COOKING WITH RUM - A NG el’s sHAR e - CIGAR & R UM MU se OF MIXO l OGY - RUM HI s TORIAN RUM IN TH e N e W s - R UM s UMM e R DRINK s TH e RUM UNIV e R s ITY - TH e s PIRIT OF s URVIVA l JuLY 2022 from the grass to Y our g L ass, since 2001! Got Rum? ®
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c ontents JULY 2022 5 From The e di T or 6-9 The Angel’s s h A re - r um r eviews 10-13 C oo K ing wi T h rum 14-19 rum A ging s C ien C e 20-23 T he muse o F mi X olog Y 24-25 T he rum universi TY li B r A r Y 26-27 rum A nd T he environmen T o P en CA ll 30-33 The rum his T ori A n 36-39 T he rum drin K s o F summer 42-49 T he sug A r mill : origins A nd evolu T ion 50-53 rum in T he news 54-63 T he s P iri T o F surviv A l - PA r T 2 64-67 C ig A r A nd rum PA iring g ot r um? July 2022 - 3 5064 54
Got Rum? ® Printed in the u s .A. A publication of r um r unner Press, i nc. h utto, Texas 78634 - u s .A. Tel/Fax +1 (855) rum -T i P s © 2022 by r um r unner Press, i nc. All rights reserved. July 2022 e ditor and Publisher: luis@gotrum.com e xecutive e ditor: margaret@gotrum.com Cigar and r um: philip@gotrum.com Angel’s s hare: paul@gotrum.com r um h istorian: marco@gotrum.com r um in the n ews: mike@gotrum.com Cooking with r um: sue@gotrum.com w ebmaster: web@gotrum.com d irector of Photography: art@gotrum.com i f you would like to submit news or press releases, please forward them to: news@gotrum.com You can download the free electronic version (low-res) of this magazine, or purchase the high resolution printed version at: WWW. gotrum . com The printed version of “ g ot r um?” is produced with F s C-certified paper, which means it is from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources. F ron T C over : i d ream o f d ecadence inside s P re A d : n ext r ound i s o n m e
Thisstrategies.reminds me of the poem “ You Will Never See Me Fall ” by Joyce Alcantara: You may see me struggle, but you won’t see me fall. Regardless if I’m weak or not, I’m going to stand tall. Everyone says life is easy, but truly living it is not. Times get hard, people struggle and constantly get put on the spot. I’m going to wear the biggest smile, even though I want to cry. I’m going to fight to live, even though I’m destined to die. And even though it’s hard and I may struggle through it all, you may see me struggle... but you will NEVER see me fall. do you want to learn more about rum but don’t want to wait until the next issue of “got rum?”? Then join the “rum lovers unite!” group on linkedin for updates, previews, Q&A and exclusive material.
w ishing you all a safe and enjoyable
This month’s issue of “ Got Rum? ” includes part 2 of The Spirit of Survival (see page 54). Following last month’s publication of part 1, i received several comments and inquiries from readers, asking what the future of yeast’s evolution looks like. r est assured that we will explore this topic in the next installment of the series, for now all i want to share is that the chemical and biological war between microorganisms never ends, resulting in a continuous evolution of attack and defense
lCheers!summer.uisAyala, Editor and Publisher http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant
g ot r um? July 2022 - 5 F rom T he edi T or The Spirit of Survival
w hat is your strategy to overcome life’s struggles and obstacles? h as it been the same all your life or has it evolved over time? u nlike the microbial world, where evolutionary adaptations can require thousands or millions of years to happen, us humans can choose different strategies ondemand, changing and adapting much faster than the animal kingdom can.
T he A ngel’ s sh A re by Paul srenftecently, my wife and i were traveling the Caribbean and, while visiting Charlotte Amalie on the island of s t. Thomas, we stopped in a souvenir shop, lured in by a large wall of rum. m ost of what we found were bottles that we could get at home, but they had a selection of Bones r ums that, while available in some states, were not available in g eorgia. The Bones line of five rums celebrates the islands’ pirate history and each expression is themed accordingly. For our visit, which involved, among other things, a visit to the islands’ Pirate Treasure m useum seemed a fitting souvenir of our trip. s ources not related to the company report that Bones v irgin i sland r um is comprised of a blend of four to six year old rums sourced from the v irgin i slands that have been aged in American w hite o ak, French o ak, and sherry casks before being blended and bottled at 40% AB v in s t. Thomas. a ppearance The rum comes in a short necked 750 ml bottle that has a clear security wrap as well as a strip anchoring a wooden cap to the bottle. The wooden cap holds a synthetic cork with the neck wrapped in a black piece of fabric. A black wax seal sits under the neck just above the label. The label provides the basic information about the rum and little else. The liquid has a solid golden amber color in the bottle and glass. Agitating the liquid creates a medium band that thickens and drops a single wave of legs before quickly evaporating, leaving a ring of beads in its wake. Bones v irgin i sland r um m y name is Paul s enft - r um r eviewer, Tasting host, Judge and w riter. m y exploration of r ums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. i quickly learned that not all rums are created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and u nited s tates visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. i have also had the pleasure of learning from bartenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of Therum.
desire to share this information led me to create www. r umJourney.com where i share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that i would inspire others in their own explorations. i t is my wish in the pages of “ g ot r um?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. h opefully my tasting notes will inspire you to try the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others. Cheers!
g ot r um? July 2022 - 7 n ose The aroma of the rum has a balance of caramelized vanilla, baking spices, toasted almonds, cooked banana, with hints of charred oak. Palate The flavor of the rum leads with a rush of alcohol laden vanilla, and as i evaluated the rum, i discovered notes of rock fruit, medicinal cherry, nutmeg, baking spices, toffee, almonds and cocoa. As the rum begins to fade, a light acidic charred oak note flattens the sweetness and lingers in a woody finish. r eview s ome rums are easier to evaluate than others. This one was a bit challenging as each sip unlocked different flavors, with the initial vanilla sweetness and the woody finish creating points of continuity while the other flavors hit inconsistently. w hich is why i think it is appropriate that in the menu section of the Bones rum website they have it in an array of recipes demonstrating that it is a good utility cocktail rum. As mentioned earlier, the rum is currently available in 15 states as well as the u s v irgin i slands. Check their website for details. i found the blend to be interesting and only wish we had more reliable information about the rum from the company. l ike the label, the website is a bit vague with details and is a missed opportunity for educating consumers about the product. www.bonesrum.com
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he
r eview
o ver the years as a reviewer, i have tried quite a few rhum agricoles from various companies that operate in m artinique and g uadeloupe. w hen i sample one of Cléments’ products, i have an expectation of quality and flavor, especially with their aged expressions. s imply, this rhum exceeded my expectations and any predispositions i had toward their portfolio. This 10 year old g rande r eserve is something special with its fruity complexity balanced by the other flavors in the profile. i t is my belief that this is what happens when a company trusts its cellar masters and blenders to be innovative and create something new instead of playing it safe. i hope we get to see more of these kinds of products from r hum Clément and will be paying close attention to any future g rande r eserve releases.
The cellar master of r hum Clément of m artinique each year selects different barrels from their warehouses that have distinctive flavor profiles that they believe are worthy of additional aging. These rhums are made from fresh pressed sugarcane juice that has been fermented and distilled using column stills and aged in a combination of virgin and re-charred oak barrels. After the rhums has been aged a minimum of 10 years, it is blended and bottled at 42% AB v. This particular blend met the rigorous qualification to receive the distinguished Appellation d’ o rigine Contrôlée of m artinique and became part of the brand’s g rande r eserve portfolio. a ppearance
The aroma of the rhum begins with a lovely floral vanilla scent, followed by flambéed bananas, fresh cut berries, tangerine, hints of spice, toffee and light r hum Clément 10 Year o ld g rande r eserve oak. There is an almost perfume level nuance to it that i enjoyed evaluating. Palate
T A ngel’ s sh A re by Paul s enft
The rhum has an unexpected complexity as it hits much differently than the aroma. The first thing i detect is brown sugar, followed by orange puree that lays down the foundation. Additional sips reveal almonds, baking spices, cooked bananas, cherries, berries (strawberry and blueberry), and fresh made toffee, with earthiness and oak flavors enhancing the fruit flavors and lingering in a long, delicious finish.
