Truro Vineyards+South Hollow Distillery (Twenty Boat Rum): A Beautiful Day Down the Cape

"Down the Cape", "On The Vineyard", "In The Hamptons", "Down the Shore"- these phrases dredge up such nostalgia for me -having grown up in Northern New Jersey and living in Boston for nearly 8 years now!

For the first Spring/Summer trip of the year "down" the Cape, we certainly chose a winner! 

The day started off a bit dreary and gray as we arrived at South Station to await the private van/bus service to take us to Truro, Mass.

Joy Richard prepared a lovely daiquiri using Twenty Boat Spiced Rum in these fun flasks! 

We met up with new and old industry friends as this particular trip was sponsored by USBG Boston (United States Bartender's Guild, Boston Chapter), of which I've been an 'Enthusiast' member for a year- though Troy Clarke (Past Chapter President) and others have been encouraging me to join for several years now.  

I've enjoyed several educational and entertaining booze events before and during my membership with USBG.  This one was quite unique.

My fun plus one!

After the unbearable winter we suffered in Boston this year, literal green pastures is going to be phenomenal to the eye for quite some time.  

Stepping off of the bus, we were greeted by the sun attempting to peak through the stubborn clouds.  
Less than a mile from the coast/beach, salinity was in the air and I anticipated what interesting flavor profiles this would impart to the products we were about to sample.

Jonathan Pogash, The Cocktail Guru, hosted our experience just mere hours after his arrival back to homebase from Ireland!

What a good sport! 

Photo Courtesy of Megan Lambert

We began the tour near the distillery where Jonathan greeted us with a refreshing, effervescent, spiced mojito-style cocktail created in collaboration with Joy Richard, Tyler Wolters, Oriana Conklin, and Shannon Higgins. 

Image from Truro Vineyard+South Hollow Distillery Facebook Page

Nicole Gelinas greeted us and excitedly lead us to the distillery.

The space was cool and clean with wafting aromas one can only describe as earthy, spicy, rustic.

As we prepared to taste the Twenty Boats rum, we received one of the most fascinating rum history lessons I've ever received in Massachusetts.

The property has a nearly 200 year history.  It originated as a farm, was once a bed and breakfast, which was purchased by the Roberts family in 2007 to begin producing a number of varietals.

Once rum began to be distilled at the property, the family decided to honor the bootleggers of Cape Cod, in particular, an elusive group of 10 men who were arrested for 
rum-running in 1930. 

 They were captured and released on bail.  

Shortly thereafter, they fled in their previously confiscated motor boat through the heavily monitored harbor (20 Harbor Police and Coast Guard boats were in pursuit).  
The bootleggers somehow evaded capture.  
They docked in Provincetown Harbor and fled on foot without a trace.

The history of booze, but in particular of rum in New England, is always fascinating!

History of the property 

(per Truro Vineyards website):

Truro Vineyards has been in existence since 1992 but the 

house and the estate date back nearly two centuries.

Built in 1813, the square dignified Federal house was part of a farm from its earliest beginnings. First owned by John and Hannah Hughes, the property was later purchased by Captain Atkins Hughes. It was in turn given to his daughter, Amelia and her husband Michael Rich. Rich became a prosperous farmer selling grain, coal and milk from the estate. His hard work and ambition earned Michael the reputation of being “the busiest man in the village”.

In 1930 famed artist Edward Hopper was inspired by the property and painted “Rich’s House”. He returned a year later to paint “Rich’s Barn”.

During the 1940’s Elton and Margaret Rich were in stewardship of the property. During that time the Richs produced magnificent cantaloupes grown in the estate’s warm, well drained sandy soil. Later, this same soil and site would prove to be a perfect spot for growing grapes. In 1964 the property was sold to Burton and Maxine Rice.

The Chinese Mulberry tree that graces the property to the right of the front door was brought over by a ship’s captain around 1850. It has been carefully preserved and maintained. Our most frequently asked question is not about our wines, but rather: “What kind of tree is that?”

About the Rum:

South Hollow Distillery makes 2 different styles of Twenty Boat rum.  They are using both American organic sugar and molasses in a hybrid copper pot/column still leading to the product being twice distilled.  The sugar cane juice is said be be used to mellow out the flavors. 

