Catamaran Resort Partners with San Diego-Based Malahat Spirits Co. to Launch New Rum Social Series

San Diego, California – To celebrate the re-emergence of tiki culture, San Diego’s original Polynesian-themed resort, Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa, is launching a new signature rum tasting experience with local distiller Malahat Spirits Co.

Set on the patio overlooking scenic Mission Bay, Rum Social at Oceana Coastal Kitchen will debut Wednesday, June 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and showcase the Malahat rum that was created exclusively for the Catamaran during this casual food and drink pairing event where mixing and mingling will be encouraged.

Each $35 ticket will include two Catamaran rum drinks per person plus small plate pairings that enhance the rum flavors, such as deviled chicken with pancetta, short rib on toasted brioche, shrimp cocktail with a Malahat-infused dipping sauce, and strawberry tiramisu from the resort’s Executive Chef Steven Riemer.

“We are thrilled to partner with San Diego’s premier distiller, Malahat, to bring this event to life,” said Jono Tapp, Director of Outlets. “We’ve orchestrated Rum Social to be a community event where San Diegans can get to know their neighbors while sipping on Catamaran’s exclusive spiced rum and enjoying Chef’s delectable creations.”

The Catamaran’s innovative rum program will be highlighted throughout the series, with each event showcasing a different signature drink. The series will kick off with the Barrel-Aged Mai Tai, which get its rich flavor from the mini oak barrel where it was housed for a month. Future Rum Socials will feature these signature cocktails:

• August 29 – Barrel Aged Mojito
• October 31 – Cannibal Colada

Tapp and one of Malahat’s founders Ken Lee will be available throughout each event to distribute the signature cocktail and provide sips of Catamaran’s exclusive rum. Each time they imbibe, attendees will get a stamp on their faux passport, a symbol of Malahat’s namesake ship. Known as the “Queen of Rum Row,” the Malahat is said to have delivered more contraband liquor on the California coastline during Prohibition than any other ship.

When guests aren’t sipping on the vanilla and cinnamon-infused Catamaran rum or enjoying Chef’s creations, they’ll be taking in stunning views of Mission Bay, nestling up next to a firepit and listening to live music.

Attendance for Rum Social will be capped at 40 people to ensure that each event has an intimate, mixer feel that encourages socializing. Guests who can’t get enough of the signature cocktail during Rum Social can return to Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa’s two restaurants, Oceana Coastal Kitchen or Moray’s, in the month thereafter to get their fix. Guests who take a picture of the signature cocktail and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #RumSocial will pay a lean $9 for their first cocktail (normally $12-14).

About Malahat Rum: In 2012, three friends that had known each other for more than a decade decided to embark on a new adventure, to create a legacy of ¬new spirits crafted with only the best ingredients. The founders – Ken Lee, Tom Bleakley and Tony Grillo – discovered the story of a legendary rum-running schooner named Malahat. With rum set to be the distillery’s ¬first spirit, Lee, Bleakley and Grillo knew they had found their business’ namesake, Malahat Spirits Company. Today, the founders have built on Malahat’s original white rum, adding spiced and ginger variations to the rum portfolio, all of which are produced in their eye-catching 4,800-square-foot distillery. Since the inception of the business five years ago, Malahat has won a gold medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a testament to the innovation, creativity and quality of the brand.

About Oceana Coastal Kitchen: Oceana Coastal Kitchen is the vibrant, signature restaurant inside the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa on San Diego’s Mission Bay. Opened in 2015, Oceana embraces fresh California flavors and a modern, marine-inspired design –including an 800-gallon aquarium stocked with tropical jellyfish and an outdoor patio with panoramic bay views. Executive Chef Steven Riemer leads the kitchen and is dedicated to using local, sustainable ingredients for the restaurant’s surf-and-turf inspired breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch menus. For further information, visit www.catamaranresort.com/dining-entertainment/oceana-san-diego-restaurant