Rhum Agricole: The Topic

[Chris Amirault]

Subbing in the rhum as the spirit but no other changes?

[mkayahara]

Subbing in the rhum as the spirit but no other changes?

Yup.

[vice]

I grabbed a bottle of La Favorite blanc at Hi-Time while in California, and the little sip I took when unpacking it promises a really remarkable rhum, more powerfully vegetal and aromatic than the Neissens I've had. More soon.

Interesting, I like La Favorite fine but much prefer the Neisson blanc, which has some meaty quality to it that I just can't get enough of. I agree that the La Favorite is the more vegetal of the two, but I'm not sure I could decide which is more aromatic overall. Both pack a huge wallop, albeit different ones. I'll have to do a side by side tonight.

[FrogPrincesse]

How funny, I just had a version of the Last Word with rhum agricole named Enough Said at Craft and Commerce in San Diego last week. I am not sure what rhum they used, but after a few sips I decided that I still prefer the gin version. I find it more complex and interesting. It might be worth a try with La Favorite though.

I love La Favorite blanc. I just ordered a few bottles through Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido and it's disappearing very fast. Favorite uses so far (sorry for the unintentional pun) are Ti Punch (of course!) and El Floridita no.1.

La Favorite blanc has such a complex and beautiful flavor (for me it has coconut, pear, and sugar for the finish, without being sweet at all) that it's really hard to go back to other rums. I have no idea what to do now with the rest of my rum collection right now. Thanks to all who recommended this brand (slkinsey and all) by the way.

I also acquired Neisson blanc and Neisson XO during a trip to La Martinique a few weeks ago, but I have not opened them yet. I was just shocked to see how cheap rhum agricole was there - less than 10 euros for a 1-liter bottle of the rhum blanc!

corrected typo

Edited November 10, 2010 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[KD1191]

I grabbed a bottle of La Favorite blanc at Hi-Time while in California, and the little sip I took when unpacking it promises a really remarkable rhum, more powerfully vegetal and aromatic than the Neissens I've had. More soon.

With the La Favorite blanc, I like this one from KatieLoeb upthread...but I switched out the simple for rich (2:1) piloncillo syrup and used Bittercube Lemon Tree Bitters instead of the rhubarb. Nothing like funky sugar with funky rhum.

Go simple. Make a daiquiri or a Ti Punch. If you have any Creme de Violette around you can make a:

Say Goodnight Gracie

2 oz. white rum

.75 oz. simple syrup (I prefer demerara for this application)

.50 oz. fresh lime

generous .25 oz. Creme de Violette

dash Fee Brothers Rhubarb bitters

Garnish: Lime twist

Shake, strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish.

[_john]

Rhum Du Pere Labat - Rhum Agricole de Marie Galante

I don't know if you can get this in the U.S.A. but this rum was life changing.

[Capn Jimbo]

Barbancourt's cane juice rums ("rhum agricole" in French) are uniformly highly rated, and far less expensive than the variable and EXPENSIVE products of Martinique.

The Barbancourt white rhum agricole at $15 is a must buy and try in this category. The 3 star (4 years) and 5 star (8 years) are simply magnificent and more than hold their own.

BTW you may be interested an article based on Dave Broom's analyses and comparison of rhum agricoles:

http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php?t=27

[FrogPrincesse]

An excellent use for aged rhum agricole is an original Trader Vic's Mai Tai (recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed).

1 oz lime juice

1/2 orange Curacao (I use Cointreau)

1/4 orgeat (I used homemade)

1/4 sugar syrup

1 oz dark Jamaican rum (I use Appleton 12 year)

1 oz Amber Martinique rum.

I tried it with Saint James Hors d'Age (very nice, some deep caramel notes but a little flat in that drink), but I much prefer it with La Favorite Coeur de Rhum which has an amazing "funk" and keeps making the drink better as the ice melts.

With the homemade orgeat the drink has the most amazing semi-opaque pearl appearance. I thought it was a little odd, being used to sunset-colored mai tais, until I saw a vintage picture that looked identical.

[Tri2Cook]

Just found this listing on the LCBO site: Domaine de Marquisat de Ste Marie Rhum Longueteau. 124 proof Rhum agricole Guadeloupe. No other information, can't find much through google either. Is this a genuine agricole and, if so, is it worth buying if it's the only agricole available through the LCBO... or is it crap? It's a new listing and not showing available in the store searches yet so it may be irrelevant but I thought I'd ask anyway in case it shows up eventually.

[Hassouni]

Barbancourt's cane juice rums ("rhum agricole" in French) are uniformly highly rated, and far less expensive than the variable and EXPENSIVE products of Martinique.

The Barbancourt white rhum agricole at $15 is a must buy and try in this category. The 3 star (4 years) and 5 star (8 years) are simply magnificent and more than hold their own.