Distiller's Notes:

Dave Roberts, Jr., the distiller or Twenty Boat Rum, had been a home beer brewer turned professional for over 8 years- having worked as a brewer for Flying Monkey in Kansas and Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta, wine and beer have been a part of his DNA through David Roberts, Sr. (former CEO of United Liquors) and exposure for half his life.

Dave states that the new charred whiskey barrels are typically at a 3-4 char level and the rum is then filtered through cartridges at 2.5 microns, then 0.8, then o.4 microns.

The spiced rum (a beautiful creation) is seeped in various spices sourced locally from Atlantic Spice Company, a spice shop just up the road in Truro.   

This was one of the most aromatic, fragrant domestic spiced rums I've ever tasted with beautiful, numerous spice, fruit, and herbal notes on the nose and palate- cardamom, clove, nutmeg, anise, black pepper, pineapple, orange zest, vanilla and more.

It is taken off the still and spice bags used in 250 gallon drums for seeping over three weeks.  Dave tugs on the strings attached to the spice bags daily-as you would a teabag-to impart as much flavor as possible. 
Color is imparted by the spices only. There's no caramel color in this product as is common place with other mainstream/popular spiced rums.  
The spiced rum, unlike its amber counterpart, never sees oak.  It is not aged in a barrel.  
The bottles are hand-filled, labeled and sealed.  A handwritten batch label is carefully placed on each bottle.  The spiced rum is 95 Proof.

We were able to smell the canvas bags of spices used for seeping and creating the spiced rum. 

Here's my friend Keyse of the Crocodile Tears Vintage Pieces and Handmade Jewelry Blog, enjoying the spice bags: 

The amber rum is noticeably milder and mellowed.
  Aged in Truro vineyard toasted chardonnay and charred bourbon barrels (the latest batch sourced from Jim Beam) which are blended together for the final product, it boasts caramel and more nutty, vanilla, white pepper, and mildly woodsy flavors. 
Batch #1  (aged for 12-14 months) is currently on the market, while Batch #2 (aged for 15-18) was being processed/produced as we visited. 
  The amber rum is 84 Proof.

We then ventured over to the tasting/barrel room for a sampling of various wines produced at Truro Vineyard.  A full review may follow.  Here are a few snapshots of the beautiful space.

Photo Courtesy of Megan Lambert

Blackfish's food truck (Crush Pad) prepared delicious bites on site!  They are now open 7 days per week.
We enjoyed spectacularly fresh seafood, meat, and veggie dishes with specially prepared cocktails and wine by the glass. 

Image courtesy of Truro Vineyard Facebook page

Charred Broccolini with General Tso's sauce, cashews and scallion

Beef taco with purple cabbage slaw and chipotle sour cream 

Cold lobster roll on brioche with fried cauliflower 

Grilled Kale salad

On the property, lives a beautiful, young Newfoundland.  I snagged a pic with her (via my friend playing paparazzi) near the outdoor wine/cocktail bar.

Can't ever take my veterinarian hat off. Loved this Newfie!

Before leaving, we split into teams and participated in a scavenger hunt where we had to take a selfie with a squirrel, a bird, a yellow flower, and one with the entire team in downward dog...

Good times with good people.  That's what life is all about!

If you haven't visited Truro Vineyards+South Hollow Distilleries, you must visit very soon!

For the time being, Twenty Boats rum can only be purchased in Massachusetts.

Special Editon of Succulent Sundays (Autumn Dishes): A Weekly Celebration of My Favorite Personal Food Photography

Here are some of my favorite Autumn food dishes over the years.

Salmon filet over Tuscan kale with Sparrow Arc Farm (a 40-acre family farm in Maine) heirloom turnips, seckel pears, lady apple, and mostarda at Steel & Rye, Milton. My full review can be read, here.

Seared scallops over a bed of tender butternut squash and sauteed spinach at Piattini, Newbury Street, Back Bay Boston.  My full review can be read, here.

 

Pan-seared salmon over sweet corn, blistered shishito pepper, lemon aioli at Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto, Pumpkin Seed Brittle, Spiced Cinnamon Mascarpone and pickled whole cranberry at ArtBar, Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge.  My full review can be read, here.

