How do you drink your rum?

[Ed Hamilton]

Of course there are almost as many ways to drink rum as there are people but how do you usually drink your rum.

My first drink of the day is usually a petit punch, a squeeze of lime, sugar cane syrup and rhum agricole mixed thoroughly with some ice on top, once it is stirred so the syrup won't crystallize.

But after no more than two of these I switch to a variety of different drinks.

After dinner I'll indulge in some aged rum over a sliver of ice or a splash of water. Cheers.

[Kristian]

I usually enjoy my rum neat and sip it up lazily during weekend nights. However, since I sometimes like to experiment with poorer quality rums either out of my own choice or that of others, I also end up trying either various drinks or using the rum in the kitchen (well, it's my fiance, who does the kitchen stuff). But mostly, I want to experience the stuff neat.

[Jason Perlow]

I drink the more expensive and longer aged stuff neat. Most gold rums between 3 and 7 years old I'll drink with a single ice cube to let the flavor out.

"Dark" rums I tend to drink with Coke or mix into fruity cocktails.

[Oceanairre]

Really is all of the above.

Most casual afternoon consumption is with diet coke (I know) and lime.

Make the occasional party punch for when the crew is about.

Sometimes soak some raisins in a stiff glass for a couple of hours, drain the liquid into a jar for cooking (i.e. to black beans or ham) and toss the raisins into a Brandy Alexander

Much prefer gold/dark to white

[mickblueeyes]

I will occasionally make some mixed drinks with less expensive rum, but I normally drink "top-shelf" (not necessarily top priced) rums, so neat is the only way to fly.

[kitwilliams]

In Tres Leches Cake.

[Saffy]

In Stollen and christmas cake.

[Kristian]

Kit and Saffy: Is there some reason why you do not enjoy rums in any other form than in cakes?

[Dan Smith]

I'll drink the high quality rums in my collection with a small piece of ice like:

• Pampero Aniversario
  
• Pyrat XO
  
• Cruzan Single Barrel
  
• Appleton 21 YO
  
• Ron Zacapa
  
• Matusalem (Cuba) Anejo Superior
  
• Santiago De Cuba Dark
  
• ...
  

Others, that I enjoy almost as much depending on the mood, I will drink with Coke only, like:

• Smuggler's Cove Dark an awesome rum distilled in Jamaica and bottled in Cape Breton, NS Canada. It’s my staple mixing rum that permits me to stretch out my premium rums. What is amazing about this rum is that you can have a fabulous Pampero or Pyrat XO neat , then have a Smuggler's mixed w/ Coke and it's not embarrassed by the Premiums and can hold it's own, although clearly inferior and MUCH younger (~1 to 2 YO). I can only dream of a 7 or 15 YO of this little gem.
  
• Matusalem (St. Croix) Classic Black (now sadly discontinued)
  
• Cruzan Estate Diamond
  
• ...
  

[Garcia21]

If the rum is good enough I like it neat, otherwise I often have a cuba libre.

Salud,

Patrick

[Kikujiro]

Couldn't vote because the answer is neat if it's a good aged one (I currently have some Botran Solera 1893 and some Zacapa Centenario), and otherwise in a caipirinha (or a caipirissima, which according to American Bar is the proper name for one made with rum) by preference (in which case I'm usually drinking Havana Club 3). Much prefer these with rum than cachaça, and roughly made so the tastes are almost separate. Sometimes also in a daquiri (not frozen), or in something I once saw called a Cuban Sidecar (or was it Havana Sidecar?) that is essentially a margarita with rum instead of tequila. Oh, and sometimes HC 5 with hot milk and nutmeg.

Edited December 26, 2002 by Kikujiro (log)

[Rapping Bartender]

My favourite sipping rums are

Appleton Extra Jamaica

El Dorado 15 yr old Guyana

Flor de Cana 7yr old Nicaragua

Ron Zacapa Guatemala

Appleton 250th Ann Jamaica

There are a few others but these are the most recent and regular that I drink.

[awbrig]

How do you drink your rum?

from my wife's belly button

[Max]

In Mojitos and Piña Coladas. Somehow I never became a "serious" rum drinker. I have access to the best rums inthe world, but they never appealed to me the way single malt or armagnac do.

[kitwilliams]

Kit and Saffy: Is there some reason why you do not enjoy rums in any other form than in cakes?

The first time I ever got drunk was on rum and coke. Eight tall glasses. Had to be on the boat to Catalina at 8am the next morning. Not pretty.

Took me a long time to drink it again, got insulin-dependant diabetes in my 20s so pretty much swore off sugary rum. But for a while, an occasional Pina Colada slipped under the radar. Now, if I drink it, it will be in the form of a Mojito. Enjoy it very much. Am no rum expert. But oh, in winter, a hot buttered rum, if offered, will certainly be accepted!

[naguere]

Neat with an expresso and a German cigarette.

[blil]

I almost always float an ice cube or two in the glass and sip it straight.

[mongo_jones]

depending on rum, neat, with water or with coke. the only rum cocktail i've ever enjoyed is this lethal thing called a "scorpion" that i was once served in maui. a melange of rums with a 150 proof monster floating on top.

[chromedome]

Generally neat, as with almost any spirits I drink.

My reasoning is that, if it's worth drinking, it's worth drinking neat. And if it's not worth drinking...I'll probably drink it anyway, so as not to be an inconsiderate guest. But I detest soft drinks, so if put to it by necessity I'll usually mix with whatever fruit juice comes to hand.

Aside from that, as a Maritimer, I do love my hot rum drinks. Try a hot buttered rum sometime, made with dark, sticky palm sugar (jaggery/gur). Mmmmmmmmm.....

[ctgm]

Mostly neat (no ice) irrespective of quality

I have a rum at 50% so I add a dash of water to that one as it is a little harsh. I alos have some cask samples that take a little more water as I recall that they are 68%-73%.

Occaisionally make a rum punch