The New Gay

Mount Gay Rum is gearing up to launch its newest - and oldest! - rum yet. Mount Gay Rum 1703 Old Cask Selection will be available in May, just in time for the first warm-weather cocktails to make an appearance. Not that you should be wasting the $100-a-bottle rum on Tiki drinks. Brand ambassador and Barbados Bartender of the Year, Chesterfield Brown, calls it a sipping rum. Made of a blend of rums aged 10 to 30 years, the 1703 was named for the year the distillery was founded.

We liked the dried fruit and nutmeg notes but aren't sure we'd shell out for an entire bottle. On the other hand, we do hope to see more "sipping rums" on drink menus. Look out for 1703 at such Hospitality Holdings establishments as The Campbell Apartment at Grand Central Terminal, World Bar and The Carnegie Club.