Widely considered by bar professionals and mixologists alike as THE cocktail ingredient to beat all others, rum is made in an incredible spectrum of styles ranging from clear or white rums through to cognac like aged golden and dark rums. For those in the know, rum is often believed to be perhaps the most mixable spirit base to a cocktail.
Rum is produced from sugar cane – more specifically the molasses which is the thick, treacle-like residue left after the sugar is removed. The molasses are then fermented and mixed with water and yeast to create a beer like “wash”. The “wash” is then distilled to make rum. The ageing process is how the style of rum is determined. The colour and flavour of the rum can depend on the type of barrels in which it is aged in as the wood imparts different flavours. At this stage of the process spices may be added to enhance the aroma and flavour or caramel to achieve a rich golden colour.

The Caribbean is the area most widely associated with rum production – exotic locations such as Barbados, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Cuba bring tropical cocktail recipes which fire the imagination and tantalise the taste buds. The name of rum is believed to have originated from “saccharum officinarum” – the Latin words for sugar cane. Other suggestions include from the word “rummage” – the English name for a ship’s hold where rum would have been stored or “rummer” from the Dutch word “roemer” which was a large drinking glass used by Dutch seamen travelling to the Caribbean in the 17th century. The reference within some rum brands’ names to “Naval” or “Navy” rum has no precise meaning although it suggests a dark, strong and heavy style of rum. For more than 300 years the British navy issued a daily measure or “tot” of rum to all the sailors – a practice which endured until 1970.

For our selection of rum based cocktails we have chosen recipes which include the different styles of rum mixed with a wide range of other ingredients to demonstrate its versatility. We hope you enjoy trying them out as much as we did!!

This is a warming and tropical cocktail which includes golden or spiced rum, Disaronno Amaretto and De Kuyper Blue Curaçao with freshly squeezed lime juice and apple juice. The warmth of the rum contrasts beautifully with the fruity flavours of the juices, the citrus essences of the Blue Curaçao and the sweet marzipan taste of Disaronno.

An exotic cocktail and now a classic cocktail recipe. Again this has the main ingredient of Woods Dark Rum mixed with De Kuyper Apricot Brandy, De Kuyper Dry Orange, lime juice and pineapple juice plus a large dash of Angostura Bitters. There are other variations on this well known recipe – but we found this combination is our favourite. The cocktail is believed to have been created in 1944 by the well known bartender Trader Vic and when he served his new cocktail to friends visiting him from Tahiti, they said “Mai tai roa ae” which in Tahitian means “out of this world, the best”.

This cocktail is a Cuban classic. Thought to be a derivation of the Mint Julep (substituting rum instead of bourbon) this became particularly popular when Cuba had a thriving bar culture during America’s prohibition in the 1920’s-30’s. Our preferred recipe is made with white rum (such as Bacardi which originated in Cuba in 1862), blended with lime juice, fresh mint, soda and sugar syrup which has been muddled together to extract the mint oils. We also recommend adding 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters as we feel this enhances the flavour perfectly.

As rum is often an essential ingredient in punch recipes, we couldn’t resist including one in our rum cocktail selection. This is a tangy concoction of the citrus flavours of De Kuyper Triple Sec, orange juice and bitter lemon with the subtle spiciness of Bacardi white rum which give hints of vanilla, caramel and just a trace of cinnamon.

As always please enjoy all cocktails recommended by in-the-spirit in moderation.