The Urban Grape strikes again! Every time I attend one of their in-store events, I feel like I am at a great party. Surely, a good sign. Last night was a much-needed, summery Caribbean-themed party featuring Brugal rum cocktails mixed by Bill Codman of Woodward at Ames and Brugal’s signature Kickass Cupcakes treats.
I was actually supposed to attend Brugal’s media event on Wednesday night, but I was asked to attend the AIWF Board meeting and was glad that I did. 
I was also glad I had a second chance to try Brugal rum on Thursday night, combining fun cocktails with the awesome Urban Grape owners/staff, and our friend Catherine who is doing Marketing for Brugal (and played a huge part in my appointment to the AIWF Board, thank you!)
My husband and I spent some time browsing the walls at the Urban Grape while Bill Codman mixed up Brugal cocktails. The entire room smelled of fresh mint and rum, and Caribbean music played on in the background.
The first drink we tried was an Old Cuban which combined sparkling wine, rum, mint, lime, bitters, and simple syrup. The Old Cuban did not taste like an alcoholic drink at all. . . it was like a delicious, slightly fizzy juice. Dangerous.
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While I am not very familiar with rum, I learned last night how smooth Brugal tastes in cocktails, and I would be willing to bet it is pretty delicious all by itself.
Along with the cocktails, we sampled signature cupcakes from Kickass Cupcakes. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that I have had Kickass Cupcakes only once before and found them really dry, but the Brugal Anejo Cupcake was absolutely fantastic. It was buttery and caramel-y with a hint of rum flavor, totally moist and tender cake. I didn’t try the Mojito, but my husband did, and he liked that one even better.
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Brugal definitely adds a special something to baked goods!
I didn’t catch the name of the second cocktail. On the plus side, it had bits of fresh ginger in it. To its detriment, it also had pineapple juice, and somewhere deep in my memory, I have had a bad pineapple juice and rum experience. Completely not the fault of the mixologist or the rum, just one of those things that you don’t quite forget.
We ended up leaving the Urban Grape with a bottle of the Brugal Anejo. Brugal is the best-selling rum in the Caribbean, and you can definitely see why. It’s exciting that they have come to Boston, and they have an abundance of free tasting events so you can see for yourself.
We also left the Urban Grape with a selection of beer. Their beer guy Noah had some awesome suggestions for us, based on things we have purchased in the past. While they do have a long wall of wine, they have an equally impressive wall of beer, sake, Bourbon, and other spirits. They are undoubtedly one of my favorite businesses in all of the Boston area.
Did you do anything fun yesterday to celebrate the warmer weather? I saw some people showing serious skin downtown. It wasn’t THAT warm!
