Lisa Hare the National Ambassador for Sailor Jerry’s Rum

Written by Billy Cox Thursday, 15 July 2010 01:22

Sailor Jerry Is Hoisting The Sales

AS YOU BELLY UP TO the bar and scan the row of liquor bottles with thirsty eyes there is one flashy label that catches your attention; the infamous Norman Collins tattoo girl on the Sailor Jerry’s Rum. Upside down she dances on the label as your bartender swirls the full-bodied rum into your glass. While you drink, responsibly, you wonder what the story is behind this new rum. Well if Lisa Hare was there she could tell you.
Lisa is Sailor Jerry’s National Ambassador, a.k.a. the world’s best job. She was approached with details for the job one night when she was bartending. A pretty girl with sleeves of tattoos, she is an ideal embodiment of the rum. As she rattles off more rum-based cocktail recipes than you knew existed and passionately tells you histories behind the brand you realize that this woman knows her rum.
Miss Hare will tell you that unlike your average liquor brand, Sailor Jerry’s Rum is tied to a subculture. The brand got its name from legendary American tattoo artist Norman Collins, the guy who taught Ed Hardy how to hold a tattoo machine. As Lisa explained to me, Collins was nicknamed “Jerry” by his father because he said his son was as stubborn as the family mule named Jerry. Collins enlisted in the Navy at 19 and after years of travel he settled in Honolulu’s Chinatown neighborhood to open up his first tattoo shop known to the locals as Sailor Jerry.
As the brand Ambassador Lisa will attend events and stop by bars on her mission to spread the tale of Sailor Jerry. As Ambassador she must convince some narrow-minded drinkers that Sailor Jerry’s is more than just a compliment to Coke, its mixability is seemingly without bounds. She adds Sailor Jerry’s to her margarita to give the cocktail more depth and body, noting that sour mix is a particularly good match with SJ. She even introduced me to her “Shave and a Haircut” which is Sailor Jerry’s and Coke topped with Guinness. The day after Lisa told me about the Shave and a Haircut I served it to an adventurous bar patron who told me it tasted like a creamy Vanilla coke. And he ordered a second.
Lisa was recently in Boston at WFNX’s Clambake and stopped by the FNX studio to make a quick appearance on-air. If you didn’t catch her then she will be returning to Boston to give us some more recipes in the near future. Look for her at some upcoming Sailor Jerry’s Rum events.