Lundi

Don’t mistake the Old New Orleans Rum distillery's latest creation for a redheaded marsupial. Made with Old New Orleans Crystal Rum, cayenne infused rum, fresh ginger juice, Louisiana cane sugar and carbonated water, the Gingeroo is a delicious and effervescent beverage for rum connoisseurs and general cocktail lovers alike.

Handmade on Frenchman Street, this drink has just as much bite as its spirited origins.  Originally released to Dorignac's and Whole Foods Uptown a week before Hurricane Isaac, the product sold so well production couldn’t keep up.      

“It wound up selling so much that we really had to look at production and hold back the reins and now that we have things more settled… we’re releasing it into several more outlets and trying to get as many people to try it as possible,” says Old New Orleans Rum general manager Parker Schonekas.

Aside from its potent taste, part of the drink's instant popularity is likely because it's a ready-made drink.

“This is our first ready to drink [product], but it’s hand crafted.  It’s very rare that you would buy multiple bottles of rum in a week.  But when it comes to a wine or a beer it’s easier to consume, it’s tastier and you’ll buy more of it,” says Schonekas.  

Schonekas picks up a bottle of Gingeroo and inverts it for a moment.  

“When you’re freshly grinding ginger you’re going to get sediment.  It has a lot of flavor in the pulp so we keep it in there,” he says and then pours a taste.   

Schonekas suggests pouring in a little extra rum.  Twenty proof, Gingeroo is comparable to wine and just under ten dollars.     

“When you look at ready to drink cocktails out there, there are not many that are carbonated or there are not many that have a focus on natural ingredients.  That’s kind of like a niche that is pretty much untapped,” says Shonekas. 

Untapped until now at least.  Other ready-made drinks like Skinny Girl Margaritas or Bacardi Mojito lack the natural, hand crafted element that makes Gingeroo stand out.

Judging by consumer response the future for Gingeroo looks bright.  Old New Orleans Rum is even looking to expand the product further, as Jones hinted at other Gingeroo creations in the works.        

The distillery is still waiting on the arrival of a new machine to speed up the bottling process. Once in place the machine will increase production by twentyfold.    

“We are already in Sidney’s in the French Quarter and we are in Whole Foods Metairie.  People have been responding really well to it and it has been flying off the shelves,” says Kimberly Jones, marketing and event director for Old New Orleans Rum. 

Soon Gingeroo will be available outside of New Orleans, in Baton Rouge and on the North Shore, as well as in more locations like Rouses and Martin’s Wine Cellar. 

“It’s really a special and unique product,” says Jones.  “This is more like a crafted cocktail in a bottle.  More like what you would get at a bar as opposed to prepackaged rum.”