Rum, rum....

[vice]

Isn't the Gilroy a gin cocktail?

Nope but it is a favorite of mine: gin, cherry brandy, dry vermouth, lemon juice, orange bitters.

Did you mean yes?

[Alcuin]

Isn't the Gilroy a gin cocktail?

Nope but it is a favorite of mine: gin, cherry brandy, dry vermouth, lemon juice, orange bitters.

Did you mean yes?

Oops I guess I did-that's what I get for dashing off posts without thinking. Sorry.

Then again, it might be fun to switch it up a bit and try it with rum-that'd be like an El Presidente with a bit of lemon. Tequila and creme de cassis might be nice though too...

[vice]

Oops I guess I did-that's what I get for dashing off posts without thinking. Sorry.

Then again, it might be fun to switch it up a bit and try it with rum-that'd be like an El Presidente with a bit of lemon.

Actually, bostonapothecary has suggested just that here. I can't recall if I've tried it or not, but I agree that it sounds like a worthwhile idea (even for those rationing the last of their Saint James).

[EvergreenDan]

Then again, it might be fun to switch it up a bit and try it with rum-that'd be like an El Presidente with a bit of lemon. Tequila and creme de cassis might be nice though too...

My error -- Yes, I mean the rum variation of the usually-gin cocktail. It is very good as a rum drink. I'm not sure where I got the rum variation from and had actually forgotten that it was usually gin. I try to be more careful now when I enter new recipes in the database to note where they came from (year, creator, and source reference).

[Alcuin]

Oops I guess I did-that's what I get for dashing off posts without thinking. Sorry.

Then again, it might be fun to switch it up a bit and try it with rum-that'd be like an El Presidente with a bit of lemon.

Actually, bostonapothecary has suggested just that here. I can't recall if I've tried it or not, but I agree that it sounds like a worthwhile idea (even for those rationing the last of their Saint James).

Looks interesting but I don't have St James and I was thinking of something a bit different anyway (ie not rhum). Maybe some experimentation is in order tonight.

But it's true that a Gilroy variation probably won't highlight the rum unless you use something powerful. Maybe on second thought rhum agricole blanc is in order.

Also, now that I think about it, I'd put a Ti Punch on the list too.

[Kent Wang]

Sam, I can't buy half of the rums on your list. All these are available in New York?

St. James' Rhums are, unfortunately, no longer imported into the US.

Still a fair amount of it on the shelves in Texas. Better snap it up.

[eas]

Kent - most all of Sam's list is in NY, and I'd think you'd find in Austin as well. Drop me a line if I can assist. All the best, Eric

[vice]

St. James' Rhums are, unfortunately, no longer imported into the US.

... Better snap it up.

Definitely! I was lucky enough two snag a couple bottles each of St James Ambre and Lemon Hart at Beltramos a while back. They're no longer listed on their website, unfortunately. I don't suppose there's really a comparable replacement available for Lemon Hart (I, for one, have never seen the El Dorado overproof that I've heard exists), but Rhum JM gold can be found at roughly the same price point as St James. Neisson is a bit spendier, but you are getting an extra 250 ml.

[eje]

Even though I like many of El Dorado's products, I've not heard good things about their current 151. Some of my Rum fancying friends were pretty scathing in their opinions.

They did say that the Master Distiller was aware of these criticisms, and wanted to re-invent the product at some point in the future.

[haresfur]

Let's see... my basic rums are:

1) Captain Morgan's Dark when I'm in a country that sells their non-spiced rum. I prefer it to Meyers and way better than Bacardi.

2) Inner Circle. Unique, what can I say.

3) Cruzan light or Havana Club (real not Bacardi), but I need to try the slightly more expensive HC next time I can buy it.

4) Barbancourt 5-Star. My favorite sip.

There are other's I like too, Pyrat and Goslings come to mind. Haven't really explored Agricole.

[brinza]

If one had to choose between El Dorado Special Reserve 15 Year and Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Year, what would be the one to go with? No special use is intended, so let's just say for drinking straight, or maybe in a Rum Old Fashioned.

[eje]

Boy, choosing between the El Dorado 15 and Zacapa 23 year, that's a tough one!

First, because they are so different!

Zacapa 23 being a heavy, sweet rum and the ElD 15 being a bit lighter in character.

Both are fantastic examples of their styles, incredibly complex cane spirits.

As much as I love both, I think I would probably say the ElD 15 is the more useful all around rum, though I would be sad not to have a bottle of Zacapa 23 around for occasional sipping.

[brinza]

Boy, choosing between the El Dorado 15 and Zacapa 23 year, that's a tough one!

First, because they are so different!

Zacapa 23 being a heavy, sweet rum and the ElD 15 being a bit lighter in character.

Both are fantastic examples of their styles, incredibly complex cane spirits.

As much as I love both, I think I would probably say the ElD 15 is the more useful all around rum, though I would be sad not to have a bottle of Zacapa 23 around for occasional sipping.

You're not helping, Erik! Actually, you are. Thanks. Theoretically, I could get both, but I'd like to keep room in the budget for other things. I've never had a Demerara rum before, so the El Dorado presents a good opportunity to try one. OTOH, I've tasted the RZ23 and the price is damn good for a 23-year-old anything.

