The spirit of the Bronx was on full display at the Wine and Liquor Superstore in Throggs Neck Tuesday as people ages 21 and over responsibly enjoyed free tastings of the Puerto Rican Rum Sonrisa and a special appearance from notorious Bronx-born rapper and entrepreneur Fat Joe.
Fans of the artist—and the rum—could also walk away with a signed bottle of Sonrisa’s Platino, Oro Especial and award-winning Reserva rums, adding a little local street cred to their liquor cabinets at home.
Fat Joe, whose given name is Joseph Cartagena, told the Bronx Times that he was inspired to partner with the rum, not only because he believes in the product, but also because of the people behind it.
“The people with Sonrisa are family,” Fat Joe said. “So I was more than excited to work with family.”
Yaseen Malnik, a partner in Sonrisa Rum, told the Bronx Times that the heart and soul of the brand is Puerto Rico, where the rum is distilled. Part of the brand’s mission is to give back to small business owners in Puerto Rico who suffered financial distress in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017, during the COVID-19 Pandemic and amid an ongoing economic crisis.
“ Those are the small business owners that make that island how special it is,” Malnik said. “And those are the people that we give back to.”
Sonrisa, which means “smile” in Spanish, opened a 5013c nonprofit called “From Puerto Rico, For Puerto Rico,” that donates $1 from each bottle of rum sold to small businesses on the island. Bronxites picking up their signed bottles of rum got to feel good knowing that a portion of their money was going to support a good cause.
Local Heather Perez brought her friend Stephanie Beeco who was visiting from out of town to the store to pick up some autographed bottles and meet the local legend.
“We drove two and a half hours to come here,” Beeco said.
The girls picked up a bottle of the Sonrisa Platino rum, which is aged for a year and a half and primarily used for mixing into cocktails. They also bought a bottle of the brand’s gold rum, the Oro Especial, which is aged in white oak whiskey barrels, giving the spirit a golden color and a bolder flavor with more warmth than its silver counterpart.
The trip to the rum tasting was the first in a lineup of activities Perez had planned for her friend’s trip to the borough.
“ I wanted to give her the experience so she could come and see how the Bronx is—where I’m from originally,” Perez said.
But Fat Joe wasn’t the only Bronx artist at Tuesday’s tasting.
Bronx singer-songwriter and trumpeter Sean Taylor, who goes by the artist name, SXN TYLR, came to the event to meet Fat Joe. He gave the Grammy-nominated hip hop artist a hat from his brand “Respect the Musician” which seeks to promote talented artists. Taylor told the Bronx Times that Fat Joe was an “incredible musician” and that he loved the gift.
“ To see the mutual respect— my day, my summer, my year, is met,” Taylor said.
He even brought his trumpet and played a piece of one the Bronx rapper’s best known hits, “Lean Back.”
Fat Joe didn’t seem surprised by the unannounced performance.
“ Lemme tell you something, the Bronx is full of diverse, talented people,” he said. “ When you from the Bronx, you got to learn how to be a hustler. You got to work hard.”