The 750 ml bottle is usually sold inside a tube that is covered in information about the product. The 750 ml bottle is a stout, rounded bottle used for Clément aged products. The label, like the tube, provides the consumer with quality information about the rhum. i n the bottle and glass, the rhum maintains an amber gold color that has a slight orange hue to it in certain lights. s wirling the rhum creates a thin band around the glass that thickens slightly before releasing waves of slow moving legs. w ithin minutes, all that remains of the band is some pebbling around the tasting glass. n ose
www.rhum-clement.com g ot r um? July 2022 - 9 w ould you like to see your rum reviewed here? w e don’t charge fees to review rums. You don’t even have margaret@gotrum.compleasewaitingwhatadvertise.toso...areyoufor???Formoreinformation,sendanemailto:
g ot r um? July - 10 COOKING WITH RUM Bringing the Spirit of the Cane Into the Heart of the Kitchen! by Chef Susan Whitley
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 12 Photo credit: www.imbibemagazine.com Dark and s tormy Kettle c orn i ngredients for Popcorn: • 3 Tbsp. v egetable o il • 1/3 C. Popping Corn Kernels • 2 tsp. s ea s alt i ngredients for s auce: • 1 C. g inger Beer • ¼ C. d ark r um • ¼ C. l ime Juice • 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) Butter • ½ C. l ight Brown s ugar • ¼ tsp. Baking s oda • Zest of 1 l ime d Preheatirections:oven to 275°F. l ine a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. h eat oil in a large covered pot over medium-high heat. Add a couple of kernels with a pinch of salt. w hen the kernels pop, remove from heat and add the rest of the kernels and cover immediately. Count to 30 seconds, kernels should start popping. Crack the lid a bit to allow steam to escape. Continue allowing kernels to pop, shaking pot periodically so the kernels don’t burn at the bottom of the pot. o nce kernels stop popping, remove from heat and dump popcorn into a large bowl and set raside.emove any burnt pieces in the bottom of the pot as this pot will be used to make the Poursauce.g inger Beer, rum and lime juice into the pot. l ower heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. r educe heat and simmer until mixture has reduced about two thirds. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside. i n a pan, melt butter and add brown sugar. s tir to combine and allow mixture to melt and bubble slightly around the edges. Continue stirring until color changes to an amber color and mixture starts to get thick and sticky. Add the ginger beer and rum mixture to the pan as well as the baking soda. s tir vigorously. d o not allow mixture to harden like candy. i mmediately pour over popcorn and mix using a spatula to evenly coat the popcorn. s pread popcorn onto the baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle remaining sea salt and place inside oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, to dry the popcorn. r emove from oven and allow to cool. Break into clusters on sheet and sprinkle lime zest.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 13 Photo credit: www.cafemeetingplace.com i ngredients: • 8 Canned Pear h alves • 1 8 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese • 2 Tbsp. m ayonnaise • 1 Tbsp. o range Flavored r um • ½ tsp. l emon r ind, grated • ¼ C. g olden r aisins, seedless Pear m acaroon s alad • ¼ C. w choppedalnuts, • ¼ C. Candied g inger, chopped • 16 m Cookiesacaroon • l ettuce • m int, for garnish d irections: d rain pears and dry between paper towels. i n a bowl mix cream cheese, mayo rum and lemon rind. i f mixture is too thick, add a little more mayo. Add raisins, nuts and ginger. s pread mixture on 4 pear halves then top with remaining pear halves to make “whole” pears. Preheat oven to 400°F. o n a baking sheet place macaroon cookies and slightly toast them. r emove from oven and allow to cool. Crumble cookies onto a wax paper sheet. r oll whole pears in the crumbs then place the pears standing up on a bed of lettuce. g arnish with mint. s erves 4.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 14 French Oak vs. American Oak A r CollaborationesearchBetween Science:AgingRUM and
t he r um : Just as we did in v olumes 1 and 2, this new series starts using a lowcongener, column-distilled rum, made from fermented h T ( h igh Test or “ miel virgen ”) molasses. w e use low-congener rum so that we can focus more on detecting the wood extractables and their impact on the rum’s profile.
t he Barrel : w e selected barrel number 20-0016, made by i ndependent s tave Company, with toasted staves and char #1 heads (see photo on page 18).
French Oak vs. American Oak i ntroduction
• h emicellulose - also known as a “wood sugar” is a two-dimensional polymer comprised of many simple sugars, including: Glucose, Xylose, Mannose, Arabinose, Galactose and Rhamnos e.
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• o ak tannins - these plant polyphenols derive their name from the l atin word tannum , which means “crushed oak bark,” since in early times oak trees served as a major source of tannin for the leather-tannin industry. Tannins improve aged rum’s character by increasing the perception of balance, complexity and roundness. s cope of s tudy e ach month we will evaluate a sample of the rum collected from the barrel and will report its p h , AB v and color. w e’ll compare these results agains those obtained from the rums in v olumes 1 and 2.
i n v olume 1 of r um a ging s cience (published from January through d ecember of 2020), we explored the aging of rum in American o ak, ex- w hiskey barrels. i n v olume 2 (published from January through d ecember of 2021) we explored the aging of rum in new American o ak barrels. This year’s v olume explores the aging of rum in French o ak barrels.
• c ellulose - is the most abundant natural polymer on earth. i t consists of linear chains of glucose units and remains relatively intact even after wood curing and toasting.
t he Wood e xtractives : The compositions of both American o ak and French o ak have a lot of things in common. They are, after all, both oaks. But the proportions of the components that are extractable by alcohol differ between one and the other. These extractives include:
RUM Aging Science
• Lignin - despite the fact that it is also one of the most abundant nature-produced materials on earth, lignin remains one of the least understood. o ak ligning consists of two building blocks: guaiacyl and syringyl . The former is responsible for producing coniferaldehyde , vanillin and vanillic acid , which -especially the vanillin- are easily recognized in cask-condition spirits.
French Oak vs. American Oak
s hown above are the rum samples, taken out of the barrels on the 1st day of the month. These samples are aged in (left to right):
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RUM Aging Science
b) new American oak barrel (2021 series) and c) used American oak, ex- w hiskey barrel (2020 series). The concentration of wood extractives is evident to the naked eye.
a) new French oak barrel (this series)
r um aged in a new, f rench oak barrel, after 6 months o ur rum has now spent six months inside its barrel at r um Central’s aging cellar. The temperature during the month of June was hot and dry, typical of Texas’ summers. w e received a small amount of rain at the end of the month.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 18 Above: the barrel that is the subject of this 12-month, rum-aging study. m ade from French o ak, by i ndependent s tave Company. The barrel is being kept at the r um Central d istilled s pirits Plant in Texas. RUM Aging Science French Oak vs. American Oak
g ot r um? July 2022 - 19 o rganoleptic c hanges Acidity continues to increase, resulting in additional esterification. The aroma has more intense leathery and spicey tannic notes, from the French oak barrel. The taste continues to develop attractive fruitiness. Physical c hanges These are the p h readings, as recorded on the 1st day of each month, compared to the rums from the previous v olumes, which were aged in American o ak barrels. p h n ew French o ak Barrel n ew American o ak Barrel u sed American o ak Barrel January 7.04 7.04 7.04 February 5.16 5.01 5.67 m arch 4.88 4.80 5.32 April 4.54 4.54 5.23 m ay 4.52 4.45 5.10 June 4.42 4.41 5.03 July 4.28 4.29 4.96 And these are the changes in AB v % readings (as of first day of each month), also compared to the American o ak barrels: AB v % n ew French o ak Barrel n ew American o ak Barrel u sed American o ak Barrel January 62.35 62.35 63.43 February 62.30 61.80 63.42 m arch 61.92 61.61 63.43 April 61.89 61.50 63.43 m ay 61.87 61.50 63.40 June 61.89 61.30 63.40 July 61.79 61.19 63.40 Join us again next month, as we continue to explore the fascinating world of rum aging! RUM Aging Science French Oak vs. American Oak
The world’s largest cocktail festival, Tales of the Cocktail, is back in n ew o rleans after being virtual for the last two years (thanks to Covid-19). i have been involved in the Cocktail Apprentice Program since 2010 when i WAS an apprentice, working my way up to being one of the senior managers. i can’t wait to be back with people from all over the world in this incredible city. This is also the 20-year anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail, so to toast this momentous occasion i thought it only appropriate to write about n ew o rleans cocktails. m any classic American cocktails were created right in the heart of the French Quarter. The v ieux Carre, French 75, s azerac, r amos g in Fizz and the h urricane (to name a few). The h urricane is the only one of these made with rum, however. i t originated at Pat o ’Brien’s, a bar that is still a staple in the French Quarter and has a rich history. d uring the 1940s, (about 10 years after Prohibition ended) spirits like Bourbon were hard to find but rum was being transported up and down the m ississippi r iver. h owever, the only way to acquire it was to purchase it in B ul K so Pat o ’Brien concocted the h urricane which quickly became the bar’s signature drink. You can still enjoy one today and i highly encourage you to do so if you make a trip to n ew o rleans. s ince we are all here to learn more about rum cocktails, i wanted to show you how to take these wonderful classics and switch out rum for the traditional spirits. h ave fun with these and please remember these are simply my suggestions. r um is such a vast spirit with literally hundreds of unique
m y name is Cris d ehlavi and i am a native of Arizona, but have lived in Columbus, o hio since 2002. i just took on an exciting new role as the Brand e ducator for Columbus for d iageo brands. i ran the bar program at “ m ”, of the Cameron m itchell r estaurant group from 2002-2020. i am currently the v ice President of Columbus us B g and was one of the founding members of the chapter. i n 2013, i attended the rigorous B.A. r . 5 d ay s pirits Certification and have been recognized as one of the top mixologists in the u s .A. i am one of the senior managers of the prestigious apprentice program at Tales of the Cocktail and work as a mentor to many bartenders around o hio. m y contribution to g ot r um? magazine will include everything from reviews of national cocktail events, articles on mixology, garnish trends, recipes and techniques, to interviews with some of the leading bartenders in the industry. g ot r um? July 2022 - 20 n ew o rleans c ocktails
the muse of mi X o L og Y by c ris Dehlavi
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 23 flavor profiles so do not hesitate to get creative with the brands you choose. l aissez les bons temps rouler!! ( l et the good times roll!) P inea PPL e 75 • 2 oz. Plantation Pineapple r um • .5 oz. s imple s yrup • .5 oz. Fresh l emon Juice • 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters s hake well with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Top with champagne. g arnish with a lemon twist. rum V ieu X carre • 1 oz. Appleton e state 12 Year r um • 1 oz. vs Cognac • .5 oz. s weet v ermouth • .5 oz. Benedictine • 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters s tir well with ice, and strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. g arnish with a lemon twist, be sure to zest over the glass. B ar B a D os sa Z erac • 2 oz. m ount g ay e clipse X o • .5 oz. s imple s yrup • 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters s tir well with ice until cold. r inse a rocks glass with absinthe, making sure to coat the glass thoroughly. d iscard the absinthe, then strain in the chilled cocktail. d o not add ice, but zest a lemon peel over the top and drop into the edrink.njoy!!
