Rum Connoisseur
Interview of The Week:

MICHAEL LOMBARDOZZI

Dromedary Bar Owner

1. Who is Michael Lombardozzi?

Michael Lombardozzi is a Native New Yorker and longtime bartender. Michael would visit Hawaii with an ex, and tasted some of the freshest pineapples, guavas, lavender, macadamia nuts, which later became the influence to open a sandwich menu based on the food of Hawaii, that then became the reason to get into tiki. With a love of the cocktail craft, Michael decided to go on his own and venture into the Tiki realm. Having being self-taught, Michael took his interest to the world of rum. Tiki was a good direction to go in Bushwich for at that time there was no one doing it and if they were, it wasn’t being done with love!

2. Biggest achievement you personally feel you have accomplished for the rum industry.

In 2016 he opened Dromedary Urban Tiki Bar to provide a laid back, nontraditional tiki bar offering high quality, well-crafted cocktails at a moderate price.

 

3. What made you fall in love with rum and when did it happen?

I have grown to understand the differences between region and agriculture and the effect they have on cane, in the past 2 years I’ve been a supporter of St. Lucia distillery and now Santa Teresa in Venezuela. I find ways to incorporate the rum into cocktails in order to get guests to be more excited about rum. It works. In 2015 i was thinking of different bar concepts and realized that rum is so versatile and had a wider range of flavor profile then other spirits. It was a lot of fun to play with the styles and blending techniques to get a most out of the spirit.

 

4. What is that thing that makes you want to continue in the rum industry?

Rum keeps popping up from all over the world, making it more and more of a challenge to incorporate into cocktails, in a good way. So the more they make, the more interesting the cocktails will be.

 

5. Favorite Drink + Recipe

Favorite cocktail right now is at The Polynesian, Via Con Tiki. I believe its roots are a painkiller, with a blend of cayenne and coconut and ginger, that I’ve attempted to replicate for my own personal consumption, but that madman Brian Miller, has too many secrets. LOL

 

6. Where do you see the rum industry today and in the next 5 years?

I think rum will make a bigger footprint in the industry then it already is. The cost and production are much more affordable and the versatility makes it more complimentary to mixing. Though i believe sugar cane will become scarce with the current change of weather conditions, but I’m not a meteorologist.

7. What do you think needs to happen to grow the premium category of rum?

I read Metallica is making whisky and the technique is to vibrate the barrel with sonic aging…these types of bizarre methods can definitely help make spirits in general more interesting to purchase at a higher cost.

 

8. Share some (2-3) of your mentors and how they have helped you.

No one really mentored me, but i do have some favorite influencers in the industry, though they don’t know nor care.

• Brian Miller, at first i thought this guy was silly with his face paint and his ‘Captain Miller” persona, then i realized, this dude loves what he does and loves rum so fucking much that i do think he rather be a pirate in the 1700’s exploring and discovering Cane spirits. He’s got a Great rum selection does give a fuck about what’s trending; he does his own thing his way.
• Attaboy Family, Milk and Honey, Little Branch, Attaboy, these area cocktail bars that are designed to cater to the needs of an individual guest. Personality, class, creation, good job.
• Julie Renner. Clover Club was my first introduction to a classic cocktail bar and when i ordered cocktails that had Hawaiian influence, I was surprised! Then I heard she’s from Hawaii and i was excited to try more of her menu.

 

9. Any last words?

So Tiki is trending right now, like out of control. Bars open and serve a frozen piña colada and put up Asian facades and they label themselves as “tiki”. That’s getting to me. I think there is more of a craft, a dedication and a respect that goes into calling yourself a tiki bar. Put a little effort into it and show us why you call yourself that.

10. How can people learn more about you? Website? Social Media Page

https://www.instagram.com/dromedary_bar/

https://www.facebook.com/dromedarybar/