World Record-holding Kiteboarder and Chef Opens Key West's First Rum Distillery

A first for the Florida Keys, Chef Paul Menta's Legal Rum Distillery has opened in Key West at a former Coca-Cola bottling plant and pre-prohibition era bar.

Despite its colourful past, the Keys never had a legitimate rum distiller, and world record-holding kiteboarder and Key West chef Menta plans to create a new chapter in the island chain's history with his Legal Rum brand.

The distillery, formerly known as Jack's Saloon, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and guests are invited to tour the plant and enjoy free rum samplings. While state law prohibits distillers from selling alcoholic beverages, visitors can enjoy complimentary rum and coke drinks if they purchase one of the cola brand's classic glass bottles.

Menta offers private guided distillery tours and rum-tasting sessions that feature quirky stories about Key West's rum-soaked past. Tours start after 5 p.m. for parties of six or more. Legal Rum Distillery's signature drink is Legal Vanilla Rum & Coke, an original interpretation of the classic rum and Coke concoction.

Legal Rum flagship bottles bear police mug shots of former local residents guilty of alcohol contraband offences to match the distillery's interiors, which are covered in old newspapers and additional jail mug shots.

For now, the brand is set for distribution only in South Florida. In Key West, restaurants can purchase Legal Rum in wooden barrels and visitors have the option to buy up to two 750-millilitre bottles at a time.

Among other distillery products, Menta purveys sealed jarred foods including pickles, peppers and even Key lime pie. The latter is still in its raw form when sold and becomes edible after a night in the fridge. Vanilla brûlée rums also are available, as are other white rums flavoured with coconut or Key lime.

For information, visit keywestlegalrum.com
For more information on the Florida Keys and Key West, visit fla-keys.co.uk