Native Delight A Beachside Seafood Food Truck, Public Beach, Grand Cayman Islands

Native Delight immediately drew my attention when me and my family arrived at the beach in Grand Cayman Island for a day of relaxation.  One, I love a food truck and Two, it was run by two ladies who were clearly proud of the food they produced.  They took time with cooking and presenting their dishes.
 

The ladies were serving up majorly fresh seafood.  I loved my grilled fish made to order  with red beans and rice as well as the conch (ceviche style) salad.

Grilled whitefish with red beans and rice

Conch salad

If ever on Public Beach in Grand Cayman, I highly recommend paying Native Delights a visit!

South Beach Wine & Food Festival: "Bizarre Foods" Andrew Zimmern Hosts Foodtruck Festival

It's easy to indulge in the world's most comforting cuisine, but a food lover's dreams come true when novelty and creativity joyfully meet a the crossroads with quality and skill.

South Beach Wine & Food Festival event: Trucks on the Midtown Tracks was hosted by Food Network's Bizarre Foods' host Andrew Zimmern.

Zimmern had this to say about mobile eateries: “This is not a trend.  This is the way people have eaten forever. You have a small mobile restaurant serving three, four items – what could be more perfect?”

Food trucks are fully capable and some quite exceptional at serving decadent food that ranges from simple classics such as hotdogs and sandwiches to extraordinary, modern parcels.

And the winner is.....Ms. Cheezious....for a second year in a row!

South in Yo' Mouth BBQ Pork Grilled Cheese

 The energy and personality emanating from this truck came second only to the amazing product they were slinging to the masses!  Now, I've had some pretty dressed up grilled cheese from mobile eateries and fine dining establishments alike...Boston has two pretty great grilled cheese trucks of our own, BUT Ms. Cheezious really did blow my mind and I wished I wasn't so stuffed by the time I made my way to this lovely lady.  I certainly would have returned for seconds!

First, the buttery Texas toast- amazing! The smoky, saucy bbq shredded pork was tender and tangy and topped with melted cheddar and fried pickles.

 

There were a good number of worthy runner-ups for this gourmand!

 

SLIDERS:

Zimmern and I shared the same slider favorite: Slow Food Truck's beef shorty slider with tender pulled-off-the-bone beef short rib served with queso fresco, local arugula and crispy shallots.

SFT's slider was a perfect combination of soft bread, tender braised beef, peppery arugula, creamy queso fresco, and crispy, sweet shallots.

Curbside Gourmet served up a brilliant, apparently last minute change, in their Thai BBQ pork slider with apple ginger slaw on a toasted mini bun:

Thai BBQ pork slider with apple ginger slaw

 

 I also enjoyed the sweet and savory "Vandross", Friar Tuck's signature cheeseburger nestled between tiny, sugary glaze-encrusted donuts and layered with cinnamon maple bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese sauce:

Cheeseburger with glazed donut buns

Friar Tuck's also gets brownie points for the most decorative truck, appearing more like a cottage in the woods than a mobile eatery.

More Yummy Stuff

Andrew Zimmern's AZ Canteen truck served up a pretty dog!  A sizeable Piedmontese-cattle hot dog, topped with pickled jalapeno, cilantro, and cabbage slaw and a refreshing Jamaican hibiscus punch!

The AZ Canteen Dog

 The culinary artists at GastroPod created their version of Pho ("GastroPho") was an edible masterpiece in a bowl.  Their deconstruction of this traditional Vietnamese soup consisted of a crispy beef tendon chicharrones served as the platform for sous vide short rib, mung beans,and Vietnamese herbs stewed in oxtail broth prior to construction.

IL Fiorentino served up delicious "Autentica Cucina Italiana" - handmade, creamy chive potato-filled ravioli bathed in rich Parmesan fondue, beautiful, deep purple braised radicchio, dusted with crunchy, crushed walnuts and a balsamic reduction drizzle.

Potato ravioli with Parmesan fondue, radicchio, and walnut

Perhaps THE most amazing quesadilla I've EVER eaten, Crazydilla

rocked out with the Cubadilla - slow-roasted Cuban pork, Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles on an organic multi-grain tortilla with garlic mustard aioli.  This crazydilla packed in great savory layers of flavor!

