I am a Cocktail Engineer, Philippine Spirits Specialist and Historian, who has been in the bar industry my entire adult life. I started bartending at 21 and transitioned to bar consulting in 2008. In 2004, My wife and I started “The Asian Bartending Academy”, where we trained Pilipino Bartenders the art and craft of cocktail mixing.
Moving to the Philippines has really broadened my desire to discover and experiment with native Philippine flavors and spirits. Being a brand ambassador for Tanduay Rum was a very natural progression because of the knowledge and passion I possess for such an iconic Philippine brand such as Tanduay Rum.
Discovering the link of Philippine Rum and the post prohibition Bar culture that Tanduay was actively a part of is what I feel is my biggest contribution so far to the world of rum. It has truly been an honor to represent a Philippine rum brand that has so much history in the tropical cocktail genre.
I fell in love with rum during my heydays at Reggae on the River when I used to make the trek up with friends from Venice Beach, California.
Moving to Manila in 2004 and starting Asian Bartending Academy with my wife led me to discover the history of Tanduay and its ties to Philippine Culture & history.
Working with bringing Tanduay Rum to the US market has also cemented my desire to represent rum to the best of my abilities. With so many Filipino Americans in California alone, looking for a brand to patronize, I have fallen wildly in love with not only the rum from the Philippine islands, but the culture and the people of the Philippines.
What makes me excited to be in the rum industry is that there is such diversity and it is a growing and expanding market with so much potential because you can get a better quality product in rums at a lower price.
The Sumatra Kula recipe is the cocktail that linked everything together about the history of Philippine Rum and Don the Beach Comber.
Philippine Rum, Raspberry Liquor, Calamansi and Don’s Honey Mix. I also make an “ube” painkiller but haven’t shared that secret recipe yet.
The rum industry in 5 years will have a better understanding of the quality and value of blended aged rums as opposed to seeing the value in just the number of years aged in a single barrel.
The Master Class I took in Singapore with Gary Reagan was revolutionary in the philosophy of being “zen” behind the bar. Jeff “Beachbum” Berry has also been instrumental in my passion to discover the contributions of the Filipino immigrant to the Tiki movement.
With Tanduay Rum expanding its portfolio this year in the US market, I look forward to introducing people to the highly anticipated products we are launching 3rd quarter this year. Tanduay is also an active participant in the tiki community and we are already committed to present at Tiki Caliente in May in Palm Springs, Hukilau in Florida in June and Tiki Oasis in San Diego in August so I look forward to seeing familiar rum enthusiasts in the industry.
The undeniable legacy of the Tanduay brand is only beginning to take on traction in the US but has been active in the international market since 1854. I hope the consumers recognize that sugar cane is indigenous to South East Asia and that natives to that area have been imbibing spirits made out of sugarcane for centuries.
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