The Mixology Talk Podcast
Episode Four- Rum (It’s not all Rum & Coke!)
We continue our series on base spirits. These are the common types of liquors that you’ll most often in cocktail recipes and behind bars. This spirit is often used in Tiki drinks and has a bad reputation among high end bartenders and mixologists… BUT Julia (and pirates) love it.
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In today’s Episode…
We’re talking about one of the most dreaded spirits on the seven seas……..Rum ……
Basics of how it’s made
- Rum is always created from sugarcane, either from sugarcane juice or from molasses.
- Since the source is already sugar-rich, it’s not necessary to cook prior to fermentation
- The sugarcane juice / Molasses is fermented and then distilled. Different countries require different minimum % alcohol by volume.
- Rums are usually aged after distillation, in stainless steel tanks or used bourbon casks.
- Finally, rums are often blended before sale to help maintain flavor consistency.
Common Types
- Light, Silver or White Rum – Subtle, sweet flavor. Generally bring some of the flavor of what it’s made of – sugarcane or molasses. I would recommend Flor de Caña or Denizens
- Gold or Amber Rum – Midway between light and dark rum grades. A few good expressions of this type of spirit would be Mount Gay Amber and Flor De Caña Gold
- Dark Rum – Strongest flavor of the rum grades, and darkest color. Flavors like caramel, baking spices and molasses are prevalent. Myers, Goslings, and Pussers are all good brands to watch for in this category.
- Spiced – Brings the flavor of whatever it was infused with. Typically even sweeter than non-spiced rums. Try Kraken and Sailor Jerry’s
- Rhum Agricole – leave it to the French to put a bunch of rules on how something as fun as rum is manufactured. Actually thanks, because it’s delicious! Anything by Clément or Rhum JM would be a nice treat.
Shopping for Rum
- Rum is one of the cheaper base spirits that you can add to your home bar.
- Good quality rums can be had for around 20-30 in just about every category
- No need to break the bank with this spirit
Here are some well known cocktails that use Rum:
- Mai Tai
- Dark and stormy
- Daquiri
- Mojito
We’re Drinking the Cable Car
- 1.5 oz Spiced rum
- .75 oz Cointreau
- .75 oz Lemon juice
- .75 oz simple syrup
Directions:
Rim a coupe glass with sugar and set aside. Shake everything with ice and fine strain into the sugar rimmed coupe glass, then garnish with an orange twist.
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