Rum and Coke

[Ed Hamilton]

Before you throw your old monitor at me, I know most of the people viewing this forum enjoy more than rum and Coke. But, when I heard this I had to mention it.

In Australia you have been able to buy rum and Coke mixed in aluminum cans with pop tops. But recently Bundy, the larger rum purveyor down under is offering customers rum and coke, on tap.

Market acceptance is reported to be good, but there is a slight problem of bartenders serving glasses that are bigger than the standard drink which is about 30ml of 80 proof alcohol and then patrons drinking too much.

[hillvalley]

I am a huge fan of rum and cokes on a hot evening. Putting it in cans would have made life a lot easier back in my undergrad days

[ned]

I had a canned rum and coke in New Orleans back in 1994 or 95. Didn't stop talking about it for weeks.

[agbaber]

One time I had a canned Vanilla Coke and I didn't stop talking about it for weeks.

Probably for different reasons, though.....

[ctgm]

Market acceptance is reported to be good, but there is a slight problem of bartenders serving glasses that are bigger than the standard drink which is about 30ml of 80 proof alcohol and then patrons drinking too much.

Can't see why it shouldn't be popular - can you imagine the UK government outcry if this or some alcopop ended up on tap

Ed, do you know the actual strenght of the rum/coke mix. Does it work out at about 5% like normal beer?

[ctgm]

One time I had a canned Vanilla Coke and I didn't stop talking about it for weeks.

Probably for different reasons, though.....

I bought one once.........

[Ed Hamilton]

As best as I could determine, the packaged rum and coke was packaged at the strength that you would mix a cocktail. Sorry I can't be more specific, but I think this is stronger than beer. Good question.

[Rien]

One thing I find interesting about this is the ease of public consumption. Something about the iconography and color schemes makes them look just like a carbonated beverage. No need to hide the 40 in a brown bag or surreptitiously sip hobo-shots from a flask. From Australia we've got wine or rum and coke in cans ... from Brazil I've seen Pina Coladas and other tropical drinks in "Capri Sun"-ish metallic pouches with a built in plastic spout rather than a straw. They are 10 - 12 ounces, sell for about $2 (in America - much cheaper in Brazil, I'm sure), and run somewhere in the 20 - 30 percent alcohol range. Quite a punch for kids at the beach.

They're not stirring up the controversy that came with wine coolers, but I wonder if we'll eventually see litigation about marketing to children similar to what we saw with tobacco.

rien

[Ed Hamilton]

from Brazil I've seen Pina Coladas and other tropical drinks in "Capri Sun"-ish metallic pouches with a built in plastic spout rather than a straw. They are 10 - 12 ounces, sell for about $2 (in America - much cheaper in Brazil, I'm sure), and run somewhere in the 20 - 30 percent alcohol range. Quite a punch for kids at the beach.

They're not stirring up the controversy that came with wine coolers, but I wonder if we'll eventually see litigation about marketing to children similar to what we saw with tobacco.

Are these being sold in the states? I'm not much for government intervention but considering that liquor bottles can't look like soda bottles I'm surprised if these are sold in the states.

[ctgm]

As best as I could determine, the packaged rum and coke was packaged at the strength that you would mix a cocktail. Sorry I can't be more specific, but I think this is stronger than beer. Good question.

There are a lot of pre-mixed drinks out and about: Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezers, Pimms, Gin&Tonic etc and these are usually all at about 5%.

There could be a problem (well at least to my taste buds) with a 5% rum and coke. I don't like rum & coke at the best of times as it is too sweet. If I have to drink it, I make sure that the predominant taste is rum so usually end up with a 50:50 mix (or more) which would be at least about 20% alc/vol!

[Rien]

Are these being sold in the states? I'm not much for government intervention but considering that liquor bottles can't look like soda bottles I'm surprised if these are sold in the states.

They are sold in the states. At least they were. I bought one on clearance sale - thought it was so ridiculous that I had to try it. Maybe they wer clearing out inventory since it was not acceptable for sale in the U.S.

I was wrong about the alcohol percentage though - they're actually only 6%. Significantly less bang for the buck ... but frozen to a slushy consistency, they're an acceptable drink for smuggling to a a beach or park ... not that I would advocate that kind of deviant behavior.