BTW you may be interested an article based on Dave Broom's analyses and comparison of rhum agricoles:

http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php?t=27

Jimbo your site has been a great resource for me since I started seriously collecting rums this year. I've tried all the Neissons, and I find them all to be very harsh and gasoline-like, all requiring ice to settle the burn. The Barbancourt 5 star I have on the other hand is subtle, sophisticated, and fantastic drunk neat. I know the arguments for and against Barbancourt's non-Agricole status, and I think it's just French bureaucracy more than anything else. The flavor definitely has more in common with Agricoles than molasses-based rums.

[bostonapothecary]

Just found this listing on the LCBO site: Domaine de Marquisat de Ste Marie Rhum Longueteau. 124 proof Rhum agricole Guadeloupe. No other information, can't find much through google either. Is this a genuine agricole and, if so, is it worth buying if it's the only agricole available through the LCBO... or is it crap? It's a new listing and not showing available in the store searches yet so it may be irrelevant but I thought I'd ask anyway in case it shows up eventually.

how much is it? if i saw it, i'd shoot in the dark and buy it. but because they leave the proof so high which obscures a lot of the aroma i'd bet it could be in the style of wray & nephews over proof. the price might hint at the style.

[Tri2Cook]

Keeping in mind that most things cost more at the LCBO than they would in most places in the U.S., it's going for $33.95/700ml.

[FrogPrincesse]

Ti Punch last night. Neisson (50% ABV) and J.M (40% ABV) versions, using JM syrop de canne.

Neisson has a very faint coconut flavor which is delightful. JM has a little more spice. Overall the Neisson seemed better rounded. But honestly they are both fantastic.

There is also a 50% version of the JM that I would be very interested in trying.

[EvergreenDan]

I assumed Sirop JM was just simple syrup. Wrong?

[FrogPrincesse]

I assumed Sirop JM was just simple syrup. Wrong?

It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).

http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.html

Edited June 22, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Rafa]

I can't speak about Sirop JM in particular, but Petite Canne cane syrup has a much fuller cane flavor than 2:1 rich simple (though it is similar in viscosity and sweetness, as FrogPrincesse points out). In terms of depth of flavor and 'terroir' I'd say it's more like a good maple syrup.

Sirop Clement just tastes like the vanilla, cinnamon, and clove it's flavored with. I use it in Tiki recipes when those flavors are called for.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Rafa (log)

[EvergreenDan]

I assumed Sirop JM was just simple syrup. Wrong?

It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).

http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.html

Or maybe 2:1 Demerara syrup. Funny; I had remembered it as clear when I saw it in the store.

[FrogPrincesse]

Yes, you should use a brown sugar for this.

I assumed Sirop JM was just simple syrup. Wrong?

It's a reduced sugar cane syrup. Based on viscosity and sweetness, I would say that it's equivalent to a rich simple syrup (2:1).http://dandm.com/spirits/rum/rhum-j-m-sirop-de-canne.html

Or maybe 2:1 Demerara syrup. Funny; I had remembered it as clear when I saw it in the store.

A 2:1 brown sugar syrup is a close substitute, although as Rafa pointed out, the taste will be different.

[FrogPrincesse]

Ti Punch with Clement Canne Bleue 2011 (50%). This rhum is made from a single variety of sugar canne which gives it its name.

Extremely aromatic. I can't believe I waited a year to open this bottle (I guess I must have been waiting for some kind of special occasion?).

[FrogPrincesse]

I went all agricole for the MxMo coconut challenge. I made a Piña Colada with La Favorite white rhum agricole, fresh pineapple and coconut water from a freshly cracked coconut, based on a recipe by Jason Wilson in Boozehound. Then I went with Le Chien Chaud (Wondrich/Meehan), which to me is like a Ti Punch as a long drink, with Neisson white, coconut water, yellow Chartreuse, and Angostura bitters.

 

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

With the continuing heat wave in San Diego, I felt a Ti Punch was in order last night, and decided to go with L'Esprit de Neisson. Not for the faint of heart, this rhum clocks in at 70%. It was created to celebrate Neisson's 70th year anniversary, and is obtained directly from the still with no dilution. It's remarkably smooth given the proof. Fresh cane flavor, banana.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Can't wait to try some in a mai tai!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

OK, I tried some in a mai tai:

 

1 1/2 oz L'Espirit de Neisson

1 1/2 oz W&N overproof

1/2 oz Cointreau

1 oz fresh lime juice (generous, let's maybe call it ounce and a half)

1/2 oz orgeat

 

 

L'Espirit works better than plain old ordinary Neisson Blanc in my mai tai, but lacks some of the funk of La Favorite.  Certainly L'Espirit makes a very satisfying drink and few would call it weak.  (I have only a couple bottles that are higher proof.)  Nonetheless I am undecided between L'Espirit and La Favorite.  Though given the price of Neisson, La Favorite in a mai tai is pretty much a no brainer, as they say.

 

Still, this drink has a charm to it and it very good.  I confess I cheated and as the level went down I poured in some La Favorite.

 

As FP said, L'Espirit is very smooth and lacks nothing in bananas.

 

 

What would be a good showcase for L'Espirit?

Edited September 26, 2014 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

A Ti Punch, of course!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'll take your suggestion, thanks, but perhaps not right after the mai tai.