If you think of rum as just a summer fling—the raw material for piña coladas and tiki drinks when the mercury is popping its lid—a noted rum connoisseur has a word for you: “Nonsense!” Edward Hamilton, author of
The Complete Rum Guide and
Rums of the Eastern Caribbean, has for the last 15 years been cruising around the Caribbean on a sailboat while sampling the righteous liquid. “Many people think that drinking rum after summer fades is verboten—like wearing white after Labor Day,” says Hamilton, founder of
ministryofrum.com, where rum worshippers meet to swap stories about their favorite spirit. “Believe me, a ginger daiquiri or a short glass of 21-year-old dark rum is as tasty in the depths of winter as it is in the heat of summer.”
You’ll always find rums to suit the season, because there are so many of them on the market. Rum is made in 30 countries. “No spirit is as diverse as rum,” says Hamilton. “It comes dark and white. It comes aged and un-aged, and it can be made from sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, or molasses.” In other words, you’ll never run out of options.
“White rums are rarely sipped neat,” says Hamilton. “They taste best mixed with fresh fruit juice, tonic, or ginger ale. Dark rums, though, are often savored on their own. I poured a tasty dark rum for a few friends a while back, and they thought they were sipping a single malt.”
Hamilton recommends adding a few drops of water—or half of a melted ice cube—to open up the flavor of dark rum. “Don’t pour it over a glassful of ice cubes; cold deadens your palate and snuffs out the taste,” he says. What about everyone’s favorite summer potion—rum and coke? Hamilton frowns on it. “Cola eclipses the rich flavor of a fine rum,” he says. “If you like it, drink it, but don’t use the expensive stuff. It’s a waste of money.” A better choice is a not-too-sweet ginger ale, which doesn’t cloud rum’s heavenly notes.
We asked Hamilton to recommend five outstanding rums that will impress your friends without draining your wallet. Here’s what he came up with. Salud!
1. La Favorite Rhum Agricole Vieux, $59. Looking to impress your singlemalt friends? Pour this dry, smoky rum from Martinique. Made from sugarcane juice, La
Favorite has hints of prune in the body and cardamom in the finish.
2. Flor de Caña, 12-Year-Old, $36. A mature rum from Nicaragua, every drop of this gem has been aged in an old barrel at the Flor de Caña estate. It has a rich body of spice and nuts with a smoky oak finish.
3. Mount Gay Sugar Cane Rum, $21. One of the best-kept secrets in the industry, this beauty from Barbados has a spicy fruit aroma, with cinnamon, pear, and apple notes. Hints of white pepper invite you to take another—and another—sip.
4. Prichard’s Crystal Rum, $30. Distilled five times in a pot still in Kelso, Tennessee, this gem is not aged, but filtered. It has a light-bodied citrus flavor—a subtle lime and lemon—with a crisp, cool finish.
5. Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc, $37. Freshly harvested sugarcane dominates the aroma and carries through into the rich, clean finish of this spirit from Martinique. It’s so smooth that you’ll never know you’re drinking 100 proof.
Rum Recipes
‘Ti Punch
In the French islands, this is the first drink of the day, usually sipped right before dinner. Cut a half-dollar-sized piece of lime from the side of the fruit, being sure to get a little meat (pulp). Squeeze it into a short glass and pour a quarter teaspoon of sugarcane syrup over it. Add 1.5 to 2 ounces of Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc and stir.
Rum Old-Fashioned
This is one of Hamilton’s favorite cocktails made with dark rum. Blend 3 dashes of bitters, 1 teaspoon of water, 1 sugar cube, and 1.5 ounces of Flor de Cana dark rum. Add a garnish—a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry.
MBA Jungle, August 2008