John Atkins
Rum Consumer Alliance | Founding Member
John Atkins AKA Tiki John, has been an amateur mixologist for a number of years, developing his interest in rum with the rise of craft cocktails since the early 2000s. Many rums needed for classic post prohibition recipes no longer exist. This challenge to find blends and modern rums with similar profiles led him to reading, tasting, networking and visiting distilleries around the US and abroad to find rums to craft his cocktails. He is a member of the Richmond Rum Society, the Florida Rum Society, as well as several other rum clubs and societies.
He is a founding member of the Rum Consumers Alliance, has crafted cocktail recipes from scratch, judged rum and cocktail competitions as judge for the East Coast Spirits Competition. He enjoys conducting tastings and speaking to groups about sprits sharing his knowledge of rum.
He refers to his 2000 plus bottles of rum from around the world as a library rather than a collection. He believes rum is a social spirit, diverse and meant to be shared with friends. Whether sipping, tasting or using them in a cocktail he believes everyone will experience something unique. His goal is to spread the word that rum is one of the most complex spirits crafted today that is diverse in terroir, source material, distillation and ageing methods. “There is a rum for everyone!” and “Drink what you like…but know what you drink!”