17 June 6-12, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | 3201 RICKENBACKER CAUSEWAY KEY BISCAYNE, FL | 305.361.3818 WWW.THERUSTYPELICAN.COM BE SOCIAL WITH US! FIND US ON HAPPY HOUR miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | of rum,” she explains. “While they know rum to be used in super sugary drinks or a frozen strawberry daiquiri, for example, to me, it was a top-shelf spirit, the fancy stuff my par- ents were drinking growing up.” The siblings also realized premium, aged rum had a competitor — tequila. Tequila went from a late-night shot in the club to what she calls a “lifestyle drink,” with more awareness of tequila tastings and mod- ern brands making the market current. This is why, in 2017, the brand’s driving force be- came changing the stigma around rum and connecting with a broader audience. After years of serving boozy coconut cocktails in hotels, the Zig siblings entered a new market to craft their own premium rum. “Things shifted in every category for tequila, but it hadn’t shifted for rum,” Dani recalls. “’Til this day, if you go down the rum aisle in the liquor store, there will be big brands and classics, but only people who grew up with aged rum go for those. Other than that, it’s kind of dusty, so, we got inspired. I genuinely only drink rum. It’s what I enjoy. We saw an opportunity to make something contemporary and relevant to Millennials and Gen Z.” Coconut Cartel introduced its first spirit in 2018, the Coconut Cartel Special Añejo, a pre- mium aged Guatemalan rum cut to proof with fresh coconut water, which set the brand apart in the market for a distinctive flavor profile. For five years, they focused on the tra- ditional rum. Now, the Zig siblings are an- nouncing the highly anticipated launch of their new venture: Coconut Cartel Blanco. “I found inspiration in Brazilian cachaça, Mexican charanda, and rhum agricole,” ex- plains Dani. “This white rum is a completely different spectrum of flavors from our añejo because we are fermenting and distilling sug- arcane juice. The idea is also that if we can show people that from cane you can get a really interesting clear spirit with complex- ity, we can show the versa- tility of rum in general and how dynamic it is.” The brand works with different distilleries in Latin America to make the two rums very different. The Coconut Cartel Blanco can be sipped like the añejo, but it shines when used for a cocktail. Dani says some of her favorite drinks to make with this spirit are daiquiris and martinis. On a boat day, she opts for a rum punch, but anything with a citrus base will pair well. “To me, rum is the spirit of Latinos,” adds Dani. “In Latin countries, for the most part, we’re drinking cane spirits, and I think that there’s a necessity to make them more mod- ern. There’s a necessity for a brand that is rel- evant to Latinos here and now. I feel like with Coconut Cartel we are connecting with that generation.” Coconut Cartel’s sibling duo continues to make waves in the rum industry, aiming to make rum the next big spirit among the new and older generations of Latinos in the Magic City. Coconut Cartel Blanco is available now. RACHEL COSTA “TO ME, RUM IS THE SPIRIT OF LATINOS.”
