Antilles Treasures

Antilles Treausres has  proudly put together a series of photos by AxARob that is some of our favorite shots of ST Maarten/ST Martin and Anguilla. These beautifully colored prints are perfect for framing and hanging in a professional space or in a place that you want to remind you of time spent in the Caribbean. Each print has a white border and lists the name of the photo and where it was captured. These can be enjoyed individually or as a set.  All works are printed on 11″x17″ and printed on Kodak photo paper.  The price is $12.50 each and will be delivered to you in a cardboard tube.

	The Sandstone cliffs add a breathtaking effect to the beauty of this beach.  The beach it’s self comes and goes with the weather, one day a beach full of sand and the next is all rock.  The view from here is exquisite as you can see the island Saba in the distance on a clear day and you will be privy to the coming and goings of boats from nearby Simpson Bay as well as all flights jammed with new arrivals coming to the island each afternoon.
	The Overlook from above the world famous Orient Beach presents you with an artist’s palate full of colorful rooftops below.  This is one of our favorite views on the island as the vista of multicolored rooftops make a natural transition to the azure waters and bright blue skies, entice us to enjoy the charms of the beach below.
	Standing in the hillside FT ST Louis, the 18th century protector of Marigot Harbor, you are able to look out and see not only the French capital below but the entire western end of the island of ST Martin/ST Maarten.   Directly below is the ferry service that can take you to Anguilla, ST Barths and even Saba.  Just inland from the ferry building there is a daily open air market that is filled with bright colors and fresh smells. It is a great place to spend a day and visit the French culture.
	Solitude aptly describes the beautiful scene of this large piece of drift wood resting on Upper Shoal Bay in Anguilla.  The sand is a talcum powder white and the water is travel poster blue.  The drift wood lying on the beach is a large part of an old tree trunk that to us looks like a wheel from a covered wagon that delivered someone to their dream escape.  This beach is frequently rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the Caribbean and world.
	Day’s End was shot on the western facing beach at Pelican Key on Simpson Bay, ST Maarten.  We spend most evenings of our visits to this island within a couple of hundred meters of this very spot.  The vista is incredible and the painting of the sunset done by the setting sun is breathtaking.  This spot draws crowds of people wanting to toast the setting sun as a salute of gratitude for a day spent lounging on island.
	Beached, Yes you have seen this photo before.  It is one of our favorites and was last week’s feature as a stand alone work.  Shot on the beach at Island Harbour, Anguilla which is a quaint fishing village on the northeastern shore of the island.  The beach is filled with multicolored fishing boats that glisten in the mid day sun.  It felt that morning that if you listened closely you could here Harry Belafonte’s call to work with the Banana boat song from the movie Island in the Sun.

Click To Order

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

Distilled by Distilerias Unicas, S.A. – Venezuela
Distilled from fermented molasses in Copper Pot stills, then aged for 12 years in white oak barrels. 40% alcohol by volume. 
Price $32
Awards Won
Gold Medal – Premium Rum – 2009 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition
Gold Medal – Premium Rum – 2007 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition
Gold Medal – Premium Rums – International Sugar Cane Spirits Tasting Competition Ybor City 

 
How I found this rum
I found this 12-year old rum while on a business trip in Orlando. I was looking for another brand but the liquor store I was in said that they had never heard of it. This bottle was sitting with a bunch of other topshelf rums and it drew my attention for a couple of reasons. The first was packaging, It was displayed in front of a cardboard sleeve that it was to be tucked into for sales. The second was the rums it sat among, I was very familiar with those and enjoyed them so I asked the clerk about the rum. I was in luck as he wasn’t just the clerk but the owner of the store as well and said this was a personal favorite. After reading the package and small card attached to the bottle I decided that this could be my backup rum in case I couldn’t find the other one…and I never did find the other one so this was a good choice.
Initial Thoughts
When I first opened the bottle there was an aroma of a molasses, quite sweet and appealing. I poured it into a glass and found the coloring to be rich and dark, somewhat of a chestnut brown. This rum is thick enough that it will coat your palate with its flavors, which is rewarding as it has a wonderful sweet finish that lingers a bit longer than most. The aroma was a blend of whisky, chocolate and honey. Only thing I wasn’t happy with was the upfront alcohol smell was a bit stronger than we liked and it carried over to the taste as well.
Taste
This rum has enough differing flavors to satisfy all of your taste buds. It starts with a hint of caramel and citrus then shifts where you can taste the alcohol leaving a bit of an oily but that is replaced quickly with the finishing flavor and that my friends is smooth! The finish is where you can taste the molasses the most and I certainly found the finish to be the most pleasant surprise of the entire experience and would gladly overlook the parts that I didn’t care for because of how it finished.
Final thoughts
How did we sample this rum? I tried it both straight and with a couple of cubes of ice. The ice did mellow the alcohol vapor a bit but either way the finish was very consistent. I wouldn’t use this as a rum to mix with but it would make some quality drinks when paired with the right ingredients.
Would we purchase this rum again? Certainly, Diplimatico is smooth on the palate with a wonderful finish. I certainly will keep a bottle of this particular product in my own bar. I would envision this as a cool to cold weather rum, to be shared with a loved one in front of a fire or on the patio with a nice cigar.
Rating…We will give it a solid 4 out of 5 barrels on our rating system.

