St. Croix has always beckoned to those seeking paradise. Escapist romantics, fortune hunters, families, artists, pirates, drifters – all have found solace on her warm and welcoming shores. As a result, a broad swath of cultures have integrated on our little piece of protruding rock – our own Crucian Melting Pot.
One group in particular has stood out to me, specifically in the face of disaster, as a true friend of the Virgin Islands. I’m talking about our friends and neighbors from the Middle East – Lebanese and Pakistani families who have made a great life for themselves among St. Croix’s countless other cultures, while also greatly benefiting the island community at-large.

Today’s inventive libation came to be as most of our favorites have – after midnight at the bar and completely by chance.
It was a fun Saturday night. The staff and a few good customers were hanging out after we locked up for the night. I had made a batch of Orangecello earlier that day and had a half dozen zested oranges left over. I needed to use ‘em up before they turned to the dark side (went bad), but how?
For inspiration I turned to my favorite dishwasher, Valencia. A funny, sweetheart of a lady, Valencia is the hardest working Grandmother I know.

Uncommon Caribbean already introduced you to Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum, so I’ll forgo another round of reviewing its accolades, but I will add my two cents. Normally, I would be reticent to add more than a couple ice cubes to this fantastic rum, but after tasting several high end rums side by side against Single Barrel, I found that this 12 year blended rum from Cruzan still maintains most of its delicate notes, while the other brands fell flat after dilution. So with spring having sprung and Bitter Curacao Oranges falling off the trees in my backyard, I bring you the Single Barrel Sour.