|
Rum is a great mixer in the Summer
As the summer is rapidly approaching, even though lately some of the days have seemed like it will never get here, I have decided that rum would be a great subject for the newsletter this month. Pretty soon popular drinks such as pina coladas, mojitos, and strawberry daiquiris are going to be in full force. If you ask me there is no better time to enjoy these drinks than spring and summer. It's almost as if the hotter the weather it is, the better the drinks taste. Its finally starting to look like spring is here and summer is on its way. Honestly I have never realized how much information was out there about rum or how much rich history there is involving rum until I started researching it. There will be a lot of information in this newsletter but I hope you enjoy it and have a new found respect and maybe even some curiosity about it as well.
First and foremost I want you to get a little familiar with the history. A lot of specifics are still unknown but what is known is really interesting. The 1st distillation of rum is said to have been taken place on the sugar cane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century. Barbados is considered the birthplace of rum. Christopher Columbus was actually responsible for bringing the sugar cane to the Caribbean across the Atlantic Ocean on his second trip in 1643. The sugar cane quickly flourished in the tropical climate. As soon as this was realized there was a demand for the sugar cane. The plantation owners needed to come up with a large source of labors. Unfortunately as history has shown us that much of the profits and wealth that came with sugar cane fields, it had its price, slavery. It was actually plantation slaves that had first discovered that there was by products of sugar cane, this was molasses and the molasses could actually be fermented into alcohol. The discovery quickly became a hit and soon a fast growing market. From there on the Caribbean had been visited by many different navy ships, and they were the regular customers for the newly founded rum. The men on the navy ships actually found out by accident how to age rum in turn made it much smoother and superior. They found this out by buying so much and having to store it in barrels on the boat for the ride home. Some rum even sat in the barrels for months. Once that it was realized rum could be sold for profit, hundreds of distilleries opened up all over the Caribbean, where ever sugar cane was grown.
After rums really developed in the Caribbean, the drinks popularity even grew to colonial North America. The first rum distillery was set up in 1664 on present day Staten Island. Boston had opened another distillery 3 yrs later. Rum had become the largest and most prosperous industry in what seemed like over night. There was much more of a demand in sugar cane in the Caribbean during this time. The exchange of rum, molasses and slaves were how the Caribbean dealt with the high demand. Some people even argue that the trading caused the Sugar Act in 1764; and it may have even helped cause the American Revolution. Even after the American Revolution the popularity of rum continued. George Washington actually insisted on a barrel of Barbados rum at his 1789 inauguration. Rum played a large part in politics at the time. Canadates would influence the outcome of elections due to how generous they were with their rum. The more generous they were with rum, the more people they seemed to persuade. Rum has a lot to do with our history and how it got here is actually amazing.
The production method of rum is very much up to the distillery, many haven't changed the way they make rum in many years. They have pretty much stayed with what they have done in the past only added some technology of course.
1. Fermentation: Most rum is made from molasses, except most French speaking islands where sugarcane juice is the
preferred base ingredient. Depending on the distillery some use specific yeast to either speed up or slow down the process. Distilleries such as Bacardi use fast working yeast because their rum is mainly lighter tasting rum. The longer the yeast takes the more full bodied it tastes.
2. Distilling: This completely depends on the distillery as
well. They generally use column stills but some prefer the pot stills. Pot stills create a more full tasting rum so it depends on the wanted taste and outcome.
3. Aging and blending: In order to age most place their rum
in bourbon casks but may also use stainless steel casks also. Rum that is aged in oak casks become dark and rum that in the stainless steel casks remain colorless for the most part. After aging rum it is usually blended to ensure constant flavor time after time. So no batch is bad. Light rums may be filtered again to be sure of no color, and for darker rums Carmel coloring may be added to adjust the final coloring.
The last thing I am going to go over is just some of the different kinds or grades of rum, and perhaps make some suggestions if you are stuck on the same kind and would like to switch it up a little bit.
1. Light rum: There is very little flavoring to this kind, however it is going to have a little sweetness to it. Light rum is generally used in making mixed drinks. I would say it is one of the most popular rums that are defiantly bought today. Bacardi light rum is a good rum of the mill light rum. If you feel like trying something a little different, I would suggest 10 cane rum. It is made in Trinidad and even though it's a little more expensive it is a really smooth choice.
2. Gold Rum: Gold rum gets the coloring from aging in
wooden barrels. They have a stronger flavor that the light rum but can still be used in mixing drinks if you prefer a little more of a stronger taste. The flavoring in the gold rum can range from vanilla, almond, and carmel depending on what barrel they were aged in. For gold rum I would suggest Don Q rum. It has won some awards in the past and is the #1 rum in Puerto Rico; it has become quite the hit here also.
3. Dark rum or Black rum: They are the darkest and richest of
the rum. They also have the heaviest body style to them.
They retain much of the molasses and carmel flavoring,
and you can taste hints of spices too. Dark rum is the most
commonly used in cooking as well. The most popular dark
rum would be Goslings or Meyer's dark rum. I would
recommend them both.
4. Spiced rum: Spiced rums are usually based off of gold
rum in which they just added some different spices to give it more of a distinct flavor. Some cheaper spiced rum are based off of light rums and just added flavoring and caramel for the coloring. Common flavorings for spiced rums are cinnamon, cloves, ginger, vanilla, rosemary, and pepper. I know the most common spiced rum people think of is easily Captain Morgan. I would really suggest some of you to try Kilo Kai spiced rum. It is super smooth and has such a distinct taste to it. Sailor Jerry's is also another great choice. One of our newer products would be Kraken Rum. It is actually dark spiced rum. It really is one of a kind, you will taste some vanilla and clove but there is also a little hint of cinnamon as well. There are a total of 13 spices that are blended to make this rum one of a kind.
5. Flavored rum: A newer trend in the last few years has been rums that are infused with flavors. The fruits range from banana, mango, coconut, citrus, and raspberry. The list really seems endless and is always growing. Malibu is one of the most well known brands out there but there are many others to try. For you Malibu fans there is another new Malibu in the works that is set to some out this month sometime.... Malibu Cranberry Cherry. I don't know about you but it sounds like it is going to be great, so watch out for it!
Whether you are like me who likes that super fruity rum drinks, or you like Captain Cokes all year around I really hope you expand your horizons and try something new today. There is so much possibility in rum and I know once you have a favorite its hard to sometimes try something new but Rum has come along way and I think now that you know some additional information maybe it will be easier to try something new. I am adding some fun summer drinks too so please enjoy!
|
