Rediscovering Rum by Susan Campbell No longer resigned to simply act as a base for fruity cocktails and frozen daiquiris, rum is becoming a bona fide contender as a connoisseur’s spirit along with cognac and scotch. In fact, there are now big festivals celebrating the evolution of this liquor once considered bottom of the barrel pirate fuel.
A rough history
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words “Yo, ho, ho”? “And a bottle of rum,” of course! Rum and pirates have always been close compatriots in a rough life at sea. And rum was also the spirit of choice for the Royal Navy to ration to their seamen from as early as 1655, though it was later diluted with lime juice and water (grog) to prevent both scurvy and to avoid over inebriation. In fact, the word “proof” as it relates to alcohol content today originates from those days. British sailors were sometimes paid in rations of rum, and they didn’t like the idea of their portion being watered down too much. So they would demand some gunpowder be put in a sample, and if it ignited when lit, it was “proof” that the rum contained sufficient alcohol. The words “proof spirit” remained as a measure of ethanol or alcohol content. It’s no surprise that rum became synonymous with seafarers since it originated in the Caribbean’s sugarcane plantations. One of the reasons that rum production became popular in the French colonized islands is that once demand for sugar dwindled when France began making sugar from beets, many islands had a surplus of fresh
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cane juice so they made rum with it instead of using molasses like many other islands. This rum made from cane juice has its own distinction as rhum as opposed to “rum.” Rhum agricole is the French term for it. Incidentally the Brazilian rum cachaça is also made from fresh sugarcane juice instead of molasses. And it’s also no surprise that rum became a popular base for fruity cocktails since fruit grows easily on most islands, as do spices. Every island has its own version of rum punch or ti rum punch (“ti” being short for petit meaning “small”) depending on what spices and juices they like to add. Though the ingredients in an island punch differ slightly, they are all based on a typical recipe of ingredients that cover the spectrum of sour, sweet, strong, and spicy. Later, rum became the spirit of choice for tropical concoctions like piña coladas, mojitos, daiquiris, and of course, the famous Cuba Libre. Its original flavor always completely drowned in other delights. But today, rum is finally gaining more respect as a stand-alone sipping drink in its own right thanks to the creation of a higher quality product. !
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Distilling differences and flavoring fixations
Most people know that rum comes in white, gold, and dark, but more variations include overproof, flavored, and aged. The differences in how it’s distilled delineate the categories, and there are many variables that will affect the flavor including what it’s barreled in, the type of water used, the climate, and more. Beyond the early practice of spicing rum, once people started infusing it with other things like coconut, imaginations ran wild and all kinds of new flavors began cropping up. Natural flavorings like fruit – apple, banana, mango, orange, and citrus – soon gave way to more imaginative creations like white-chocolate-raspberry. Neighboring island Curaçao has a unique Rom Berde that’s bright green and tastes like a combination of licorice and spearmint. And Bonaire’s Cadushy Distillery has created a Rom Rincon that incorporates the island’s yerba di hole (a wild basil). But tequila flavored rum? It’s difficult to see the point in that one!
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Rum on Aruba
Appreciation pointers
The rum revolution
But while many were scrambling to flavor rum, others were patiently waiting for their quality rums to age. The longer it ages, the smoother it gets. And slowly, but steadily, a small society of true connoisseurs began cropping up to appreciate the finer quality rums much as one would appreciate a fine scotch or cognac. And in the past few years, rum festivals began to crop up as well, where like-minded rum experts and producers gathered to compare products and to sample new ones. From artisan small batches of exclusive reserve, to large companies also coming out with premium rums, the liquor has definitely evolved since the days of grog. Some favorites of the elite? Appleton Estate 21 Year Old, El Dorado 21 Year Old Special Reserve, and Cuvée Homère Clément. And a surprise from Guatemala is Ron Zacapa Centenario, an International Rum Festival Hall of Fame gold award winner and the only pure sugarcane rum aged at a high altitude. And what is the priciest rum around? A 1940s bottle of J. Wray & Nephew is $54,000, if you can find one since it was originally made for “tiki” cocktails and they drank it out of stock in Jamaica. Mind you, there are reportedly only four bottles left in the world. So even if you won the lottery, chances are good you will never taste this one because they are housed in some collector’s cabinet. But it’s clear that a real rum revolution has taken place and the spirit is, at last, getting the attention it deserves. ! Photo by
And like wine, there is a process to proper rum tasting. So we enlisted co-founder of the International Rum Council Bob Davies and creator of the Turks & Caicos’ Bambarra Rum to enlighten us on a few tasting pointers: The process usually begins by holding the sample up to the light to check the clarity. Then, a short sniff of the aroma is taken. The glass is then usually swirled to release more aromas and to check the body of the rum. The ‘legs’ that pour down the inside of the glass, after the swirl, display this. The wider the legs, the better the quality of the rum. A good sniff of the rum, often from the far side of the glass is next. If sampling overproof rum, keep your nose to the side of the glass or you could lose some nasal hairs! If only sampling a handful of rums, it’s best to swallow the sample to receive true taste and finish. If sampling lots of rum, it’s advisable to spit the sample into a spit bucket.
Aruba has its very own rum producer with different flavors available, as well as a few rum shops where you can sample or taste local products. The holiday drink, Ponche Crema, is a rumladen eggnog and is a unique island favorite. Arubans also enjoy cooking with rum and some traditional desserts really pack a punch! For example, bolo borracho, which is best translated as “tipsy cake”! But rum lovers who would rather sip “liquid gold” also have another reason to rejoice as fine quality bottles are now found in many nightlife and dining establishments on the island. The Holiday Inn Resort Aruba welcomes patrons to its Palm Bar, a dedicated rum emporium offering the best of the best for the true connoisseur. Cheers! "
Palm Bar, at the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba, offers an impressive selection of fine rums.
Bottom photo courtesy of Palm Bar
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