Where’s Wendy? Chilled 100 Tour: Orlando

Wendy Hodges, the Chilled 100 Director, recently took a trip to the sunshine state from her home in Las Vegas to rally up the Chilled 100 members in each of the markets.

First stop, Orlando. Big 5 Rum had the honor of hosting the Chilled 100 Members for a night to remember.

“I really enjoyed my time at the Big 5 and Chilled event! The venue they chose, the Suffering Bastard, was the perfect choice because of its specialty in tiki style cocktails. The bartenders did a nice job bringing out the flavors of each Big 5 Rum with the cocktails they presented to us. I’m grateful for the opportunity with Chilled Magazine to learn about a product I wasn’t familiar with before as well as meeting other faces in the industry. Thank you so much for having and I hope to attend more in the future,” says Chilled 100 member Kristina Kayla.

The Suffering Bastard is a hidden tiki bar, small and tucked away in the back of another bar. Giving off a speak easy vibe with no signs on the door. The owners Arthur and Julien hosted an incredible night.

Pete Hanna from the Orlando Chilled 100 group added, “It was awesome for chilled to bring us together at a spot we don’t get to as often as we like. The world and life are crazy for most people right now so for Chilled to bring us together for an evening was great. I sometimes feel quite isolated in my part of town and we’re a small scene that gets dwarfed by large chains and hotels, so it really helped me to reaffirm what we do by being around like-minded people in our city. I’m grateful to chilled for that.”

While Wendy wasn’t able to attend every bar in Orlando, she did find some great hidden gems and dive bars downtown. From The Robinson, The Wellborn, Bullitt Bar, and Hanson’s Shoe Repair, Orlando has a lot to offer.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Wendy and everyone else at the Chilled 100 dinner. Suffering Bastard is easily one of the best bars in Orlando. I especially love how they used the bright, spiced characteristics of Big Five Rum. We were introduced to Big Five’s broad portfolio, and each cocktail enhanced the unique qualities of each of Big Five’s impressive variety. It was so nice to have a night out with fellow local bartenders. Thank you, Chilled,” said Kolyn Brown part of the Orlando group.

Matthew Chamberlain, Chilled 100 Member, added, “I would like to thank chilled 100 for supporting the coming together of bartenders and giving us access to new local products. Suffering bastard was a delight. Their rum selection is great, and I could eat the spam musubi and pork sliders every day. Big thanks to big 5 rum for sharing it’s unique expressions of what a Florida based cane Cuban style rum can be.”

Chilled will explore each market and event that was hosted in Florida so stay tuned for more.