g ot r um? July 2022 - 24 LIBRARY r eviews of books related to sugarcane, milling, fermentation, distillation, aging, blending and other topics related to the production or history of rum. www. r um u niversity.com
The u niversity of n orth Carolina Press ( m arch 3, 2008) l anguage: e nglish Paperback: 378 pages is B n -10: 0807858587 is B n -13: 978-0807858585 i tem w eight: 1.13 pounds d imensions: 6 x 0.95 x 9 inches
g ot r um? July 2022 - 25 f rom r ainforest to c ane f ield in c uba: a n e nvironmental h istory s ince 1492
The original s panish-language edition of the book, published in m exico in 2004, was awarded the unes C o Book Prize for Caribbean Thought, e nvironmental Category. For this first e nglish edition, the author has revised the text throughout and provided new material, including a glossary and a conclusion that summarizes important developments up to the present.
Publisher:
(Publisher’s r eview) i n this award-winning environmental history of Cuba since the age of Columbus, author r einaldo Funes m onzote emphasizes the two processes that have had the most dramatic impact on the island’s landscape: deforestation and sugar cultivation. d uring the first 300 years of s panish settlement, sugar plantations arose primarily in areas where forests had been cleared by the royal navy, which maintained an interest in management and conservation for the shipbuilding industry. The sugar planters won a decisive victory in 1815, however, when they were allowed to clear extensive forests, without restriction, for cane fields and sugar production. This book is the first to consider Cuba’s vital sugar industry through the lens of environmental history. Funes m onzote demonstrates how the industry that came to define Cuba-and upon which Cuba urgently depended--also devastated the ecology of the island.
5th Annual g ot r um? July 2022 - 26 RUM And The e nvironment A w A rds o P en CA ll
July 2022 - 27 a ttention r um Distillers, s ugarcane f armers, s ugar m ills, c ocktail Bars, Brand o wners and Brand a mbassadors: s ubmit information regarding your company’s efforts towards making this world a better place to live. w inners will be featured in the d ecember 2022 issue of “ g ot r um?”. Categories include, but are not limited to: • Carbon n eutral and/or Zero w aste • l eadership/Community s ervice • o rganic, n on- gmo , Fair Trade • u se of r enewable ( s olar/ w ind) e nergy • o cean or r iver Cleanup s ubmit your nominee by writing to: news@gotrum.com Presented by t he r um u niversity™ and “ g ot r um?” m agazine. Past winners appear on the d ecember issue of each year. v isit “Archives” at www.gotrum.com.
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 29 Your o ne- s top s hop for a ged r ums in Bulk! • Column- d istilled, Pot- d istilled or Blends • h igh Congener ( i ncluding h igh e sters), l ow Congener or Blends • Aged in American or French o ak Barrels • Finished in w hiskey, Bourbon, Tequila, w ine, Port, m uscat or s herry Barrels • d istilled in the us A, Central America, s outh America or in the Caribbean • o ver 150 m arks/ s tyles Available, plus Custom Blends • l ow m inimums and Fast Turnaround, w orldwide s hipping www. r umCentral.com
his T or Y o F C u BA n rum 1. F or B idden B ever A ges w ith this article i begin a long series devoted to what is possibly the most iconic of rums, Cuban r um. i don’t know if in the us A it is the same, but all over e urope (with the partial exception of g reat Britain and France) when people think of rum, they think first and foremost of Cuba, and the other way round. And yet, i anticipate that Cuba emerged relatively late in the world scene of rum production: in the first centuries of r um, the 1600s and 1700s, the British e mpire was the homeland of r um. o nly much later, around the middle of the 1800s, did Cuban r um start its rapid rise towards the world. And only in the 1900s, with the help of Prohibition, did it get into the h all of Fame of r um, with a worldwide, lasting success. Anyway, the history of Cuban r um is long and complex, and it deserves to be told accurately. l et’s Abegin.word of warning. For this article, i rely mostly on a seminal essay by m anuel h ernández g onzáles “ La polémica sobre la the historianrum by m arco Pierini i was born in 1954 in a little town in Tuscany ( i taly) where i still live. i n my youth, i got a degree in Philosophy in Florence and i studied Political s cience in m adrid, but my real passion has always been h istory and through h istory i have always tried to understand the world, and men. l ife brought me to work in tourism, event organization and vocational training. Then, already in my fifties i discovered rum and i fell in love with it. i was one of the founders of the firm La Casa del Rum w e began by running a beach bar in my home town, but soon our passion for rum led us to select, bottle and sell Premium r ums all over i taly. i have visited distilleries, met rum people, attended rum Festivals and joined the r um Family: the net of distillers, professionals, experts, bloggers, journalists and aficionados that is alive every day on the i nternet and on social media and, before Covid-19, met up every now and then at the various rum events all over the world. And i have studied too, because r um is not only a great distillate, it’s a world. Produced in scores of countries, by thousands of companies, with an extraordinary variety of aromas and flavors, it is a fascinating field of studies. i began to understand something about sugarcane, fermentation, distillation, ageing and so on. s oon, i discovered that rum has also a terrible and rich h istory, made of voyages and conquests, blood and sweat, imperial fleets and revolutions. i soon realized that this h istory deserved to be researched properly and i decided to devote myself to it with all my passion and with the help of the basic scholarly tools i had learnt during my old university years. s ince 2013, i have been running this column. i n 2017 i published the book “A meri CA n rum – A s hort h istory of r um in e arly sAmerica”ince2018, i have also been contributing to the m adrid based magazine Rumporter.es , the s panish edition of the French magazine Rumporter i n 2019 i began to run a www.therumhistorian.comBlog:and decided to leave La Casa del Rum i n 2020, with my son Claudio, i have published a new book “F ren C h rum – A h istory 1639-1902”. i am currently doing new research on the h istory of Cuban r um.
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(J. m cCusker “ The Rum Trade and the Balance of Payments of the Thirteen Continental Colonies ” 1970). The prohibitions, that is, did not prevent the production and consumption of aguardiente de caña , but effectively blocked the full development of the sector. Again, according to m cCusker: “They were effective enough in keeping down local distillation so that the French w est i ndies found a market in n ew s pain for their rum.” l et’s see, for example, what Pére l abat writes: “The spirit we make on the i slands with mash & sugar syrups, it’s not one of the least used drinks, we call it Guildive or Taffia . The s avages, the n egros, the lowly settlers & craftsmen are not looking for another one & they lack self-control with this item, it is enough for them that this liquor is strong, violent & cheap; it doesn’t matter whether it’s harsh and unpleasant. i ’m not going to talk about it in another place. w e take a lot to
v arious laws were passed prohibiting the making and consumption of the socalled Bebidas Prohibidas (Forbidden Beverages), but with little success. e very now and then new laws reiterated the prohibition, even with very harsh penalties, but always with limited success. n obody opposed the will of the Crown openly, and often the r oyal o fficials newly arrived in America would try to enforce the law. But then, as time went on, their zeal was overwhelmed by the enormous spaces they had to inspect, by the complexity of the social structure, the network of local customs and interests and, last but not least, by sheer bribery.
July 2022 - 31 fabricación de aguardiente de caña entre las elites caribeñas y el comercio canario en el siglo XVIII ” (The controversy about the making of sugarcane burning water between Caribbean elites and the Canary trade in the X viii century”). w hen not otherwise specified, the quotes are from this essay; the translation is mine (with a little help from my family).
