Rum & Tattoos Brings Badass Bike Culture to Blogging
Sailor Jerry’s intoxicating blog features tatts, booze, beats, and Harleys!
Norman Collins, aka “Sailor Jerry,” was a Navy veteran and the undisputed father of old-school tattooing. Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum was created to honor the man, and the Sailor Jerry website was created to honor all things rum. And from all of this comes Sailor Jerry’s rokcin’ Rum & Tattoos blog, which is one of the coolest Harley-centric sites we’ve come across in a long while.
TATTOO YOU: “Rum & Tattoos” blogger Ashley Marsh interviews famed tattoo artist Oliver Peck.
The Sailor Jerry blog faithfully, obsessively, and expertly covers our favorite topics — bikes, booze, tatts, edgy art and rock n’ roll — all in one place. And the blogger responsible for generating all of this content is, no surprise, a tattooed, Harley-riding badass. As Sailor Jerry’s brand ambassador for the Western U.S., Ashley Marsh travels the country — often on a Harley — to share the story of Norman Collins and the rum that bears his name.
Marsh’s enviable role, of course, gives her access to some of the hottest biker rallies and tattoo conventions, from Sturgis to the London International Tattoo Convention. In other words, she’s livin’ the dream, and that’s what makes her blog posts so fun and fascinating.
As Marsh told Babes Ride Out, “Basically, it’s my job to educate, entertain, and enhance the brand. I get to tell the story of Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins, and beyond being able to serve great drinks, I get to tell a truly authentic story.”
During a recent visit to Harley-Davidson Forum‘s Southern California headquarters, Marsh expounds on the blog and the brand as we talk bikes, tatts, and Sailor Jerry’s collaboration with Harley.
‘It’s been all about trying to be creative, always keeping the message of being responsible, but then being a badass at the same time. It’s fun to always try to be both.’
“As a Sailor Jerry brand ambassador, I would be going into bars and throwing events and parties and hanging out, and being the main counterpart writer at Sailor Jerry’s, I kind of evolved into the Harley medium person,” says Marsh, while mixing up some Sailor Jerry cocktails. “So, I was the person connecting those worlds, really. Every event that I’ve done has been somewhat related to Harley; every interview I’ve done, every trip I’ve been on.
SHOP TALK: Discussing bikes, booze, and tattoos at H-D Forums’ L.A. headquarters.
“I just got back from Sturgis, and we did Born Free this year,” continues Marsh. “It’s been very, very interesting to speak to my audience, my demographic, as well as Harley’s, at the same time.
“I speak to a lot of dealers and a lot of consumers in Milwaukee, about once a month, and then all over the rest of the U.S.,” adds Marsh. “It’s been really exciting, really interesting.”
Marsh has effortlessly solved the challenge of how to keep a blog about rum continuously interesting by adding some badass biker culture, which in turn has led to a lot of great exclusive content.
Recent posts include extensive coverage of this summer’s American Legends’ Summer Bike Giveaway, and a recap of last year’s women-only motorcycle retreat, Babes Ride Out. Marsh not only writes feature stories on rock icons like Iggy Pop and Harley-riding rocker/comedian Dean Delray, but she also offers posts about the art of tattooing and the history of popular drinks (and includes the recipe for Sailor Jerry’s new “Jerry Loves Ginger Punch”).
“The challenging part is always telling people to never drink and ride,” she tells H-D Forums, “and then letting them know, like, you ride to where you’re going then you drink, then you don’t ride for a while or at all for the rest of the day. Sailor is not beer; it’s not to be messed with. We’re 92 proof. It’s a bold, spiced rum, and you can’t have three of these and then get on your bike.
“So, it’s definitely been all about trying to be creative, always keeping the message of being responsible, but then being a badass at the same time. It’s fun to always try to be both. And I ride to a lot of events, too. So, then I’m kind of expected to be drinking then, and I’m always like, Look, you don’t always have to be drinking to love Sailor Jerry. So, it’s been a fun year so far, that’s for sure.”
The Rum & Tattoo blog also features contributions from other writers, like East Coast representative Daniel “Gravy” Thomas, who dished with Alabama Shakes at Fleet Week 2017 and partied at the Field Museum in Chicago during this year’s Tattoo exhibit.
Canadian rep Arron Thomas, a fellow biker, recently chronicled his latest ride in a post titled “How I Spend My Sundays.”
Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum’s recent partnership with Harley-Davidson is a multi-year partnership, which has come to life in bars, restaurants, Harley dealerships and joint celebrations around the country. You can expect a series of shared events from the two iconic brands as they lead up to Harley-Davidson’s 115th Anniversary in 2018.
Keep up with these events and Ashley’s adventures via the Rum & Tattoo blog.