In my opinion, the cans for Aussie Wine looks quite a bit like a soda can ... even more like an "energy" beverage.

rien

[Ed Hamilton]

Maybe they were clearing out inventory since it was not acceptable for sale in the U.S.

Maybe it didn't meet consumer demand expectations, but if it wasn't acceptable for sale the Treasury department wouldn't allow them to be sold. For your security.

[mjr_inthegardens]

I was under the impression that bacardi bottled beverages in the US and Smirnoff Ice were MALT beverages not liquor mixed with mixer.

You have to go north or south of the border for those.. (v popular in Canada)

-mjr

[Ed Hamilton]

I would be surprised if Bacardi was bottling malt beverages since their biggest alcohol source is molasses. Smirnoff, on the other hand, is another matter. according to the Smirnoff website SMIRNOFF ICE™ and SMIRNOFF ICE TRIPLE BLACK™ have a vodka base except in the US where premium malt is used in the mix.)

[...tm...]

Well, this is as good a place as any for one of my more amusing true anecdotes. At a bodega in NYC one of my friends was buying Smirnoff Ice (against my wishes--i mean why did everyone mock Zima but embrace the current wave of lemon-lime malt beverage? we'll never know). A general hanger on at the bodega noticed us ladies' choice and helpfully informed us, "yeah, that shit is good, but it is so sour it upsets my stomach. I gotta water it down with vodka." We kept that in mind.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Ed, thanks for posting this, although, iIrc, you wouldn't drink Coke on a dare.

I'm lazy, but I sure as hell am not THAT lazy.

[Ed Hamilton]

As someone who doesn't drink any of the colas, there would have to be a pretty big payoff. And it would have to more than Bundy and something I wouldnt' drink in the first place.

But I thougth it was interesting that in some countries you can get liquor on tap.

[MoMojitoPlease]

If they found a way to put rum,simple syrup,mint,fresh lime juice,and club soda on tap they would have to surgically remove me from it.

[ctgm]

If they found a way to put rum,simple syrup,mint,fresh lime juice,and club soda on tap they would have to surgically remove me from it.

I was in a pub in London last night and they had Pimms on tap, so I really can't see why they could not have mojitos on tap.

PS Ed - I think that I have to agree with your sentiments about both colas and that Australian spirit which is called a rum.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

As someone who doesn't drink any of the colas, there would have to be a pretty big payoff. And it would have to more than Bundy and something I wouldnt' drink in the first place.

But I thougth it was interesting that in some countries you can get liquor on tap.

back when th' drinkin' age was 18, the Army (& other military) had BEER machines side by side with Coke machines

[Ed Hamilton]

I was in a pub in London last night and they had Pimms on tap, so I really can't see why they could not have mojitos on tap.

Pimms, the cocktail, as I recall is usually made from ingredients which are already bottled.

Whenever you deal with real lime juice and live mint leaves it just isn't going to stay fresh. These are living, growing plants that we are drinking. This is only one of the reasons flavored rums are usually so far from the mark. Some aren't bad for mixing in cocktails, but the only place I see real fruit rums on the shelf is in the French Islands. And yes, they look bad if they sit on the shelf too long. But there is nothing like real fruit and once you drink that, well, nothing else compares.

I've tried a number of bottled ti punches and none quite make it. Something about pasteurizing real lime doesn't quite translate into a good drink.

Nature can't be fooled, fresh is best.

[dan]

Pimms, the cocktail, as I recall is usually made from ingredients which are already bottled.

Whenever you deal with real lime juice and live mint leaves it just isn't going to stay fresh. These are living, growing plants that we are drinking. This is only one of the reasons flavored rums are usually so far from the mark. Some aren't bad for mixing in cocktails, but the only place I see real fruit rums on the shelf is in the French Islands. And yes, they look bad if they sit on the shelf too long. But there is nothing like real fruit and once you drink that, well, nothing else compares.

I've tried a number of bottled ti punches and none quite make it. Something about pasteurizing real lime doesn't quite translate into a good drink.

Nature can't be fooled, fresh is best.

←

We recently started buying in pasteurized lime and lemon juices into the bar to start using in cocktails instead of squeezing fresh lime and lemon juice because apparently it saved time.

The amount of complaints we got from using them in the various cocktails from our mojito's to margerita they lasted about two days and switched back to the fresh juices. It's just not worth it.