“The several repetitions of the order against ‘la fabrica y uso de aguardiente de caña’ imply not only that the government found some difficulty in enforcing the ruling but also that they were adamant about its enforcement. w hile some might have engaged in bootlegging rum, the government succeeded in keeping its distillation from ever becoming more than that.”
The official reason for the prohibition was protecting the health of the Indios : both their physical health, damaged by excessive consumption, and their moral, spiritual health, since drunkenness often brought about various kinds of crimes and sins. But there was more. By prohibiting traditional alcoholic beverages (for the sake of clarity, i repeat, fermented), the Crown and the Church wanted to eradicate the ritual use (religious, magical, etc) of those beverages in the indigenous cultures and religions, which were considered an obstacle to the complete colonization and Christianization of those populations.
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There were purely economic reasons too. s pain was a major producer and exporter of wine and brandy, and the authorities wanted to defend those economic interests, by granting a monopoly position on the American market to s panish wine and brandy, against the competition of the much cheaper local products. i ndeed, the s panish Crown prohibited also the cultivation of grapes and the making of wine and brandy (again, with a few exceptions) and, increasingly, the making of the new s pirit made from sugarcane, which in the official documents of the time is often called Aguardiente de Caña (sugarcane burning water), i.e., our r um.
From the very beginning of the s panish
colonization, in the 1500s, the s panish Crown prohibited the production and consumption of the fermented alcoholic beverages used by American i ndians, with a few exceptions, like Pulque in n ew s pain (roughly present-day m exico).
g ot r um? July 2022 - 32 the s panish on the coast of Caracas, Cartagena, h onduras & the big islands”
i t was an illegal traffic, contraband, because according to the mercantilist theories of the age, American settlers must trade only with the m other Country. s muggling flourished all over the Atlantic w orld, but it was especially widespread in the s panish e mpire. s panish America, according to the law, had to trade only with s pain, indeed only with the port of s eville (later Cadiz) which had the monopoly on trade with Las Indias (The i ndies). But the s panish economy was relatively backward and was thus unable to manufacture the quantity and quality of the required goods. The s panish merchants in s eville were often obliged to buy in e urope the manufactured goods which they then re-sold in the i ndies, obviously with a sharp increase in costs. Therefore the goods which reached America legally were always scarce and expensive, and often low-quality too.
And the same happened the other way round: the s panish vessels on which to carry legally to s eville the products of the i ndies were few, and the cost of freight was high. Actually, smuggling with the d utch, the e nglish etc. was indispensable to everyday life and to the development of both economy and society. e verybody knew and many made a profit from it, including many r oyal Theofficials.war of the s panish s uccession (1701-1714) brought a Bourbon King to the s panish throne: Philip v, a grandson of the French King l uis X iv, The s un King. u nder Philip v, the influence of French centralism and dynamism became widespread in s pain. i n particular, as far as we are concerned, a significant production of wine and brandy developed in Catalonia which meant to monopolise the American market. Therefore, new prohibitions to produce aguardiente de caña in America were issued, and fresh attempts were made to enforce the law, still to little avail. i n those years a new player entered the game too, the merchants of the Canary i slands, who for some time had had the privilege to export their wines and brandies to the i ndies legally, albeit for limited quantities. i n exchange, the Canary i slands were required to send a certain number of settlers to populate America. s oon, the interest of the so called Isleños ( i slanders) focused on Cuba.
“ i n the Caribbean w orld wine consumption was rather low. The Canary producers found themselves compelled to develop brandy production, the parra , in order to create a market for their grapes, since the demand for wine was so limited”. o n the other hand, “consumption of aguardiente de caña must have been high in the i ndies, since its production developed on a par with the production of sugar through the use of pot stills to distil molasses and other by-products. i n its manifold uses – as fuel, cleaning fluid for personal hygiene, beverage, preventive and curative medicine, aguardiente de caña replaced in Cuba, thanks to the difference in price, the brandy imported from s pain and mostly from the Canaries.” s elling brandy in Cuba was not easy. The local rum was plentiful, always available and much cheaper, moreover it seems it was more popular with consumers. i n 1714 a new r oyal d ecree prohibited the production and sale “of the beverage aguardiente de caña in the Kingdoms of the i ndies” and since previous bans had not had the desired effect, this time not only was production prohibited, but it was ordered that all pot stills and other instruments and materials used to produce it should be destroyed; on top of that, a fine of 10 pesos was imposed on the owner. Contemporary documents in l a h abana, v illaclara y s ancti s pìritus confirm that on the plantations it was common practice to produce aguardiente de caña and even this time the effects were limited, so much so that the prohibition was reiterated in 1720 and in 1724.
This time, though, the reaction of the h avana planters was different. h aving by now become rich thanks to tobacco and having launched themselves towards sugarcane plantation, the h avana planters did not respond to the new prohibition with silence and feigned obedience, while managing everything as before in actual fact. n o, this time the planters took a clear, public stand, trying to defend their interests legally. i ndeed, in the same 1739, the planters replied with a “ Memorial de los dueños de ingenios de La Habana ” ( m emoir of the planters of l a h avana). i n it they voiced their opposition to the entry into force of the new law and presented their arguments very clearly. They openly declared that they had been producing aguardiente de caña for some time, and that they wanted to go on producing it because it was crucial to the survival of their enterprises, given the high cost of setting up and run a plantation and the low price they get for sugar. That’s all for now, we will examine this extraordinary, virtually unknown document in the next article. m arco Pierini
July 2022 - 33 i n a report written around 1737, “the discerning perpetual governor of the town council of l a l aguna José Antonio de Anchieta y Alarcón pinpoints the exact reasons for the increase in production and consumption of aguardiente de caña in Cuba to the detriment of brandy. First of all, the significant increase in forest clearance and logging in order to plant sugarcane near l a h abana, from which came continuous loads of aguardiente produced on the plantations. w hat he says about the price is devastating. The aguardiente is sold 28, 30 pesos the barrel at the most and a box in the taverns to 3 silver reales , ten times less than a box of brandy. The number of cauldrons and pot stills has increased spectacularly, they arrive on the British ships of the asiento or from n ew s pain: the quantity produced is so great that they export it to Campeche and Florida. Before such abundance at such a low cost the continuity of a trade based on brandy was impossible” d e Anchieta y Alarcón had realised with great clarity that over the years Cuba had changed. i t was no more just an important port of call and a provider of meat and hides for the i ndies Fleet. i n the first half of the 1700s agriculture, especially tobacco and sugar, became central to the economy and society of the island. The development of sugarcane cultivation and of sugar making had its highs and lows, but on the whole it grew, starting to mark and shape forever the agricultural landscape and the social fabric. w e know for sure that in 1749 there were 62 plantations round l a h avana and in 1761 there were already 98, and of bigger size. The bulk of production was concentrated around the capital which, thanks to its facilities and its harbour, allowed the curbing of transport costs.
And where there is sugar, sooner or later there is rum too. “The distilling of aguardientes de caña is nearly as old as the plantations themselves … i t is produced on all well managed plantations in a specific department, sometimes separated from the main building where sugar is made, and which is named after the very apparatus it contains, the alembic”; so says Jacobo de la Pezuela the following century in his great “ Diccionarío … de la Isla de Cuba ” ( d ictionary … of the i sland of Cuba)
The1863.Canaries’ producers did not give up and appealed once more to the Crown. o n 5th June 1739 a new law reiterated the prohibition, this time even decreeing that “within 15 days the Cuban planters should consume all the aguardiente de caña produced by their pot stills, which had to be halted and destroyed, under penalty of a fine of 200 ducados .”
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 34 SUMMERDrinksRUMTheOf
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 36 s trawberry & Kiwi m ojito i ngredients • 2 oz. w hite r um • 1 oz. Freshly s queezed l ime Juice • ½ oz. Cane s yrup • 8 m int l eaves • 5 s trawberries, hulled and sliced • 2 Kiwis, peeled and sliced • Approx 1 cup of s oda w ater • i ce for muddling and drinking 1.Preparationmuddle3 sliced strawberries and 1 sliced kiwi with 2 oz of rum in a shaker. 2. Add 1 oz lime juice, ½ oz cane syrup, and a few cubes of ice. 3. s pank 5 mint leaves and add to shaker. 4. r oll or shake drink for 30 seconds. 5. Pour into desired glass, add ice, soda water, 3 more mint leaves, and remaining slices of kiwi and strawberry to garnish.
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 38 f ancy i ce c ubes for r efreshing c ocktails Amaze your guests by serving them upscale cocktails garnished with ice cubes that complement the Trappingbeverages.slices of lime in the ice cubes not only adds a visual touch to the dirnks, but the smell of the lime is slowly “unveiled,” resulting in a more subtle experience. You can freeze fresh fruits and fruit juices as well. i f freezing flowers, however, you’ll need to freeze the cubes in layers, so that the flowers do not float to the surface. s imply start with 1/3 of the capacity of the ice cube mold filled with water, then place the edible flowers and freeze. o nce frozen, add another 1/3 of water with additional flowers, then freeze and finally top off the last third with water and Thefreeze.sky is the limit!
