Post #281946 by Chip and Andy on Tue, Jan 30, 2007 2:14 PM

Here is something you can try in your quest for Mai-Tai Rum pairs.....

Open both bottles (assuming you have two already) and put the necks together and then take a big sniff. It looks goofy so you may want to do this part in private. If the two rums together give you hints of anything exotic or make you think of yummy cocktails on endless beaches then you should have a pretty good pair of rums for a Mai-Tai. The strengths and weaknesses of each should be reasonably well balanced.

If the two rums together smell like two rums together, you may not have a 'good' pair of rums for a Mai-Tai. You should still try the two together, but you will probably have a cocktail that is a little flat overall.

This little trick does not guarantee anything other than you looking like some kind of strange idiot sniffing rum bottles, but it is a good start. They say smell is the major part of taste so this is an excellent place to start. I have found with this nose trick and some experimentation that Corruba and Angostura "Old Gold" make a surprisingly good pair, that Bharbancourt 5 star (or 8 ) and Cruzan Single Barrel make a pretty good pair, and that Angostura 1919 and Appleton Dark (basic stuff, not the estate) make a decent pairing.

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2007-01-30 21:31 ]