I will say it here. I label my rum.

Casual Tiki leverages the Minimalist Tiki framework in categorizing rum into six categories. You can learn more about Minimalist Tiki’s Six Essential Tiki Rum Categories on their site. But, I don’t label my rum for me. Although, after a couple cocktails I may need it. I label them for my guests.

Tiki Cocktails for All

While I enjoy mixing up a cocktail here and there, I also don’t want to stand behind a bar while I’m hosting guests and mixing them drinks while I am too busy to enjoy my own. That is why I label my rums – so the Casual Tiki recipes can be easily accessed and understood by all of my guests.

Any one that is interested should be able to quickly mix up a cocktail. If my guests are simply reading any regular tiki recipe, they may see a call to use El Dorado 12. That is a perfectly fine rum, but not one that I own. If you are not a rum aficionado or have limited knowledge of tiki – that is going to mean nothing. How could they possibly know how to mix that drink?

Rum Labeling Solves It

I work around that problem, by providing recipes in the Minimalist Tiki style of rum categorization – and then label my rum bottles with the correct choice.

Here is my current lineup of rums in my catalog. It is limited, as I have significantly limited space in my small upstairs bar.

I work to maximize that by labeling the back of each bottle with the appropriate categorization.

I have 10 bottles I labeled, representing all six essential categories. When my guests are working through a recipe they can identify what they need. For instance, if they were trying to find the El Dorado 12, they should be looking for an Aged Demerara. In my collection that is currently an El Dorado 5.

Good Enough

While any number of tiki enthusiast will have opinions about this model, I recognize it is providing accessibility over perfection and adopting a good enough model. They may lose the unique mixture or blends of rum that I may use in my cocktails. But, on a daily basis, I am losing the endless options for rum and boundless knowledge of tiki bartenders could provide. That has to be good enough for me.

But, frankly, for most people it will be good enough. The majority of folks are not shuffling from tiki bar to tiki bar, identifying specific rum choices or nitpicking mixers. They are having fun – and that is what the origin of tiki is all about.