Vivant le Reve..is living the dream.  AT’s newest creation in t-shirt form makes you feel as if that is just what you are doing.  The image that is on this shirt was shot on the beach at Baie Rouge in ST Martin.  We had a little help from our own Cap’n Okole Rouge, our mascot, who makes an indellible mark, quite literally, with his dripping paintbrush in hand.  

This shirt is made of hefty 6.1oz pre shrunk 100% cotton. Shirt color is White and comes in men’s sizes M to 3XL and women’s sizes S to XL.  The shirt is true fit so order a size larger if you like a bit of extra room.   The image is ink bonded to the cotton and t won’t chip or crack like a screen printed image.

To purchase this  T-shirt select Treasures & Trinkets from the Antilles Treasures main menu then the Wardrobe drop down, select your shirt in either Mens or Womens size and be the frist to show that you are “living the dream” AT style.

We were looking for a refreshing twist to a Mojito.

Discovered a recipe on line and tweaked it a bit go meet our needs.

This one is all about the simple syrup that one makes for this drink.

It takes some planning and time but the drink is a refreshing reward.

Mojito

Needed to make the drink:
1 cup lime juice use eight limes
4 tablespoons finely grated lime zest use 6 limes
1 cup fresh mint leaves, stems removed and chopped fine
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
Club Soda
Dark rum of choice (we used MT Gay)
Strainer or cheese cloth

Sauce pan
Jar for storage of the prepared syrup

Making the Syrup:
Juice the limes and remove seeds but leave the pulp.
Grate lime zest, being careful not to include white pith. You’ll need about 6
limes to make 4 tablespoons of zest.
Remove stems from mint measuring a cup, wash well and chop fine.

Combine lime juice, zest, mint leaves, sugar and water in a pan over
medium-low heat.

Bring to a simmer, remove from burner and let the syrup steep for two to three hours.
Strain syrup into a storage container, pressing mint leaves into strainer to extract all of the oils. 

Cover syrup and store in fridge until ready to use.
The simple syrup will be enough for 6 drinks.

Mixing the drink:

Using a 12 oz glass, add 3 oz of syrup and 2 oz of rum then drop in several ice cubes.  Top off with soda water, we used Perrier but any club soda works.

Stir gently add a lime slice garnish for some charm and enjoy!

“Robelto”

Who can resist shooting an image that starts with shell white sand and  flows into multiple shades of blue water and sky.  Toss in the bright colors of this little fishing boat as it rests in the sand after a morning of work.  The accents of the palm fronz and their shadows give the forward area of the photo depth.  The little key(island) in the background puts a finishing touch to the image.  All that’s missing is a pair of beach chairs and a couple of cold ones to complete the scene.

Logistics of the photo;

Shot on the Beach at Island Harbout, Anguilla in the mid day sun.

Shot with a Canon EOS 50D, Settings, Focal length 28mm  F10 , 1/125s, ISO 100

Available without matting in the Treasures &  Trinkets section Click here to order

Our Antilles Treasures staff has racked our rum addled brains looking for a character that best represented AT in our way of thinking via business and life.  Those of you that have followed us for a while have seen this character develop over the last year or so, and we are now proud to introduce you to AT’s feature blogger….Cap’n Okole Rouge.

The good Cap’n is so entrenched in AT that he has become the face of our business; that’s right, Rouge is the red lizard in our logo. 

