The Rooster is Loose!
Catch it before it's gone.
Laissez les bon temps rouler! We’re excited to announce the official release of The Rooster, our Natural Sweet Vanilla Rum, just in time for Mardi Gras.
Release Date: Saturday, February 8
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Wildcat Brothers Distilling – Gator Cove, Lafayette, LA
Presale Now Open – Be among the first to own a bottle. We’re offering a limited presale of the first 50 bottles, available for pickup at the release event.
Inspired by the Cajun Mardi Gras tradition of “chasing the chicken,” The Rooster is a rich, smooth, and naturally-sweetened vanilla rum, colored deep purple with butterfly pea flower. At 60 proof (30% ABV), it’s perfect for sipping, mixing, and celebrating. It’s practically a cocktail in a bottle.
Join us for the release at Gator Cove, pick up your bottle, grab a piece of King Cake, and toast to carnival season with the Wildcat Brothers crew.
Click here to reserve your presale bottle today to pick up on February 8th.
Remember, we'll hold any rum you purchase until you can come by to pick up. Simply call us at (337) 703-3410 or email us at contact@wildcatbrothers.com to let us know to hold your bottle after purchase.
So, what's with the chicken?
"Chasing the chicken" is a tradition from the Cajun Mardi Gras, or Courir de Mardi Gras, a rural and community-driven celebration that takes place in South Louisiana. Unlike the big parades of New Orleans, Cajun Mardi Gras is rooted in old French traditions, where masked riders on horseback (or on foot) travel from house to house, singing, dancing, and begging for ingredients to make a communal gumbo.
One of the most iconic moments of the Courir is "chasing the chicken"—a playful event where a live chicken is released, and the costumed revelers must catch it. Traditionally, this chicken would be the final ingredient in the gumbo. The chase is a wild, energetic spectacle, with participants scrambling through fields, jumping fences, and often ending up in the mud, all in good fun.
The event is led by a "Capitaine", who keeps order with a whip or flag and ensures everyone follows the rules. The costumes are colorful and handmade, featuring fringed outfits, masks, and conical hats called "capuchons", inspired by medieval French and Basque traditions.
It's a rowdy, communal, and deeply cultural event that brings people together in celebration, mischief, and music. By naming the new rum The Rooster, Wildcat Brothers Distilling is paying tribute to this joyful, spirited, and uniquely Cajun Mardi Gras tradition.
