As the red orange disc of molten gold begins its daily descent behind the endless expanse of turquoise sea, the sky above and the water below reflect the rapidly changing hues and hurriedly darkening brilliance of the setting sun. It is at this time that the ambience in the Library Bar of Kimpton Seafire* comes alive with a sluggish sensuality often beyond the pale of ordinary experience.
Library Bars
Library Bars are not a novelty. The concept has been in existence at many places for quite some time. They can be found in London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Charleston, even in Nantucket. But mostly they are libraryesque bars where books are relegated to a well-appointed, often ornate, nook. At Seafire in the Grand Cayman, it is the library that dominates the bar. It offers a sensation both unique and unprecedented and nursing an esoteric cocktail here while perusing a classic evokes a salubrious mood that is difficult to describe and has to be experienced.
Melange d’Art, Literature, History Y Alcohol
The descriptions of offerings at this bar alone ignite a euphoria rarely possible without imbibing considerable amounts of alcohol. Woven around famous fictional and real characters and their drinking proclivities, the creations both excite and invite, convincing you to partake of at least some of the imaginatively and intelligently crafted concoctions.
The beverages invoke authors and artists, poets and painters, men of letters and women of substance. We find Hemingway with his recommendation of daiquiri without sugar and with double rum as the Hemingway Special. We encounter Alexandre Dumas, the prolific French writer and bon vivant commemorated through the Monte Cristo Cocktail created by feelingly putting together Cognac, Rye, Benedictine, Curacao and other delights.
We meet Vincent Van Gogh, who immortalized flowering trees through his paintings, through a concoction named Almond Blossom, a clever amalgam of Genever, Chartreuse, Maraschino, Lemon, Orgeat and Egg white. Agatha Christie, the fabled and whimsical mystery queen with her penchant for using potions, pills and poison as clues, finds remembrance in a drink named Murder in the Afternoon combining Pear eau de vie, Cassis, Strawberry, Mint, Citrus oils and Champagne.
And ‘Singin’ & Swingin’, a concoction created out of Hickory rum blend, Chicory coffee and Spiced butter creme caramel foam pays tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou, writer, poet, dancer, singer, scholar and civil rights activist, taking influences from the music, food and characters of her stories.
The list is long; and the associated description revealing and enlightening. Sample this description of a local sugarcane spirit infused with island Botanicals, sea-mineral Vermouth and homemade tropical Cordial, celebrating Quarrel, a character from Ian Fleming’s spy novels and short stories, whom the avid Bond film fan will recall as part of Dr. No:
“Quarrel was a Caymanian fisherman and master of the seas, who took a young James Bond under his wing and taught him the ways of the ocean. The Caribbean was a massive influence on Fleming, who wrote most of his books in Jamaica and set numerous stories amongst the people and places of the islands.”
Or savour this slice of Greek mythology through the Siren’s Song, a white wine blend with elderflower, mango, honey, lemon and thyme. The description reads:
“In Book Five of Homer’s odyssey, the beautiful nymph Calypso attempts to keep the fabled Greek hero Odysseus on her island Ogygia to make him her immortal husband, and enjoy her sensual pleasures forever. According to Homer, Calypso kept Odysseus prisoner by force at Ogygia for seven years. Calypso enchants Odysseus with her singing as she moves to and fro, weaving on her loom and plying him with Ambrosia – the drink of the Gods.
How truly the drink captures Odysseus’s pining for his true love Penelope and his home, despite being held captive in paradise; its enjoyment demands slow sipping while leafing through the works of Homer readily at hand in the bar.
Décor
A traditional fisherman’s boat dominates the ceiling. Lined with bookshelves made of rich woodwork, the tomes are tastefully displayed, carefully curated and cover subjects that range from local history to regional literature and classics. The furniture, layout and mood prioritize the needs of a serious reader in a library over those of a tipsy reveler at a bar. Even the gaily decorated bar counter, the most popular hang around, chooses to represent its local craft and colors in dignified elegance.
Jim and Andrews
‘Jim and Andrews’ is not some local twist of a classic cocktail, but are two aspiring and thinking men, who constitute the soul of this bacchanalian library. Hailing from the UK, they bring with them expertise and experience, but more than anything else, a compelling and captivating motivation to create a setting that leaves an indelible imprint. Their passion is infectious, energy is abundant and commitment is unmatched. Few aficionados could rival their understanding and intuition of this esoteric avocation, or their mastery of the science and art of creating palate tingling and soul stirring innovations. Despite years given to the craft, they can be found regularly at the library, excited as schoolchildren as they explain their concept and future vision of this uniquely unusual bar. Discussions with them show promise of a guaranteed destination of distinction, both today and in the future, perhaps not for the boorish and the boisterous, but for the connoisseurs and the cognisanti.
A Walk in Reverie
As I step out of the library on my final evening in the Caymans, the early December moon is already up the horizon. I saunter towards the beach. The moonlight dappled surface lite up in slivers of molten silver and the waves dance and sway like the heaving of an island girl’s chest, rhythmic and sensuous, tender and amorous, bewitching and enticing. Even though I head back to urbane-ness and mundane-ness on the morrow, I am in an intoxicatingly good mood.
It is only sometime later that I realize I have not had a single drink that evening.
—————————————————————————————————————
* Library by The Sea, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa,
Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
scribo ad LX 