This well traveled lizard writes his whimsical views while sitting in a terrarium somewhere in his Kansas residence.  He dreams daily of the “Tropical Way,”  patiently planning his next escape to ST Somewhere, while listening to island themed music and sipping from his owner’s well stocked rum bar.

Why a lizard?

Though they may be different sub species, the lizard is very common in Hawaii and the Caribbean, and we even have them in Kansas.  Rob even sports an ink version on the crest of his left shoulder.  He is a character that is there, but often unseen.  That is how Rob likes to do his photo work…giving you many times that view that is there, but not noticed by many.

What’s with the name?

We will break it down, and then after you roll your eyes or chuckle a bit, you will understand the AT logic here….

Cap’n….Rouge, thinks of himself as a bit of a rogue or free spirit, doing the things he wants and likes; Things that others turn their tails up at and walk away, whether in fear or shyness.  This is a lizard’s lizard; Hence, the moniker, Cap’n.

Okole….The AT owners lived in Hawaii for several years.  There were three Hawaiian words that became an every day part of our communications.  The words were Aloha…”hello” and “goodbye” and Mahalo, meaning “Thank You.”  The last of the three was Okole…meaning “bottom,” “backside” or “butt.”  We were in the process of rearing two toddlers at the time, and that word was popular for anything from changing diapers, to getting your backside over to mom or dad for a talking to.  Hawaii is where the “Tropical Way” grew into our hearts and minds therefore we chose to use Okole in the naming of our lizard.

Rouge…French for red.  We picked this one for a couple of reasons.  First, we have plenty of experiences with the tropical sun and its burning effects.  Second, ST Martin is one of our favorite hang outs.  There, you can choose to get sun on as much of your body as you are comfortable with.  Now we have a lizard living in a land locked state like Kansas.  He visits the tropics regularly viewing himself as a free spirit.  Put the naming explanations together and you get two versions….1. Cap’n Okole Rouge, and then flip the names like you were speaking French , this brings you to the less refined version…2.  Cap’n Red Ass…need we say much more…go ahead roll your eyes now.

Yes, this guy is the face of Antilles Treasures.  His character will be the author of many of the stories here.  The photo work is that of AxARob, and will stay that way no matter how hard the Cap’n tries to lead a page mutiny.

This is our first rum recipe. It’s a marriage of our love of juices from Hawaii and affair with Caribbean rums. We see this as the rum drinker’s replacement for a Mimosa or even as a refreshing finish to a great day.

This rum punch is a tasty treat that is a great light flavor with a bit of a kick.

What you need to make this drink is;
Tall Glass
Stir stick
Ice
Pyrat XO Reserve
Cointreau
Guava Juice
Passion Fruit Juice

Measurements;
1 ½ oz Pyrat XO Reserve
1 ½ oz Cointreau
4 oz Guava Juice
4 oz Passion Fruit Juice

Stir together in a tall glass of ice, sit back and enjoy!

This is an original recipe to Antilles Treasures LLC.

We have done a small bit of housekeeping and added some buttons to follow us on Face Book and Twitter.

Lot’s more changes coming, we want our site to be easier to use and more fun to visit so be prepared for the changes that will take place soon.

We will also soon add a his and a hers product,
The his is a front pocket wallet that has a beautiful picture of the islands printed directly on the leather on one side and a money clip (non magnetic) on the other side.

The hers, is a small leather clutch that wraps around a ladies wrist and can be held in the palm of her hand. It has a top entry zipper that will hold a cell phone and some lipstick and a side zipper pocket that has a small id holder and a place for a few credit cards or a room key.

Both products are very high end leather products.

We will also be featuring a logo hat and a t-shirt or two.

We have a few other ideas up our sleeve for later in the summer too.

Antilles Treasures LLC is proud to introduce a third line of purses to one of our most successful ventures.  Please take a look at our “Clutch” purses.  They are a bit smaller that our other two lines and come with a shoulder strap for conversion to an over the shoulder bag.  

This purse makes for a great reminder of your time in the islands either Limin’ the day away or from an overlook of the world renound Orient Beach.  Be the first of you friends to carry this unique bag.

We at Antilles Treasures are interested in what you think.  We recently re grouped our products and made the site what we believe to be easier to use…poke thru and let us know what you think!