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 40 Keep i t s imple s ometimes all you need to chill out is a couple of ice cubes and your favorite bottle of aged rum! s it back, relax and let the good times roll!
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g ot r um? July 2022 - 42 Presents The Sugar Mill: Origins and Evolution
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i t is also commonly accepted that around 10,000 years ago, the original inhabitants of Papua did not have tools to process the cane, meaning that they likely chewed it raw to extract the juice, which was consumed as-is ( n oël d eerr, The History of Sugar: Volume One ). n ot much written history exists that documents the early extraction of the juice for the purpose of dehydration and formation of sugar crystals until the publication of De Materia Medica , a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them, which was written between the years 50 and 70 of the current era by Pedanius d ioscorides, a g reek physician in the r oman army. This is the oldest record documenting the existence of crystalized sugar, which was used at the time to “treat indigestion and stomach ailments.”
h ow did people manage to extract the dissolved sugar from the juice? The answers to this question are at the core of this series. s o join us, as we explore this fascinating topic!
g ot r um? July 2022 - 44 i ntroduction s ugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ) is a perennial grass of the family Poaceae i t is primarily cultivated for its juice, from which alcohol (through fermentation and distillation) and sugar (through dehidration and refining) can be obtained. m ost of the world’s sugarcane is grown in subtropical and tropical areas. i t is commonly accepted today that sugarcane originated in Papua, n ew g uinea, where it was initially domesticated. The plant was then taken to other lands by traders, where its sweet virtues quickly made it a sought-after commodity.
Press i deas for innovating products do not always succeed. The reasons for their failures include:
of any innovation process is the actual generation of the idea. m any times the ideas are generated by “insiders” (the people performing a particular trade). They may wonder or imagine the process or the tools being different but they may lack the knowledge of how to create the alternate versions. o ther times the ideas are generated by “outsiders” looking into how a particular trade functions. These outsiders use their expertise (engineering, chemical, metallurgy, etc.) to envision how they would improve the tools and or processes. i n both cases, however, most inventors or innovators are not also marketers, and without proper market research and promotional work, even the best ideas can iself-sabotage.nlastmonth’s chapter we explored how Bessemer’s innovation, despite receiving a gold medal (from the British s ociety of Arts and h is r oyal h ighness Prince Albert) was not adopted by the industry. i n this chapter we explore another brilliant application of engineering and mechanical principles that, unfortunately, also failed to become an industry standard. These failed approaches provide glimpses into the evolution of the industry and the
• A poor understanding of the problem that needs to be solved, • A lack of resources to implement the new solution • A failure to market or promote the benefits of the proposed Thesolutionfirststage
g ot r um? July 2022 - 45 Part 7: t he Vertical h ydraulic
g ot r um? June 2022 - 46July 2022 - 46
g ot
July
mindsets of those involved, so they should not be dismissed. C. h d ickinson, a sugarcane plantation owner from Bayou g rosse-tete, in r osedale, l ouisiana ( us A), is an example of an “insider” who used his available knowledge to try to improve the sugar extraction process at his own sugarcane dplantation.ickinsondesigned and built a Vertical Hydraulic Cane Crusher , for which he obtained u nited s tates Patent n umber 137,349 on April 1, 1873. w e do not know for sure, but perhaps m r. d ickinson was satisfied enough with the implementation of his new press at his plantation that he did not have the need -or time- to pursue its commercialization elsewhere. s hown on the background is the diagram for the hydraulic sugarcane crusher, as recorded on the patent application. r um? 2022 - 47
s ugar m ill s potlight r uins of the Annaberg Plantation, v irgin i slands n ational Park, s t. John, usvi . The Annaberg Plantation was one of 25 active sugar factories on s t. John in 1780, where sugarcane juice was processed into raw sugar, molasses and rum. Join us again next month, as we continue to explore this fascinating topic! g ot r um? July 2022 - 48
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K o L oa rum
g ot r
Award-winning Koloa r um Company launched their s parkling h awaiian r um Canned Cocktails, its latest ready-to-drink product line. i deal for summer cocktails on-the-go, the new product complements Koloa r um’s existing broad portfolio, keeping in step with the company’s ongoing development of products that capture a wide-ranging appeal. “ o ver the past four years, we have watched the rising popularity of canned cocktails in the market, and we recognize that this is the opportune time for Koloa r um to enter this product category,” said Bob g unter, Koloa r um Company’s President and C eo . “ w e’re proud to first introduce it to our h awaii ohana as a way to show our appreciation for years of endless support.” Koloa’s canned cocktails feature all-natural h awaiian flavors blended with premium Kauai w hite r um, which is made from pure cane sugar and rainwater from m ount w aialeale. The distinctively pure, clean, and smooth taste of Kauai w hite r um makes for a perfect foundation for these tropical-flavored cocktails. The canned beverages come in a variety of four h awaiian-inspired flavors ( g uava, Pineapple, m ango and Coconut) and packaged in a convenient four-pack of 355 m l cans. i n the 2022 u ltimate s pirits Challenge, each flavor scored above 90 with m ango awarded a Chairman’s Trophy and listed among the top 100 spirits. “Koloa r um is
r um in the ne W s by m ike Kunetka
These are the most recent and noteworthy headlines in the rum industry. i f you want us to share your news with our readers, please send me an email to: m ike@gotrum.com.
um? July 2022 - 50
• Kraken & Ginger Beer: Candied ginger and honey on the nose. w oody, spicy ginger starts upfront and lasts throughout. Finishes vanilla with subtle tropical fruit and brown sugar.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 51 known for products of utmost quality and taste. o ur new canned cocktails are no exception. For more than 12 years, we have developed a loyal customer base that we believe will instantly recognize our brand and eagerly embrace these new products,” added g unter. l ight, bubbly, and refreshing, Koloa canned cocktails are suitable for any occasion. The canned cocktails are currently available in h awaii, Texas, i llinois, Colorado, Arizona and n evada and will later be distributed in additional markets. https://koloarum. com/ B acar D i Bacardi has expanded its pioneering TA ils ® C o CKTA ils P ro F ession A l range with new cocktails and a new look, available now for the hospitality industry across w estern e urope. The premium batched cocktail brand offers the on-trade a hassle-free solution for serving quality cocktails easily, quickly and consistently at scale. s erving a TA ils cocktail takes as little as 15 seconds, and no specialist training is required. The expanded range of classic and contemporary cocktails, all crafted using the Bacardi portfolio of premium brands has two new additions; the w hisky s our, made with dew A r ’ s ® Blended s cotch whisky; and the r um Punch, made with BACARDĺ rum. Thousands of outlets across e urope are already enjoying a new revenue stream by serving TA ils C o CKTA ils P ro F ession A l , and this year Bacardi is planning to more than double that number. The momentum is huge. w ith the new flavors, Bacardi is catering for even more tastes and occasions, from summer terraces to cozy winter bars, offering an exciting opportunity for the hospitality industry to tap into the growing demand for cocktails. expanded range also includes the Passion Fruit m artini Cocktail and e spresso m artini Cocktail, both made with 42B elow ® vodka; the g in g arden Cocktail made with B om BAY® d ry gin and s T- germ A in ® elderflower liqueur; and the Classic m ojito and Berry Mojito, both made with BACARDĺ rum. As well as the new-look 1 l bottles, there are also three TA ils C o CKTA ils P ro F ession A l 20 l kegs, the Passion Fruit s pritz made with 42B elow ® vodka, and the Classic m ojito and Caribbean Punch, both made with BACA rd Í rum, rolling out this summer, allowing outlets to serve cocktails on draught for even quicker, easier service. w ith a full live music and events lineup back in e urope this year, Bacardi will also bring high quality cocktails to festivals at scale, with TA ils C o CKTA ils P ro F ession A l at more than 20 of the biggest festivals across the u K, s pain, Belgium and the n etherlands. The range sits alongside the company’s recent launch of TA ils C o CKTA ils , which takes TA ils into the off-trade for the first time, pioneering a new ‘ready-to-shake’ category within cocktails-at-home.
• Kraken & Cola: Balanced cola spices and spiced rum upfront with light citrus on the nose. r ich vanilla and caramel undertones. Finishes with toasted oak and sugarcane.
