Rooftop Rum and Festival Fun with Sailor Jerry and VISIONS

A weekend spent on an East London rooftop, sipping on spiced rum while a DJ with lots of K’s and  *’s in his name spins uber-cool tunes and everyone admires the body-art of the other attendees – it sounds like the making for the ultimate day festival. Could it get any better? Well, if you fancy chowing down on a Rib ‘O’ Beef while waiting for a wet-shave this coming Saturday 2nd August then yes, maybe.

This not-so-classic but tempting combination comes courtesy of Sailor Jerry, that Caribbean spiced rum that we all know and love. Who hasn’t got tiddled on a drop at the amber stuff, watching as the Hawaiian pin-up girl gets ever blurrier as the shots increase? It’s always been a favourite rum of mine, being so smooth and easy to drink, thanks in large part to the delicious vanilla hint of sweetness. I also think there’s something a bit fun and cheeky about the brand – the fact it was created as homage to a sailor-turned-tattoo-artist, and embraces the no-nonsense attitude to having a good time. So what better spirit to be a partner for the return of VISIONS festival, coming this weekend around various venues in London Fields? This unique, alternative and achingly hip music festival has a host of DJ’s that are far too trendy for me to have ever heard of them.

Sailor Jerry have commandeered the rooftop space of Netil360, where the real party is going to be happening. Nothing goes better with a spiced rum cocktail than a decent slab of BBQ meat, and prepare to have you tastebuds tickled by the Grilling God Danny Cheetham. He’s used the original flash artwork of Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins to create some mouth-watering dishes such as the Burnt Ends Bap (using Sailor Jerry BBQ sauce) and the Ring of Fire (a ludicrously tasty invention that uses, among other things, pineapple, creme fresh and Sailor Jerry caramel sauce). So what else? Oh yes, there’ll be a unique piece of neon instillation unveiled, and then the opportunity to get a wet shave courtesy of AONO barbers (who assumedly will be waiting until after they’ve wielded their blades before imbibing any Sailor Jerry cocktails).

We think this sounds like our ideal Saturday (rum + meat + music = hell yeah), so we’ll be heading along to try cocktails, take some pics, and get into the swashbuckling mood. If it sounds good to you too, check out the site here Vision Festival. And, to really get you in the mood, here are three of our favourite Spiced Rum Cocktails…

1)Mai-Tai

This classic cocktail is a tiki-favourite, and the vanilla and cinnamon of Sailor Jerry rum really gives it an extra kick. Lie back and pretend you’re on holiday.

2)Apple Cin

A bit more of an autumnal cocktail – here the cinnamon of the rum combined with the apple gives it a lovely warmth. The drink equivalent of a hug.

3)Banana Hammock

Sweet, spicy, the merest hint of lime… it’s a unique combination that could soon turn into a guilty pleasure.