Edited August 9, 2010 by brinza (log)

[TAPrice]

OTOH, I've tasted the RZ23 and the price is damn good for a 23-year-old anything.

As far as I can tell, Zacapa is really a 6 year old rum. They use a solera method, but everything I've read says the youngest rum in the bottle is 6 years old.

The bottle used to say "23 años," as this old photos shows:

Old photo of Zacapa

Now they tout that it's aged at 2,300 feet and make no mention of years in any language on the front.

ETA: I don't own a bottle at the moment, but this discussion on a tiki forum says the back of the bottles states 5 to 23 year old rums.

Edited August 9, 2010 by TAPrice (log)

[EvergreenDan]

Interesting. My bottle says (in tiny letters) 6 to 23 years. It kind of reminds me of the "200 year old" fruitcake, where a few crumbs of last year's fruitcake goes into the current year's batter.

[Alcuin]

Interesting. My bottle says (in tiny letters) 6 to 23 years. It kind of reminds me of the "200 year old" fruitcake, where a few crumbs of last year's fruitcake goes into the current year's batter.

I'm pretty sure they use the solera method (which I think was invented for sherry correct me if I'm wrong) in which rums of different years are blended together, from six on up to twenty three year old vatted together.

edited to add: just went and checked and my bottle of Metusalem clasico is marked "solera blender 10." My bottle of Zacapa clearly says solera too.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Alcuin (log)

[eje]

While Solera style aging is well defined for certain products, say Sherry and some vinegars, it is less clear exactly what R(h)um manufacturers mean using that term on their bottles.

A friend of mine visited Zacapa, came back thinking he understood, and after much back and forth with the producer, has come to the conclusion that he really doesn't understand it well enough to write an article about it.

I believe it is safe to say it is not a strict Solera System, as is practiced for Sherry, where a container is filled each year until the desired age is reached, then some portion removed from the oldest container, and liquid cycled forward from the oldest.

On the other hand, it also appears not just to be a blend of rums of various ages, either.

Whatever they do, it is delicious, so who can argue?

[peterb]

For mixing, I find that Appleton VX is both widely available and quite distinctive (for a non-agricole rum).

[FireAarro]

Let's see... my basic rums are:

1) Captain Morgan's Dark when I'm in a country that sells their non-spiced rum. I prefer it to Meyers and way better than Bacardi.

2) Inner Circle. Unique, what can I say.

3) Cruzan light or Havana Club (real not Bacardi), but I need to try the slightly more expensive HC next time I can buy it.

4) Barbancourt 5-Star. My favorite sip.

There are other's I like too, Pyrat and Goslings come to mind. Haven't really explored Agricole.

Where do you get the Barbancourt? Keep in mind the Havana Club Anejo Especial has a very different flavour profile to the Anejo Blanco.

[EdB]

4) Barbancourt 5-Star. My favorite sip.

Here's another vote for the Barbancourt 5-star, because it tastes great and partly for humanitarian reasons. Rhum Barbancourt is one of the few valuable exports of Haiti, and their economy could use the money for sure...

[haresfur]

Where do you get the Barbancourt? Keep in mind the Havana Club Anejo Especial has a very different flavour profile to the Anejo Blanco.

Let's just say I need more visitors from the old country...

[Kent Wang]

How does Havana Club Blanco Anejo compare to Flor de Cana White? Now I'm in China and can get Havana Club but no longer Flor de Cana so I can't do a side by side comparison.

[sbumgarner]

My wife got me a first edition of Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up for my birthday recently, and one ingredient caught my attention - Carioca rum. Based on a few searches it looks like this was a Puerto Rican-style rum from the Virgin Islands, but didn't find much beyond that. Does anyone know a modern rum with a similar flavor profile? I'm guessing a decent white or gold molasses-based rum would suffice but curious if there's anything more to the Carioca than that.

[turkoftheplains]

I just got a bottle of Cruzan Black Strap. God damn.

It's not one of the gorgeous sipping añejos everyone else seems to be talking about, nor one of those oh-so-rare legitimate overproofs, but it is officially my favorite new toy. I am subbing it for every brown base spirit in every place imaginable and it is doing wonderful things for me.

I especially like it in hot drinks, which never did much for me up until now.

As with all other things cocktail-related, I'm very, very late to the party-- this is egullet, Toby Maloney posts here for God's sake! So I know this is old news to everyone on this forum, but I need to declare my undying love for this stuff.

I have to give credit where credit is due: to the genius who came up with the Black Strap Sour, which was my first taste of this particular spirit. He left the 'Burgh for Chicago right as I was doing the opposite, and he is sorely, sorely missed.

[Boilerfood]

I am glad that you brought up Cruzan's Blackstrap offering, because I have had a question about it that I cant seem to get a straight answer on. Is the new bottle (the one with the "tiki" font and the frills around the side) the same as the bottling that has Navy written across the bottom?

I have read that Cruzan was recently bought by Absolut, and that their white rum has taken a hit in quality. I was hoping to find out if the same can be said about their blackstrap, and if I need to go buy all of the old bottling sitting on the shelf for 11.49 at my local shop.

Cheers!