• Kraken Rum Punch: Balanced pineapple, cherry, and citrus on the nose. Tropical pineapple upfront with juiced limes throughout with building maraschino and sunburst orange. Finishes ripe mango and citrus peel. A s i T is T old , The Kraken Black s piced r um is an imported rum from the Caribbean blended with secret spices. n amed for the sea beast of myth and legend, The Kraken Black s piced r um is bold, rich, black, and smooth. A s T he Y s AY, “To not respect the power of the Kraken is to not respect the sea.” s o, drink with respect. https://www.krakenrum.com/# mount ga Y m ount g ay invites cocktail enthusiasts to make time for taste this summer by exploring and savoring the distinct flavors of m ount g ay and celebrating moments worth taking time for. Known for its rich, complex tasting notes imparted by its unique maturation process, m ount g ay brings the essence of summer flavor to the forefront with a new limited-edition “ s ummer Taste e ssentials” kit in partnership with Cocktail Courier. Curated by ‘ n ext l evel Chef’ and T v Personality r ichard Blais, the kit encourages pleasure-seekers to spend the season savoring delicious flavors and elevating memorable occasions. “ w orking with m ount g ay to encourage others to explore and savor the flavors of the season is something i am really excited to be a part of,” said Blais. “ w ith boundless ways to interpret taste, the kit provides cocktail enthusiasts with a way to experience the essence of summer and pairing refreshing cocktails with savory summer grilling staples is the perfect way to discover new flavor combinations.” m ade in Barbados, the birthplace of rum, m ount g ay is a champion of great tasting rum. m ount g ay utilizes a variety of casks during the maturation process,
https://www.bacardilimited.com/ the K ra K en The Kraken r um announced its entry into the readyto-drink ( r T d ) category with the release of three new canned cocktails. w ith the us r T d market expected to continue to expand at a compound annual growth rate of more than 13% until 2031, Kraken is leaning into the category to offer consumers a convenient option to bring their rum cocktails wherever they explore this summer. “As the demand for ready-todrink beverages continues to boom and category growth rises, we’re eager and thrilled to introduce a new and convenient way for consumers to enjoy their favorite rum cocktails in three carefully curated flavors,” said l ander o tegui, s enior v ice President of m arketing at Proximo s pirits. “As one of the only dark rum-based r T d offerings on the shelves, our Kraken r um cocktails offer an unexpected way to add a little extra fun to your summer plans whether you’re sipping at home or on an adventure at sea.” n amed for the sea beast of myth and legend, Kraken is celebrating its newly released ready-to-drink cocktails by giving rum drinkers a chance to win a squid spotting expedition around the island of r oatan in i sa g uadalupe. To enter the Krak o pen s ummer s weepstakes and a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to spot a real-life kraken, visit www.Krak o pens s ummer.com.
Kraken’s new ready-made cocktails are available in three popular rum taste profiles:
se LV are Y, B aha mar and B runo mars Baha m ar, the leading resort destination in The Bahamas, announced a brand partnership with s elva r ey r um, naming the brand a premier partner for the Caribbean’s luxury of choice hotel. The partnership presents s elva r ey as the elevated option for rum cocktails with special beverage offerings available throughout the property, curated branded experiences, and new and exciting event activations all set against the luxurious backdrop of Baha m ar.
The fourth annual staging of the Jamaica r um Festival presented by Appleton e state in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Tourism e nhancement Fund is the must-attend event of the summer for visitors and locals alike. s lated for s aturday, July 25, at the Aqueduct, r ose h all in the island’s tourism capital of m ontego Bay, the Festival promises to explore the rich culture and heritage of Jamaican rums. l ive demonstrations, seminars and a live reggae concert are set to create memories to last a lifetime. o ne of Jamaica’s most beloved rums will hold a place of pride, and this is none other than w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um. Beloved in every parish across the island, w ray
An intermediate to long-term vision for the o therland s ociety brand is to stimulate redevelopment and revitalize the downtown business district of Pahokee.
To launch the partnership, s elva r ey will take over Privilege, sls Baha m ar’s upscale adult-only pool, on l abor d ay weekend with a series of Piña Colada Pool Party events including guest d J performances and a flagship day party hosted by s elva r ey r um co-owner Bruno m ars featuring a special d J set by d J Pee . w ee (Anderson .Paak) on s unday s eptember 4th. d istilled in the jungles of l atin America by a legendary m aster Blender, s elva r ey (which loosely translates to “King of the Jungle”) is favored as one of the most awarded spirits on the market. Fine enough to sip on the rocks or enhance any cocktail, s elva r ey includes a portfolio of four expressions, including w hite r um, Chocolate r um, Coconut r um, and the o wner’s r eserve; a rare blend of aged rums hand selected from the most prestigious casks. “The quality and diverse portfolio of s elva r ey’s products matches our luxury of choice positioning, and we’re looking forward to welcoming guests with tropical and elevated beverage options, further enhancing the Baha m ar experience,” said g raeme d avis, President of Baha m ar. “Tropical l uxury is what s elva r ey is all about and i couldn’t think of a better partner to bring that experience to life than Baha m ar,” added Bruno m ars. s elva r ey is a collection of the finest, sustainable, single-estate rums crafted in the jungles of Panama by world renowned m aestro r onero Francisco “ d on Pancho” Fernandez. e ach variant boasts a luxuriously smooth and distinctively balanced character. From harvesting the sugarcane and pressing the juice to the distillation and blending, the rums adhere to the highest quality standard and represent the intense passion and commitment to craft from the people behind the spirit. www.Baha m ar.com www. s elva r ey.com .
The team behind female-owned o therland s ociety enlisted Kentucky’s first female m aster d istiller, m arianne e aves, to design w ild h are d ark r um. The new highend, hand-crafted sipping spirit captures the essence of the beautiful yet unrelenting land of the e verglades, which is like no other. “ w ild h are d ark r um is a marriage of 8-year-old s outh American, and 10-yearold Caribbean rums aged in e x-American w hite o ak w hiskey Casks. w ith sweet spices and vanilla oak character on the aroma, tropical fruit on the front of the palate, and smooth lingering spiced notes of coffee and vanilla, balanced with sweet berries, the result is a rich, dark spirit comparable to the best rums on the market,” said e aves, on her curation of this rum project. s trengthening an u nderserved Community, r oberts and her investment partners will soon begin work to build a distillery and bottling distribution facility in the Pahokee, Florida, area using local talent and product and providing a catalyst for job creation.
“ l aunching w ild h are d ark r um is the first step in elevating these opportunities for business and development.” www.otherlandsociety.com
“ o ur vision for o therland s ociety is to reinvest in the community, celebrate our heritage, protect our natural resources and provide a new source of income for the people who call this area home,” said r oberts.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 52 such as ex-American w hiskey, Bourbon, and Cognac casks. This process, coupled with its island roots and tropical climate, provide every bottle with a wide depth of flavor and distinct tasting notes. m ount g ay Black Barrel for example, which is featured in the “ s ummer Taste e ssentials” kit, is double aged in ex-American w hiskey and Bourbon casks, creating a bold and robust expression with notes of toasted vanilla, toffee, and orange zest. “ o ur m ount g ay Black Barrel expression is a wonderfully versatile rum to feature on your home bar,” noted Trudiann Branker, m aster Blender at m ount g ay. “ r obust and bold, Black Barrel is beautiful on its own and incredible in craft cocktails, showcasing its rich and full-bodied notes.” i n addition to crafting the world’s oldest rum, m ount g ay is committed at all times to the use of sustainable and transparent practices in order to realize our vision of environmental stewardship and carbon neutrality. https://www. cocktailcourier.com/, https://www.mountgayrum.com/ other L an D societ Y n ew premium spirits brand o therland s ociety celebrates the mystique of Florida’s natural resources and exceptional culinary and beverage culture with the debut of w ild h are d ark r um crafted by legendary m aster d istiller m arianne e aves. o therland s ociety’s inaugural sugarcane artisan spirit premiered at the m ichelin g uide revelation event in o rlando, where Florida’s first m ichelin s tars were awarded for excellence in culinary achievement.” o therland s ociety was created to honor our agrarian heritage in s outh Florida and help uplift the local economy of the e verglades,” said the brand’s co-founder d onia r oberts, whose family has farmed the uniquely fertile area of s outh Florida on the shores of l ake o keechobee for three generations. “ l ike m ichelin, we share a strong commitment to protecting and preserving the gifts of the land and recognizing the people who make this region so special. i t’s an honor for o therland s ociety to serve as the preferred rum partner for the first m ichelin g uide in Florida.”