Cubadilla

Cuban Cube's cleaver Cuba Libre was a crisp, deep fried Spanish sweet potato sphere stuffed with delicate rum and cola braised ropa vieja (shredded beef) and topped with sauce and a Materva-infused sugarcane.

Cuban Cube's Cuba Libre

Remaining in the realm of Cuba, El Rey de las Fritas's friendly bunch presented a tasty original Cuban frita - Family recipe of ground beef patty on a Cuban roll topped with crispy cooked onions and julienne shoestring fries. 

Waffleosophy served up a Coconut Curry Beef and Hong Kong style egg puff waffles topped red curry braised beef, and pickled, diced pineapple slaw.

 

Pork, Poultry, & Pesce Disappointments

Surprisingly, I could hardly take a second bite of Smithfield's Versaille Cuban Combo.  Smithfield co-created this sad, poorly flavored sandwich with Miami Institution.  The Cuban sandwich was made with sugar-glazed Smithfield ham, mojo-marinated Smithfield oven roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard on Cuban bread.  The end result- dry and cardboard-esque - lacking any hint of sugar glaze or mojo (sadly).

The Smithfield Versailles Cuban Combo

Another majorly bizarre serving was Pescados Unidos' blackened mahi sausage.

You've gotta admit that a fish sausage, on paper, seems both intriguing and horrifying!  I left this stand with the first adjective and after taking one brave bite, only the latter lingered!  Not only was this freaky concoction strange, but the taste and texture was truly repugnant.  Had the green papaya, jicama, and jalapeno slaw carried enough flavor to cleanse my palate, I would not have been forced to run over to the diet Pepsi stand and shoot their new blueberry lime and pomegranate mojito flavored soft drinks. 

"Blackened" Mahi Sausage

While checking out the menu handed to attendees in line, I was immediately excited about the 2 Jive Turkeys truck, known for their turkey servings, as I am privy to fried turkey only once a year when my grandmother makes one for Thanksgiving dinner. 

This day, they were serving up "Dyn-o-mite" Rolls made with deep fried turkey rolled in a spring roll doe with veggies and then drizzled with an unnecessary, overwhelming red wine and cranberry reduction making it inedible.

 
The heavy drizzle of sweet sauce drowned out any real flavor, but it was still pretty evident that the turkey was sparse and didn't have a hint of crispy skin (the best part of a fried turkey).

Firewall Food Truck was outfitted with the most impressive kitchen equipment: a wood fired pizza oven and a dough tossing lady!

 
With all of the fun action on board, Firewall simply fell flat with their Florida Lobster Pizza made with locally sourced spiny lobster, garlic butter sauce, mozzarella, scallions,  and lemon juice.  I found this pizza to be a bit bland and boring.  It simply did not live up to my expectations.  There was certainly a made dash going on in the kitchen, as the pies were seemingly being made to order or the kitchen was just a bit backed up.  Perhaps a little more toasting of the crust and a bit more garlic sauce could have elevated the pizza.  Since it was my 3rd truck or so and I was one of the first few attendees to enter, I could have gone back to see if more care was being put into the pies as the cooks reached a stride, but it became a far away memory.

Spiny Lobster Pizza

This & That

At times, random foods were served from trays roaming around the event.  Most I was able to turn down, but I believe no one can dismiss grilled corn:

Sweet Heat:  This grilled sweet grilled corn was coated in a spicy chipotle sauce!  Yum!

Sweet and Savory:  Handmade toffee covered potatochips = Potoffee

Ludicrous: Banana cupcake with chocolate chips and bacon bits,topped with peanut butter buttercream witha drizzle of caramel, chocolate ganache and bacon bits.  Raspberry Lemonade: Lemon cupcake with a raspberry center topped with lemon cream cheese frosting, garnished with raspberries.  Ultimate Chocolate: See below Red Velvet: classic.

Contenti Cupcakes-Ultimate Chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache, mini chocolate chips, and piece of chocolate fudge

 After only 1.5 hours, we were on our way with a Brooklyn Italian Ice Co. Lemon and Mango ice to go!