bAcArdí cAsitA de rones liMited edition

Don’t let the scariest part of Halloween be the price of a costume

Google searches for ‘Halloween costumes’ increased by 804%

Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal

In the Northern Hemisphere days grow shorter, darker, and colder. Wind whistles through the trees, or are you sure it’s wind at all? Over 2,000 years ago Celtic tribes celebrated the festival of Samhain –from which Halloween evolved– a Gaelic festival held at the end of the harvest season to welcome the approach of winter’s darkness while bidding goodbye to the harvest season. But we’re far removed from all that sinister stuff now, aren’t we?

Halloween is a time to –children mainly, but some adults too– dress up, hang out with friends, and eat sweets. According to data from the US Census Bureau, there were an estimated 73.1 million US children under the age of 18 that participated in the trick-or-treat tradition in 2020. There were also some 125 million homes that could be potential spots for trick-or-treaters.

Google searches for ‘Halloween costumes’ increased by 804% from July to September. The Ellie Sparkles Show, a children’s entertainment show, further analyzed this Google search data to reveal what might be the most popular kids’ Halloween costumes this year as well as how much parents spend on them.

According to a survey conducted by the show, US parents spend an average of $39.84 on their kids’ Halloween costumes. Fathers tend to spend more on costumes than mothers. Dads spend an average of $50.18 per child, while the average mom is willing to pay only $36.84.

For reasons unknown, parents in the US capital spend the most on costumes – a whopping $59.15 per child each year. Following closely is Nebraska with $58.17 per child’s costume, then New Jersey with $56.62. New York falls in at number eight, where parents pay an average $48.48 for each of their children’s Halloween costumes. Wyoming takes the award for spending the least on Halloween costumes – $8 per child, per costume. But costumes are just the tip of the iceberg. A survey from Prosper Insights & Analytics and the National Retail Federation revealed people planning to celebrate Halloween would be spending some $10.6 billion in costumes, decorations and food, among other expenses related to the festivity. The survey identified outdoor decorations as “the most popular way” to celebrate the holiday, coming second only to candy.

In fact, The thing about Halloween costumes, anyone who has ever purchased one knows, is that they tend to be fairly useless once October comes to an People planning to celebrate Halloween would be spending some $10.6 billion in costumes, decorations and food, among other expenses related to the festivity. end. So here are a few budget-friendly tips to win that costume contest without scaring your bank account, compliments of the Ellie Sparkles Show. Borrow or swap costumes with your kid’s friend or their sibling, updating it with a new accessory or makeup to make it individualized. If secondhand doesn’t tempt you like that bowl of Halloween candy unavoidably will later, make sure you plan ahead to take full advantage of discounts. And since at this point there may not be many left, be sure to stick to your budget regardless. Include your kids and you’ve now got a fun budgeting and financial management game. Or just DIY it. Try making your own costumes using clothes, materials, and other products already at home. As for Halloween outdoor decorations, you could start dealing about them the same way you do with Christmas decorations: bag ‘em and box ‘em until next year. In times of spiraling inflation, that ought to save you some money.

For reasons unknown, parents in the U.S. capital spend the most on costumes – a whopping $59.15 per child each year.

“La Casita de Rones Select Barrel” Bacardí’s exclusive blend

Production was limited to 480 bottles

Melissa M. Cruz Ríos, The Weekly Journal

Bacardí recently presented the exclusive “La Casita de Rones Select Barrel” blend, a spirit made from rums aged between eight and 14 years in American white oak barrels.

This blend is part of the company’s initiative to present only five bars throughout the world with the privilege of having a personalized rum, La Casita de Rones del Viejo San Juan being the only bar in Puerto Rico to have it.

“I met Ignacio del Valle, Bacardí’s president for Latin America, during a trip where I was to speak about rum. Later, during one of his visits to the island, he told me about a program to make an exclusive rum for five places in the world. ‘I want you to be one of them,’ he told me,” recalled Ramón Díaz García, co-owner and founder of La Casita de Rones, located on Calle Comercio in Old San Juan.

La Casita de Rones is an emblematic store/bar of Puerto Rico’s prized spirit. Its interior design

The company’s goal was to create something very exclusive that would preserve the classic and characteristic notes of the brand, but that would distinguish itself from the rest of the rums.

José ‘Joe’ Gómez, Bacardí’s master blender

virtually takes the visitor inside a barrel, where the most important part of the rum making process takes place. It also makes the experience an immersive one through rum tastings and a wide In fact, variety of cocktails based on locally produced distillates. La Casita de Rones

“We always wanted to Select Barrel have a house rum. And presents a beautiful we feel honored, satisfied deep amber color and proud that the brand with notes of has selected us among orange, ripe peach the world class bars that and others yet of will serve its exclusive caramelized vanilla rum,” said Díaz García, and wood. also a professional bartender.

According to José ‘Joe’ Gómez —Bacardí’s master blender and active participant in the product development process— the company’s goal was “to create something very exclusive that would preserve the classic and characteristic notes of the brand, but that would distinguish itself from the rest of the rums available in the market.” To do this, specifically toasted barrels were selected to provide caramelized notes to the product, which had already undergone a significant aging process. Different combinations were made with rums aged between eight and 14 years in American white oak barrels, until Bacardí came up with 12 different blends.

“Another selection was made from these 12 blends to create two other combinations, which were then left to rest for an additional year until the desired rum was obtained,” Díaz García explained.

The production process took about three years.

In addition to Gómez’s 41-year expertise in the rum industry, he had the collaboration of Carlos García, Bacardí’s brand ambassador, and of the late Carlos Purcell Cabrera, friend and partner of Díaz García, who died last May and to whom he dedicated the event. The new spirit is a limited production run of only 480 bottles. Of these, only 80 will go on sale, while the rest will be available only for enjoyment ‘in situ’ at La Casita de Rones, “either to accompany the options on the restaurant’s menu or to enjoy a specialized Bacardí tasting.” La Casita de Rones Select Barrel presents a beautiful deep amber color with notes of orange, ripe peach and others yet of caramelized vanilla and wood, these latter ones arising as an effect of the second aging process. Díaz García and Gómez recommend drinking the exclusive rum “neat,” but another it could also be enjoyed “on the rocks,” with a minimum amount of ice to go into solution with the notes that should be enjoyed. Gómez suggested it could also be served “with soda or with a small amount of brandy, for a very high-end cocktail.” “At the end of the day it is what the consumer wants. We make the product for you to enjoy. How to enjoy is the consumer’s sole decision,” concluded Gómez.