W ra Y & ne P he W
“ w e initially founded h olmes Cay to bring exciting and rare rums to the u nited s tates, but soon discovered that Canadians were equally starved for these rare expressions, previously unavailable in Canada. w ith more progressive liquor regulations and an eager market for imported rum, Alberta seemed like the best option for h olmes Cay.” President of e vergreen Beverage Canada, Trace h anlon, said, “ w e focus on bringing Canadian consumers the best new products of outstanding quality. h olmes Cay allows us to continue this practice by offering their curated selection of rare and highly sought-after rum.” h olmes Cay will be available at select retailers in Alberta Canada later this month. h olmes Cay (pronounced ‘key’) r um curates a continuously evolving collection of the best small-batch, limited-edition rums, distilled and bottled without additives. s ingle Cask editions are aged in cask, while s ingle o rigin editions combine multiple casks and production styles to create exciting expressions from a given distillery or region. e vergreen Beverage Canada i nc. is a licensed beverage alcohol agent in the province of o ntario and a licensed beverage alcohol distributor in Alberta. s ince 2006 the company has represented local and imported producers of premium wines, beers, readyto-drink, cider, and spirits. https://www.holmescay. com, https://evergreenbev.ca/
g ot r um? July 2022 - 53 & n ephew w hite o verproof r um is as Jamaican as r eggae and d ancehall - both of which have captured the heart of the world. s imilarly, w ray r um as it is often called, has captured the hearts of Jamaica and all of the region with its clean, unique taste and a signature strength for which it is praised. Birthed in the 17th century, rum is the product of molasses and yeast from colonial-era sugar production, reborn into a substance not only drinkable but bearing many purposes that are utilized to this day. w hile historically, some records show that rum was discovered in Barbados, it was without a doubt that Jamaica elevated the refining process. This has seen w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um become the best-selling white overproof rum in the region. Though a long way from 17th century Jamaica, the island’s connection to w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um is a solid one, with the iconic brand interwoven in its dn A. r um enthusiasts as well as casual drinkers enjoy it straight, iced and tamed with chasers such as grapefruit soda, pineapple juice, cola - virtually any beverage of choice owing to the versatility of the liquid. m any believe this stark clear spirit enhances every experience. But the Jamaican connection with w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um goes far beyond sampling a great tasting light-bodied spirit. w ray r um, over the years, has set deep roots in Jamaican culture. i t is one of those brands which connects with the heart and soul of the people effortlessly and authentically in a truly organic way. i t is a rum that embodies the strength and resilience of the Jamaican people through its green, black and yellow packaging which has remained unchanged since its introduction to the market. Constantly in search of a sense of belonging as people, w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um is the cord that connects. i t is well documented that even Jamaicans who are not alcohol drinkers still use this rum in their everyday lives for a myriad of reasons, a testament to the impact the rum has had on the country for countless years. i n virtually every Jamaican home whether “ah yaad, or abroad”, there to be found is a bottle of the ‘whites’. s ome will not shy away from testifying to the effectiveness of the white rum when used for varying purposes shrouded in tradition and folklore. But there are even more creative uses for this rum as the innovative spirit of Jamaicans have introduced over the years. o f course, one source of this innovativeness is in the kitchen. A splash of w ray r um straight from the bottle (it’s no good otherwise) elevates Jamaican staples like Cow Cod s oup, Curry g oat, Fish Tea, and m annish w ater. n ot to mention the age-old tradition of soaking fruits in the rum for annual Christmas cakes and puddings for months and often years. w hen that jar is opened, it releases a strong whiff of the unmistakable aroma, a promise of the delicacies to come. s orrel is never, ever, complete without a healthy portion of w ray r um to accompany the belly-fulls of laughter and togetherness throughout the festive season. And this translates to community bars. Fiery debates with w ray r um in hand on everything from politics, religion, and the latest news are interrupted only by slaps of dominos on a table, explosions of laughter or a goal scored from a football match on T v w ray r um is a symbol of camaraderie, creating epicenters of togetherness and belonging. w ith its long-standing history securing it in the heart of the people, w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um was aptly announced to be the o fficial s pirit of Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary of i ndependence. i t’s safe to say this spirit will continue to play a monumental role in Jamaican culture for many more years to come among the people who have known this brand and its distinct flavor for longer than they can remember. h ere’s to an authentic culture and the resilient spirit of the Jamaican people. Above all else, here’s to a future equally if not more resilient, celebrated to the fullest with a cup of something authentically Jamaican, w ray & n ephew w hite o verproof r um. Purchase your tickets to the Jamaica r um Festival at https://jamaicarumfestival.com/tickets/ , https:// appletonestate.com/
ho L mes ca Y rum and e V ergreen B e V erage cana D a h olmes Cay r um, the us -based, independent importer of exceptional limited edition and single cask rums, announced a new partnership with e vergreen Beverage Canada, a national wine, beer, and spirits distribution company based in Toronto, o ntario. An array of h olmes Cay limited editions will be available to start, including the following single cask expressions: Jamaica w edderburn 2011, g uyana u itvlugt 2003, Fiji 2004 17-Year, s outh Africa m hoba 2017, and the s an Francisco w orld s pirits gold-medal winner, Barbados 2012 Port Cask. Also available is the s ingle o rigin Fiji r um, a limited-edition blend of pot and column still molasses rum from the h olmes Cay s ingle o rigin r um line, intended for mixing in cocktails or sipping. These uncommon and delicious rums are now available in the Alberta market, which ships throughout Canada. s pecial barrel selections and other limited releases will also be available in the future. “ w e are looking forward to sharing our curated rum finds with fans in Canada,” said h olmes Cay r um founder, e ric Kaye.
The Spirit Survivalof Part 2 This article was originally written for, and published by, Artisan Spirit Magazine. g ot r um? July 2022 - 54 By Luis Ayala
i ntroduction i n last month’s issue of “ g ot r um?” we explored the origin of yeast and the reasons behind its evolutionary adaptation to produce ethanol (see “The s pirit of s urvival - Part i ” on pg. 50). w e also reviewed trees’ use of tannins as protection mechanism against predators and we touched on how humans have taken up the roles of both protectors of yeast and trees, and consumers of alcohol and tannins. i n this article we will explore additional mechanisms employed by yeast in order to maximize their probabilities of survival, as well as, the ways in which their competing organisms have adapted.
Weapons of Yeast Destruction i t is easy for us to think that yeast are all members of the same ‘team’ of organisms, all wearing the same proverbial uniform and working in tandem to achieve a collective goal. w hile this notion embodies aspirational images of collaboration, the reality is that yeast populations are highlycompetitive across strains. w hen different communities of fermenting yeast produce ethanol, they do so to ‘cleanse’ their environment by killing potential competitors that have not developed a resistance to alcohol. But what happens when the competitor is a different strain of fermenting yeast, one that has developed a resistance to it? g ot r um? 2022 - 55
July
The answer is simple: chemical warfare in the form of killer toxins!
Here is a classification of killer yeast according to genetic basis:
ot r um? July 2022 - 56
1. Cytoplasmically inherited encapsulated double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses
2. Killer yeast as potential antimicrobial agents 3. Yeast killer system in bio-typing
There are many classes of killer yeast strains differing particularly in the spectrum of their activity against sensitive strains, in their cross reactivity, genetic determination of killer toxin, killer toxin immunity and the mechanisms of killer toxin action(4).
2. II-Linear double strand DNA plasmid 3. Killer phenotype associated with chromosomal genes
As you can imagine by now, we should not expect for these killer toxins and g
The discovery of yeast killer toxins dates back to 1963, when Bevan and Makover(1) described the secretion of molecules by a certain isolate of brewer’s yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) that inhibited growth of other yeast strains. The secretions were subsequently identified as a protein(2) which was named killer factor or killer toxin and the producing strain termed killer yeast . Production of killer toxins has now been identified in over 100 ascomycetous and over 50 basidiomycetous yeast species(3).
While these killer toxins may appear to affect only specific yeast strains, there are numerous potential commercial applications for them in the real world:
1. Food and fermentation industries
4. Killer yeasts in recombinant DNA technology and transgenic plants
• Acetic Acid Bacteria (AAB) : Acetic Acid Bacteria are a classification of bacteria which are capable of oxidizing ethanol into acetic acid during fermentation. Currently there are 10 genera in the family Acetobacteraceae , their victims to remain static: history has shown us that it is only a matter of time before organisms develop immunity to the toxins, which then sets off the production of new and improved toxins by future generations of yeast. In other words, for every weapon developed, there is a matching neutralizing defense and for every defense an improved weapon is eventually produced.
While yeast genera are occupied with production of killer toxins and with the development of chemical resistance to
Meanwhile in Gotham City . . .
g ot r um? July 2022 - 57 such poisons, other organisms are busy at work evolving ways to consume the ethanol manufactured during fermentation. Of these organisms, acid-producing bacteria are the most notorious, not only because of their abundance in nature, but also because of the key roles they play in humans’ own survival. Here are a few examples.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 58
• Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) : Lactic Acid Bacteria are bacteria capable of fermenting glucose primarily to lactic acid, or to lactic acid + CO2 + ethanol. All LAB grow anaerobically, but unlike most anaerobes, they grow in the presence of O2 as “aerotolerant anaerobes”. Although they lack catalase, they possess superoxide dismutase and have alternative means to detoxify peroxide radicals, generally through peroxidase enzymes. Despite the fact that many genera of bacteria produce lactic acid as a primary or secondary end-product of fermentation, the term Lactic Acid
g ot r um? July 2022 - 59 one of these is Acetobacter , which can oxidize ethanol to carbon dioxide and water using Krebs cycle enzymes. One example of Acetobacter is Acetobacter diazotrophicus , which can be isolated from coffee plants or from sugarcane stalks. It is an acidproducing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria. In fact, the A. diazotrophicus -sugarcane relationship, first observed in Brazil, was the first report of a beneficial symbiotic relationship between grasses and bacteria through nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are important in modern agriculture - exploiting these bacteria would decrease the present dependency on nitrogen fertilizers, which would have positive results for the ecosystem and the health of humans and other animals. Other strains can be found in samples from Japanese rice vinegar (komesu) or unpolished rice vinegar (kurosu)(5).
g ot r um? July 2022 - 60
Food-associated fermentative bacteria, including probiotics, are major sources of ingested bacteria that may temporarily complement resident microbial communities, thus forming part of our transient microbiome (6).
