robercw

I didn't drink any cocktails, but I did use my yearly trek to Florida (better selection than in TN) to pick up a few bottles of rum. I was looking for Doorly's XO and El Dorado 15 year and came up short, as I never found any in my nightly search. I decided to go with Ron Zacapa Centenario on my last night, but found it sold out everywhere I had seen it earlier in the week. I settled on a bottle of Cockspur, a bottle of Flor de Cana Gran Reserve, and a 1/2 gallon of Mt. Gay Eclipse for mixing.

Did 1873 Solera start out as Bacardi Gold Reserve? I bought a bottle of Gold Reserve in Mexico in the early 90's. It was in the same type of bottle as the 1873 Solera, but came in a black velvet bag (like the purple Crown Royal bags).

Well I'm no expert, but I know what I like, and I like Mount Gay Rums. I keep a bottle of Eclipse for mixing, but I also like sipping the Mount Gay Extra Old. I have a lot of rums on my "to try list," but Mount Gay has earned a slot in my rum locker.

Here is the recipe I use. It calls for Whaler's Vanilla Rum, but I substitute Myer's since I don't buy flavored rums. I have used Mount Gay Eclipse and Appleton's VX as well, so any similar rums should give you good results. Almost Tortuga Rum Cake Source: Newsgroup rec.food.recipes Serving size: 12 Tortuga Rum isn't available for sale to the public. It's only produced in the Caribbean and used in Tortuga Rum cake. Whaler's Vanille Rum should be a close second. Basic Cake Mix 2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, cut into bits 3 tablespoons vegetable oil For the Cake 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix 1/2 cup milk 4 eggs 1/2 cup Whaler's Vanille Rum - Hawaiian-style rum 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Rum Soaking Glaze 1/2 cup butter (NO SUBSTITUTE) 1/4 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup Whaler's Vanille Rum - Hawaiian-style rum For the Basic Cake Mix: Use an electric mixer on low speed to combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until the mix is the consistency of fine gravel, and all of the particles are almost equal in size. (Basic Cake Mix may be stored in a container in the refrigerator for 3 months. This makes about 5 cups of mix and may be multiplied for other recipes as needed.) For the Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a large (12-cup size) Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the chopped nuts into the bottom. Place Basic Cake Mix, pudding mix, milk, eggs, rum, oil and vanilla extract in a large bowl and combine on medium speed with an electric mixer for about 2 or 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through. Batter should be very smooth. Pour into prepared Bundt pan and level out top. Bake until fully golden and tester comes out clean and cake springs back - about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack while making soaking glaze. Rum Soaking Glaze: In a small saucepan combine butter, water and sugar. Bring to a boil carefully as mixture boils over very easily. Reduce to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved and syrup is combine well and a little thicker. Remove from heat and add the rum and mix to combine. While cake is still cooling, pour hot syrup into and on top of cake. There is a lot of syrup and if cake doesn't soak it up right away just wait a couple minutes and add the rest. It will take time to soak it up. Cool cake completely in Bundt pan before turning out onto serving platter. This cake is delicate, so once it is turned out, it cannot be moved around easily. Can be eaten when fully cool, but it is better the next day.