The large smokestack rising above the Potomac River with the words “Make Rum Not War” brightly emblazoned upon it might initially seem like guerilla street art in protest to politics eternally brewing nearby Washington DC. But it’s not. Instead, it is the credo of Thrasher’s Rum and a personal invitation for visitors to the distillery and its connected Polynesian-style bar Tiki TNT to kick back and relax. With a good drink in hand, of course.
Housed in the DC District Wharf development, Potomac Distilling Company, the makers of Thrasher’s Rum, is the rum-soaked dream of its founder Todd Thrasher. A lauded bartender, restauranteur, and sommelier at the forefront of the mixologist movement, he decided to take a chance on himself in 2018 by opening his own distillery. His mission from day one was to produce world-class rums, his drink of choice, ones that would rival the bottles he had sipped during his travels through the Caribbean and South Pacific as a dive master.
“Most people don’t realize it, but there is very little rum actually produced in America; it all comes from the traditional hot spots like the Caribbean and South America,” says Thrasher. “A lot of the rums produced here are just mixing barrels they bought and had shipped in. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to show that you can make a great all-natural rum from scratch here, and I think we have been doing that. Everything thing from the ingredients to the bottles comes from America.”
Todd Thrasher, the founder of Thrashers Rum.
His English Caribbean-style rums are made using molasses, providing Thrasher with a timeless base upon which to experiment. While his catalog of six bottles offers the classics of White and Gold rums, he also puts his twist on other standards. Thrashers Spiced Rum is flavored with its own blend of aromatics, its Coconut Rum uses actual coconut for its flavoring, not artificial sweeteners, and its Relaxed Rum is aged in whiskey barrels. Perhaps their most exciting offering, and Thrasher’s favorite, is its Green Spice Rum. Vapor distilled with lemon verbena, lemongrass, lemon balm, mint, green cardamom, and lime peels, it closely resembles another English staple, gin.
“Part of my mission is to introduce rum to a new audience. So many people haven’t really had the chance to delve into it in their lives the way I have been able to. I love rum; it’s the perfect spirit in my mind,” says Thrasher. “My Green Spice Rum is the perfect example of what I am trying to do. You can mix it with tonic water, and it’s an island take on the classic gin and tonic with layers of flavor.”
Three of Thrashers Rum’s more popular offerings.
What makes Thrasher’s whole operation stand out is the phenomenally popular Tiki TNT bar that is just a stone’s throw away from his distillery in the same complex. The three-story bar pays homage to two of the most formative moments of his life. His days spent roaming the Pacific Ocean as a dive master and his son- its initials honor his son. Wrapped in large windows with three large decks that overlook the river below, it could easily win the title for best tasting room on the planet. Part Tiki bar, part mellow beach bar, part snack shack, it has won awards, including being named to Esquire’s Best Bars in America list. The drinks program overseen by Thrasher is full of classic and innovative rum drinks that allow him and his staff to bring imbibers into their Polynesian dream.
“When people ask me about Tiki TNT, I drive home that it is a bar first and foremost. You come there to relax with a well-made drink,” says Thrasher. “I describe it as a South Pacific watering hole. I want people to feel like they just walked off the beach and are ready to explore our drinks menu. It pays homage to the places I’ve traveled where the sunshine and the fresh air are just as important as the drink in their hand.”
Thrasher’s Rum is only available on-site due to its small-batch mentality and immense popularity. Every bottle made is either poured inside the Tiki TNT or goes out the doors in the hands of its happy customers. Those drinkers are drawn to the irreverent smokestack towering overhead and a founder that wants people to have fun.