Montauk's Bold-Faced Names Turn Out for Blackwell Rum at Navy Beach

On Sunday, Blackwell Rum celebrated their US launch at Montauk's Navy Beach with a reggae beach party hosted by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records and and Island Outpost resorts. Blackwell partnered with advertising industry guru Richard Kirshenbaum, founder of Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, to launch the luminous dark Jamaican rum which had--until now--only been available in Jamaica.

DJ Max Glazer spinned reggae sounds through the evening which started out mellow outside and got a bit funkier inside later on where some of the beautiful ladies from Manhattan's Jamaican hotspot Miss Lily's were on the scene mingling with guests and dancing up a storm after sunset. Navy Beach mixologists together with Tippling Bros' Tad Carducci served up three signature Blackwell Rum cocktails at the event: The Black Daq, the Black Storm, and the GoldenEye (named after the famed Island Outpost resort at which author Ian Fleming penned many of the James Bond series.) Chef Paul LaBue's Jamaican style nosh included Local Conch Fritters with Tomatillo Salsa; Striped Bass Escabeche with Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Pickled Red Onions, Fried Sweet Potato; Jerked Chicken & Swordfish Skewers with Pineapple and Cherry Tomatoes; Jamaican Beef Paddies and Fried Plantain with Veggie Toppings.

Guests at the soiree included some of Montauk's own bold-faced names as well as heavy hitters in the art world and many of Blackwell and Kirshenbaum's close friends and industry cohorts. Some of the most notable guests included Jimmy & Jane Buffett, Savannah Buffett, Angelica Huston, Samantha Mathis, Roger Waters, Julian & Stella Schnabel, Aida Turturro, Cynthia Rowley & Bill Powers, Marcus Samuelsson, Kim Heirston & Richard Evans, Tony & Charlotte Carmanico, Andrew Chapman, Serge Becker, Silvano Marchetto, Katie Ford, Johan Lindberg, Addison O'Dea, Ben Watts, Hunter Hill, Julia Chaplin, Jules de Balincourt, Piotr Uklański, Tobias Meyer,  David Zwirner, Damian Loeb, Adam Lindemann, and Lily Kwong.

If you weren't on the "A-list" this time around, stay tuned - Blackwell Rum may be back for more festivities next year. In the meantime, watch this video to learn more. Plus, here's a recipe for you to try at home!

To make the GoldenEye:

3 shots Blackwell Rum

1 shot lime juice

1 shot orange juice

1 shot pineapple juice

2 shots simple syrup

And ice

1.     Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake. (For a frostier version, throw it all in the blender and blend until smooth.)

2.     Garnish with orange or pineapple slices to serve.