The human gut contains a highly diverse microbial community that is essentially an open ecosystem, despite being deeply embedded within the human body.
Bacteria is conventionally reserved for genera in the order Lactobacillales , which includes Lactobacillus , Leuconostoc , Pediococcus , Lactococcus and Streptococcus , in addition to Carnobacterium , Enterococcus , Oenococcus , Tetragenococcus , Vagococcus , and Weisella . Because they obtain energy only from the metabolism of sugars, lactic acid bacteria are restricted to environments in which sugars are present. They have limited biosynthetic ability, having evolved in environments that are rich in amino acids, vitamins, purines and pyrimidines, so they must be cultivated in complex media that fulfill all their nutritional requirements. Most LAB are free-living or live in beneficial or harmless associations with animals, although some are opportunistic pathogens.
• Ingested bacteria can temporarily complement resident bacterial communities as part of our transient microbiome.
• The extent of integration is highly species -and strain- dependent and
•
Ourpathogens.dependence on acid-producing bacteria to ferment our foods (cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.) has resulted in our preservation and propagation of desired strains. But the same strains can also wreak havoc when they appear in operations where the acidity is seen as an undesirable trait or where its production compromises yields, like in the alcohol production industry.
g ot r um? July 2022 - 61
Penicillin: Is What’s For Lunch!
When it was discovery in 1928 by Dr. Alexander Fleming, penicillin marked a turning point in human history: for the first time ever, doctors had a tool with which they could cure patients infected by a plethora of deadly infectious diseases. Not too long after its revolutionary introduction into the medical field, microbiologists and scientists found uses for penicillin outside hospitals as well, including its use as an inoculant in fermentation tanks at ethanol plants.
•
may vary depending on dietary context and baseline microbiota structure. Ingested bacteria can cause major shifts in the composition of the microbiome of the small intestine, whereas alterations in the colon are mostly of limited extent. Clinical data have provided evidence that ingested bacteria may stimulate production of short-chain fatty acids and inhibit some opportunistic
g ot r um? July 2022 - 62
Dr. Dantas suggests that speciallyengineered microbes could be used to break down antibiotic pollutants, for example, in waste from farms where the drugs have been used in livestock or in effluent from hospitals or alcohol plants (some distillers dump fermentation tank sediments straight into municipal sewage, often with yeast and other organisms still alive).
Into the Future
8. Walter J, Ley R. The human gut microbiome: ecology and recent evolutionary changes. Annu Rev Microbiol - 2011.
g ot r um?
1. Bevan EA, Makower M “The physiological basis of the killer character in yeast” - 1963
Luis References
July 2022 - 63 Ever since then, penicillin has been used, even abused, throughout the world, all the while its bacterial victims have been working on survival strategies. According to the World Health Organization(7), “antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. A growing list of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhea, and foodborne diseases – are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat as antibiotics become less effective. Where antibiotics can be bought for human or animal use without a prescription, the emergence and spread of resistance is made worse.
Our digestive tracts are hosts to trillions of microbes that play a very important role in human biology and disease control.
As you read these lines, scientists are also identifying non-Saccharomyces fermentation yeast alternatives, genetically altering them to optimize them for commercial use. These new strands will, undoubtedly, produce their own new versions of killer toxins, which -everyone hopes- shouldn’t have unexpected negative consequences.
To the spirit of survival!
While the future is not carved on granite, there is one thing we can surely rely on: nature’s chess game will continue to evolve and adapt until the end of time. Hopefully we humans will be around to witness much of it.
Similarly, in countries without standard treatment guidelines, antibiotics are often over-prescribed by health workers and veterinarians and over-used by the public. Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.”
3. Klassen R, Schaffrath R, Buzzini P, Philip Ganter PF “Antagonistic interactions and killer yeasts” - 2017
4. Tredoux et al.,1986 , Magliani et al.,1997, Schmitt & Breinig, 2002, Mohamudha Parveen & Ayesha Begum, 2010
Studies have shown that each milliliter of the large intestine holds approximately 10^11 microbial cells(8). Can you imagine what would happen if we accidentally ingest penicillin-eating bacteria and they set up permanent residence in our guts, allowing other undesired infectious organisms to establish colonies in our microbiota? On the other hand, will human-genome modifications ever allow us to produce additional microbe killer toxins, as part of our immune system?
5. Christina Kennedy (Plant Pathology & Microbiology at The University of Arizona) “Importance of Biological Nitrogen Fixation”
6. Muriel Derrien, Johan E.T. van Hylckama Vlieg “Fate, activity, and impact of ingested bacteria within the human gut microbiota” - 2015
2. Woods DR, Bevan EA “Studies on the nature of the killer factor produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae” - 1968
7. detail/antibiotic-resistancehttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/
If the thought of increasingly-resistant microbes is not scary enough to keep you awake at night, recent studies have highlighted the existence of bacteria that actually eat penicillin. Dr. Guatam Dantas, a microbiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, has spent over a decade deconstructing the steps needed for microbes to break down penicillin.
cigar & rum P airing by Philip i li Barake
The rum i selected for this occasion is h avana 7 year old from Cuba, which you could very easily replace with any other rum aged fewer than 10 years, ideally with a similar profile (low congener) and not very sweet, since the coffee liqueur will add sweetness to the cocktail and you don’t want the final product to be overly sweet.
#Philipthingsexperiencing(orknowninnewways).grCigarPairing
For the cigar i selected a Toro (6 x 50) from Camacho de Brotherhood s eries, a mix of n icaraguan, d ominican r epublic and h onduran tobaccos, with an intensity ranging from medium to high. This intensity is ideal for the pairing, but you could also use a shorter cigar for a quicker smoke.
s ummer c offee
m y name is Philip i li Barake, s ommelier by trade. As a result of working with selected restaurants and wine producers in Chile, i started developing a passion for distilled spirits and cigars. As part of my most recent job, i had the opportunity to visit many Central American countries, as well as, rum distilleries and tobacco Butgrowers.mypassion for spirits and cigars did not end there; in 2010 i had the honor of representing Chile at the i nternational Cigar s ommelier Competition, where i won first place, becoming the first s outh American to ever achieve that feat. n ow i face the challenge of impressing the readers of “ g ot r um?” with what is perhaps the toughest task for a s ommelier: discussing pairings while being well aware that there are as many individual preferences as there are rums and cigars in the world. i believe a pairing is an experience that should not be limited to only two products; 2022 it is something that can be incorporated into our lives. i hope to help our readers discover and appreciate the pleasure of trying new things
w e are in the midst of summer and every year at this time we feel the heat and need to quench our thirst with something cool, but we don’t always crave classic cocktails like the m ojito or the d aiquiri, but rather something better suited to pair with a cigar. This is a challenge, because the aforementioned cocktails don’t always go well with a gPuro.iven this scenario, a simple cocktail you can prepare at home -with different versions or modifications- is what we call the s ummer Coffee. You’ll need a cup, ideally a glass one for Capuccino, filled with crushed ice and then add equal portions of rum and coffee liqueur. The exact number of ounces you use will depend on the size of the cup you use, just remember to use plenty of ice to endure the outdoor heat.
@Cigarilicredit:Photo g ot r um? July 2022 - 66
g ot r um? July 2022 - 67 u pon lighting up the cigar, the first few draws give me hints of maduro tobacco, pepper, freshly toasted barley and mild hints of caramel that continue to increase in intensity as we start the pairing with the cocktail and approach the first third of the cigar. As i start to smoke the second third of the cigar, i had to prepare a second s ummer Coffee. The notes coming are now those of toasted red fruits and cocoa powder, they are very enjoyable. At this point i would have preferred to have a shorter cigar, but in hindsight i also enjoyed the second cocktail for two reasons: it is so easy to prepare and despite its simplicity, it is overly harmonious and balanced, full of flavors and aromas that combine exceedingly well with the cigar. This is a simple and refreshing pairing, always welcomed by a cigar smoker during the scorching summer afternoons. i hope you can recreate this pairing at home, it is very simple and you can replace both the cigar and the rums to your liking.
PhilipCheers!ili Barake # gr CigarPairing
@Cigarilicredit:Photo
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