The 3rd Great Belgian Rum Tasting: Lichtervelde
June 17, 2023
Madou’s bar is becoming quite famous, and the rum collection is growing. Not only that, but the spa like atmosphere is outstanding…especially if you are a goat or a cow.
The welcoming committee chair.
Kay the barker and her faithful companion in the shade.
Warmup mai tai.
Part of the lineup.
Some notes from the first and second editions can be found here.
MAISON LQ MAUNY 2015:2019 – martinique (4)
hot. alcohol nose. clear gycerin use. dry on mouth. bitter
There was lots of Clement rum on hand, all from martinique.
We had to check our work with direct test tube comparisons for these.
CLEMENT 10 YEAR RHUM AGRICOLE 2012 (8)
dry. peppery. mature oak. delicious finish.
CLEMENT 5 YEAR MOKA RHUM AGRICOLE 2015 (6)
soft nose. curly esters. a bit sour turns to sweet.
CLEMENT 10 YEAR VANILLA RHUM AGRICOLE 2013 (7)
flower nose. soft. oak
CLEMENT 4 YEAR 5 MONTHS RHUM AGRICOLE 2020 (3)
gym sock nose. weak. bitter
CLEMENT XO (min 6 year blend) (7)
nice balanced nose. mature oak. balanced sugar. masterful blend. a bit corporate with nice components. banana.
CARÚPANO (up to) 21 year reserve (4)
sugar nose. central american style. ester curl works well. gycerin.
DIPLOMATICO AMBASSADOR (6)
sugar nose. some grass. hot. ester curl hell (not good). gets better each taste, but not as good as the 1976 product.
RATU 8 – fij (1)
coconut nose has to be fake. birthday cake disaster. yuck. please just take it.
BUNDABERG – australia (2)
weak nose. watery. blended down to bad.
TOPPITS (unpictured)
that’s a wrap. quite literally.
The final lineup.
Losers bracket.
There is Amer Picon to be had, including Citron which NPS has never seen before. We made liberals of course.
And we introduced the Industry Sour to Belgium
equal parts: Fernet. Green Chartruese. Lime. Simple syrup (1:1). Shake. Serve up.
Walks around the pond are available for a fee.
Sometimes things get hazy
Our hostess with the mostess.
We can’t wait to return.
fin.
Back to the Zetter in London
March 19, 2013
I was just here at the Zetter in November and was completely psyched to find a hotel that did not suck in London. The Zetter and the Zetter Townhouse way do not suck.
Somewhat miraculously, United did the right thing by me on this trip to Europe with in advance upgrades on both ends. (Isn’t it ironic that merely acceptable behavior by United is so rare that it deserved kudos?!) So maybe I was in a great mood even on 3 hours of “plane sleep.” No matter what it was, though, the Zetter staff made me feel immediately welcome on my arrival.
The Zetter as seen from Workshop Coffee.
The front desk staff kindly allowed me to use room 101 to take a shower in the morning since someone was still in the room I was ultimately destined to stay in. Room 101 is great for a shower.
 Room 101 TV. |
 Room 101 shower (ahhhh). |
Room 101 is about the same size as its bed.
But even after breakfast and a shower, I still had some time to kill before my room was ready, so I headed over to the Zetter Townhouse to get some work done. I was met by head barman and gracious host Kamil Foltan. He and I sat in the back getting work done and chatting every once in a while for a couple of hours. Finally, room 503 was ready. It was worth the wait.
Eyes to the right.
Room 503. Curved windows overlooking the city.
Eyes to the left.
The work nook. Sadly, lots of actual work is happening here.
I must admit that the bathroom on 503 could use an update. The shower is pretty good, but it does have a shower curtain. You all know how we feel about that around here!
 Smallish bathroom through the door. |
 We will pretend this curtain is glass. |
I guess over on this side of the pond they have not yet started to install insanely large tubs that I never have time to use next to a glass shower cube. Alas.
The view and the gorgeous balcony more than makes up for the bathroom.
View from 503 balcony.
The new London pyramid and a cathedral share the skyline. Classic London.
Too bad about the weather though. Rainy and gray. Oh well, that was to be expected. All in all a five showerheads rating for the Zetter again. Great space, great staff, excellent all around.
London from the Tate Modern restaurant. Rain rain rain.
Coffee Workshop wallpaper. ARRRR!
In other London news, the Clerkenwell neighborhood remains interesting. The best coffee I have ever had in London can be found at Workshop Coffee just down the street from the Zetter. Mixology at the Zetter Townhouse is still in full swing (I must admit that I go for more boozy and bitter than they seem to have taste for on their menu, but you can get a Liberal!!). The Tate Modern is one of my favorite all time museums (loved the Sphinx by Fini).
Petit Sphinx Ermite by Leonor Fini (Tate Modern)
Inside the Zetter Townhouse. View from the couch (which was almost denied us by the little girl minding the door).
Superb dinner at Moro.
Kamil introduced me to a new rum at the Zetter Townhouse. Almost as good as Havana Club Cuban cask strength Anejo. Wow. And get this, it’s from Venezuela.
Santa Teresa 1796 rum from Venezuela.
A dinner right next door at The Modern Pantry included one of the best desserts I have ever been served in an upscale restaurant. We had some trouble with the Zetter front desk getting dinner set up, but persistence paid off.
Another restaurant worth mentioning is The Tramshed where you can find great steak, a cow in formaldehyde (Damien Hirst), and lesbian petting in the gents.
This is not the cow you’re looking for.
After dinner we went for a romp through Happiness Forgets (which was obviously teleported in from NY) and the Artesian at the Langham which is just a bit too posh for its own good, for example proudly proclaiming itself the “best bar in the world.” Happiness Forgets is excellent indeed. Artesian? Meh. Though the rum selection really is the best I have ever seen.
We handle posh by ordering this:
A posh drink with a purple skull phone from Artesian.
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