Back in time at Lake Charles' Pops and Rockets

We discovered an awesome place to go back in time — think Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd and that time traveling DeLorean. It's Pops and Rockets in Lake Charles, a small but hip shop that serves up popsicles and ice cream in a retro 80s theme. There's Ms Pak-Man to play, 45s on the tables, Cure posters, 80s trivia games and wallpaper sporting homemade cassette tapes. 

It's the brainchild of Nick Vallume (pictured right), who also spearheads the city's fun Winter Beer Festival. Nick and his partner Robbie Austin grew up in the 80s so their popsicle names follow that love. There's "Every Little Tea She Does is Mango," "Raz DMC" with raspberry and lime, "Psychoconut Killer" and "Sweet Child-O-Lime," a Key Lime flavor. I hesitated with "Pulling Peanuts (From a Shell)" Thai peanut pop, thinking of hot Thai spices and peanuts wouldn't mix well for a popsicle but the counter staff convinced me otherwise and it rocked. 

Vallume can be spotted selling his pops at festivals and street events throughout south Louisiana but for a really fun time that will make you want to add shoulder pads to your clothes and start dancing the moon walk, visit the Pops and Rockets store in downtown Lake Charles.

Weird, Wacky and Wild South is written by food and travel writer Chere Dastugue Coen, who loves popsicles — and crazy names for them.

Louisiana produces sugar cane, why not rum?

Trey Litel, cofounder and president of Bayou Rum

For a state that produces more sugar cane than any Caribbean island, you’d think producing rum would be a vital part of that equation. That was the question Trey Litel asked. The LSU graduate worked for Bacardi rum at the home office and in Florida, always loved the alcoholic drink created from sugar, and when he came home to Louisiana to hunt ducks, driving past miles of sugar cane, he began to distill an idea.

“I always wondered why does Louisiana have so much sugar cane and no rum?” he said.

Litel and partners started Louisiana Spirits Distillery in Lacassine, Louisiana, in 2011, distilling two varieties of rum, a silver and a spiced rum. Today, their inventory includes a Bayou Select Rum aged in oak barrels and a Satsuma rum liqueur made with Louisiana satsumas. Naturally, the alcohol derives from locally produced sugar cane, mostly from the M.A. Patout & Sons mill in Patoutville, Louisiana.

Bayou Rum distillery is open for tours and perusing the gift shop Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit the distillery’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bayourum.

Here are some fun Bayou Rum facts:

They use 80 proof alcohol to sanitize their bottles.

One person can fill 25 bottles of rum per minute.

Bayou Rum averages 8,000 bottles per day.

M.A. Patout & Sons is a seventh generation business.

2,000 pounds of sugar equals roughly a half acres of sugar cane.

Bayou Rum copper tanks have names — Ruby, Uma and Maryland

Leftover rum mash is fed to regional cows.

Need more encouragement to try this delicious Louisiana product? Here's a popular recipe in the Bayou State.

Gator Bite

1 ounce Bayou Silver

1 ounce Bayou Spiced

1 ounces Bayou Satsuma

1.5 ounces orange juice

1.5 ounces pineapple juice

Juice of 3 limes wedges

Splash of Grenadine

Mix together and enjoy!

Cheré Coen is a food and travel writer who loves weird and unusual things, not to mention a good-tasting rum.