Drink, Drink and Be Merry in Montauk

The spirit of Montauk will be on full display this weekend, as the 54th Annual Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day parade weaves through downtown. For parade revelers who want to indulge in a different kind of spirit, Montauk has lent its name to a number of beverages, all appropriate to enjoy while decked out in green. If you’re coming out to The End to be Irish for the day, check out these locally inspired drinks:

RELATED: Where to Eat & Drink at the 2016 Montauk St. Patrick’s Parade

Montauk Brewing Company:
Montauk Brewing Co. has made some big moves of late. The locally grown company has been brewing beer at its South Erie Avenue location for just under a year—an impressive build-out to the tasting room that the company had been working toward for about three years; they began appearing on tap at bars across New York City in September; and they’ve most recently announced that cans are also now available in the city.

The tasting room will be open on parade day, for those who want to continue the merriment after the floats and pipe bands have passed. Brewing the beer in in small batches in Montauk allows Montauk Brewing to experiment with flavors. “We’re doing a lot of local ingredients,” Montauk Brewing co-founder Vaughan Cutillo says. “It’s really about innovation out of Montauk.” Experimental beers at the brewery are, for the most part, exclusive to Montauk. But, the flagship brews are also available. Appropriate for the holiday, Cutillo recommends that visitors try the Session IPA—the green can. “It’s an easy drinking beer with a lot of flavors,” he says.

Montauk Brewing Company, 62 South Erie Avenue, Montauk. For more info, montaukbrewingco.com or 631-668-8471.

Montauk Rumrunners:
Paying homage to Montauk’s contribution to the rumrunning trade is newly crafted Montauk Rumrunners.

Founded by local sisters Kimberly Sarris Royal and Kate Sarris, Montauk Rumrunners was established in 2014. The flavors include a coconut-flavored rum, a honey flavored whiskey and a citrus flavored gin. The products are all produced by Long Island Spirits in Baiting Hollow.

Concerned about which flavor to choose when celebrating at the parade? “All of them. St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t discriminate,” Royal says. However, if you’re looking for a fancy cocktail, Royal recommends heading to Muse at the End. “They make a great Montauk Rumrunners Rum Punch that is guaranteed to keep you warm,” she says. Those at the parade can also find Montauk Rumrunners at East by Northeast, White’s Liquor Store, Finest Kind Wines & Liquors, Montauk Wines and Liquors and Gurney’s Montauk.

This weekend, the duo will be riding in the parade, on the float for the Montauk Music Festival in support of their sponsorship of the event. “The last time we participated in the parade we were playing flute with the East Hampton High School Marching Band, so this year should be way more fun,” says Royal.

For more info, visit montaukrumrunners.com.

Montauk Rum: (photo at top of page)
Montauk Rum also seeks to celebrate the legacy of rum in Montauk. The company began creating their spirits in Westhampton Beach a few years ago. “We would toy around with sugar cane and with making our own spirit,” says founder Leucio Iacobelli. When Superstorm Sandy wiped out all of their equipment, the company was forced to re-think their operations. Newly incorporated since August 2013, Montauk Rum came to the market last year. The company currently offers four types of rum—Black Sail aged rum, SunBurn cinnamon flavored rum, Bellamy spiced rum and Silver Siren white rum—all produced in the U.S.

Their goal is to make and distill the spirits out in Montauk. “We’re hoping to get in Montauk this summer one way or another,” says Iacobelli. Until then, find them at Gurney’s Montauk on Saturday night for the pre-parade Montauk Friends of Erin Gala Cocktail Party.

Visit hamptonrum.com for additional information.