Rum & Chocolate combination tips?

[Mickeman]

Anyone have tips on extremely good combinations of aged rum and chocolate, or know of good websites that have?

Specific bottlings and brand of chocolate is appreciated.

The ones I have found so far (but not tested) is:

Gran Reserva Solera 15 años & chocolate mousse.

Gay Rum Extra Old 12 years & Trinidad truffle.

Saint James Rhum Vieux Agricole & Valrhona MANJARI ORANGES 64%.

El Dorado Special Reserve 21 years & Valrhona GUANAJA 70%.

Troi Rivieres Milissime 1977 & Valrona GRAN COUVA

Anyone tested one of the above combinations?

[John von Pey]

I never even heard of this combination (or thought of it, for that matter).

But you gave me an interesting reason to check my rum collection next week.

The only "problem" is that I buy my chocolate straight from a factory here in town, so I can't give you a brand name, but this is their website (sorry, Dutch only) Rousseau

[Jim Cotter]

I would pose your question to professional chocolatiers. I recently got interested in high end dark chocolate, Sharfenberger, Maison DuChocolat, many others.

There is a website with a discussion forum ar www.seventypercent.com

I would be interested in the results of their opinions, Rum and Chocolate is an incredible combination.

[Ed Hamilton]

I'll have to consult my email, but there is a man in Europe who was raised in Trinidad and has done quite a bit with chocolate and rum.

I love to have some old rum with a bit of chocolate and coffee after dinner. I'm not hung up on the name of the chocolate, or the rum, because I like a variety of different flavors. And I like to experiment instead of being burdened with recipes.

The previous owner of my boat ate his first pancakes with blue cheese and yogurt on them, don't knock it until you've tried it.

[DANIELE BIONDI]

I think it's quite excessive to specify a marriage between a precise Rum brand with a precise Chocolate brand. But maybe is possible to classify, for example, young agricoles with orange chocolate" or "Heavy Navy Rum with..."

In this sense, it becomes easy to find a nice marriage.

What do you think about?

I need your opinions for a tasting evening in January

Thanks

[Mickeman]

Hi!

I have tested a lot of combinations with chocolate and rum since my original post two years ago and found that generally heavy rum works best with a heavy chocolate (heavy flavours of cacao, coffee and vanilla) and light and/or fiery rum with fruitier chocolate.

Also do not use a chocolate with a cacao percentage over 70 % in combination with spirits, the chocolate tends to be to bitter.

I have tried out many different labels of chocolate, but the best I have found are Valrhonas vintage chocolate called Palmira (Venezuela), Ampamakia (Madagascar) and Gran Couva (Trinidad). They have distinct combination of different flavours and are very complex.

Hope that this helps a little way, but there is no substitute for experience since taste is personal.

Good luck with your tasting.

[Rapping Bartender]

I'll have to consult my email, but there is a man in Europe who was raised in Trinidad and has done quite a bit with chocolate and rum.

I love to have some old rum with a bit of chocolate and coffee after dinner. I'm not hung up on the name of the chocolate, or the rum, because I like a variety of different flavors. And I like to experiment instead of being burdened with recipes.

The previous owner of my boat ate his first pancakes with blue cheese and yogurt on them, don't knock it until you've tried it.

←

The man in question is Duane Dove. He has over 200 rums in his restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden and he also has a cocoa plantation in his native Trinidad. His web page is http://www.rumchocolate.com/