (www.thepub.com.co). The next year, we started Bogota Beer Company, which opened my doors to craft drinks production and began my journey to rum and creating Pedro Mandinga Rum, in Panama. We bought our pot still in 2011, but only started distilling in 2016. Pedro Mandinga’s distillery is in our brewery, La Rana Dorada, and it’s great to be able to piggyback on some of our brewing equipment for the distillery. My life is a bit active between Panama, Bogota and Miami. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I married into the Latin American culture and love how life is enjoyed with such an importance on community. I guess that is also why rum is so attractive to me. Other spirits are good for a quiet drink alone at home, while rum is “the spirit” to drink with friends.
I feel that my biggest achievement is starting up the first artisanal rum distillery in Panama, distilling from raspadura. We are creating awareness of raspadura rum and of craft distilling in Panama, which is a country that understands global taste palate changes/trends more than many other Latin American countries. Though, this isn’t an easy thing to do since the majority of distilleries are high-production facilities, and that is what the consumer still accepts more easily. We are connecting with the Panamanian consumer who appreciates small batch, artisanal spirits. This is something new and exciting for them. It’s rewarding to know that I’m a part of that.
My love for rum started during a CBC conference in Seattle in 2006. I went with our master brewer, Brad Kraus, who has always appreciated a good dram of rum and opened my eyes to it. Some of the vendors were showing small distilleries, which peaked our interest. We spent the whole conference talking about how we needed to incorporate a pot still in our brewery and both agreed that we only wanted to focus on rum. A lot of craft distilleries make many spirits. We like to only focus on rum. It’s honestly the only spirit I love to drink. When I visit the sugar cane farm and feel a part of how the cane is grown, harvested and the raspadura made, that’s when I fall in love with rum even more. By the time I’m back in our rum bar in Casco Viejo, I can literally taste the farm and the romanticism of how this rum got into my glass.
Besides the taste of our rum, the thing that makes me want to continue in this industry is the people, starting with the people closest to me in the distillery, our rum bars, our brand ambassadors and all the people who have helped along the way. Then, I love to attend a rum event or an ACSA conference and listening to other people’s stories. It’s such an awesome community and there is so much support between everyone. I love to hear people geek-out about distilling and others about structuring a cocktail. It’s just the kind of community that you always want to be surrounded by. Warm and cozy!
Super easy answer! Our Mandinga Mojito. I love how raspadura is used instead of processed sugar. It isn’t too sweet. Just right! I am trying to start a new trend for bars to focus more on what kind of sugar they use. Raspadura is really a wonderful product and super healthy for you.
Mandinga Mojito
2 oz Pedro Mandinga Silver Rum
8 mint leaves
1 raspadura cube
Squeeze ½ lime
½ oz of raspadura syrup
2 lime wheels
Soda water
Muddle mint, raspadura and lime wheels. Fill with ice; add rum, lime juice, and top with soda. Garnish as you like.
In the next 5 years, I see the rum industry as more transparent and rum being a more appreciated spirit. Consumers are beginning to ask for distillery-owned brands more than trendy brands. We see this happening in many other industries like coffee, wine, beer, even olive oil. People want to know what they are drinking /consuming. They want to know how it was made and if that brand is being honest with them.
Plain and simple – we need to continue to educate the spirits drinker about what they are consuming. There are still many people who drink what their father drank or are persuaded by the eye-level brand in the liquor store. Rum needs to go through the process of what happened in the craft beer industry when people began to ask for the artisanal or small-batch product. We need to request craft brands in our cocktails at bars and ask more details about what we are drinking. Once the consumer really begins to understand what it takes to create premium rum, they will request it more and more.
My biggest mentor is my husband. He is so knowledgeable about the beer world and has helped guide me in understanding how to connect with our rum customers. He is so encouraging about my ideas as well and always pushes me to really try and achieve what I have set as my goal. My other mentor is my team. They inspire me with their knowledge, their positive energy, and just their own love of rum.
I’m actually setting up a small boutique hotel in Umbria, Italy, where my parents live. With that project, I am getting to know the world of extra virgin olive oil a lot more. I’m hoping to start exporting our rum to Europe, so I can offer our guests a Pedro Mandinga rum cocktail!
Drink more small-batch rum, learn more about raspadura, and be happy!
Instagram: @pedromandinga
FaceBook: Pedro Mandinga Rum
Twitter: @mandingarum
YouTube: Pedro Mandinga Rum
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