Post #688936 by AdOrAdam on Tue, Aug 6, 2013 6:49 AM

I like this post :) I will tweak the bottles used slightly but keep it within the same number:

My preferred whites:
• Light mixing rum (Puerto Rican or substitute) – Bacardi Superior
• Cuban Rum – Havana Club 3
• White OP Rum – Wray & Nephews
• White rhum agricole – Trois Riveres Blanc

My prefferred golds & darks:
• Gold mixing rum (Puerto Rican or substitute) – Bacardi Gold
• Gold Demerara rum – El Dorado 5
• Gold rhum agricole – Saint James Amber
• Suitably gold & dark Jamaican Rum – Appleton 8 (aka Appleton Reserve)
• Dark Demerara rum – Woods 100
• Dark mixing rum – Goslings 151

Other bits like bitters, gin, brandy, pimento dram, orgeat, falernum, etc etc are likewise essential.

About my choices:
Bacardi Superior is unpopular but IMO good in a Cuba Libre. It adds alcohol but softens the strong flavours if paired with white OP or white rhum agricole in a blended drink. Havana Club 3 is great for cuban drinks but has an edge that works less well with coke & other ingredients. Im happy with Bacardi Gold, El Dorado 5 & Woods 100 at the moment but my next purchases will be Bacardi 8 , El Dorado 8 & LH151.

Having switched between gold & dark jamacians rums in a few recipes, Im happy either fits so I opt for Appleton 8 (it’s a bit of both, also a bit more premium for Mai Tais). I will be buying another gold agricole as Saint James Amber is only OK IMO; Ive heard good things about Rhum Barbancourt 8.

This bar combo allows me to make:
Mojitos & Hemmingways using the Havana Club 3. Ti Punch with rhum agricole, rum fruit punch with the white OP rum. Cuba Libre’s & Fogg Cutters with the Bacardi Superior. Missionarys Downfalls & Sumutra Kulas using the Bacardi Superior paired with the white OP or white rhum agricole (to pep it up).

Navy Grog, Three Dots, Donga Punch, Mai Tai, Coconaut, Dons Special Daiquiri, Dark n Stormys & Queens Park Swizzles using the gold & darks.

These are 16 cocktails that I really like & I think Ive hit on good combos.

Here's a list of what I have also made using that bar & what I could with some close subs:
Ancient Mariner, Castaway, Diaquiris, Doctor Funk, Fish House Punch, Hurricane, Jaguar, Mai Tai Swizzle, Molokai Mule, Painkiller, Pina Colada, Rum Runner, OQ Cooler, Shrunken Skull, Test Pilot), as well as some I have forgotten...
Im just such not a fan of those.

I do make a 1934 Zombie (using a Woods 100) but am probably missing something without LH151 ~ I will retry the Zombie with LH151 when I get some!

So… I have made 32+ rum based drinks to date using that bar.

I know there are some drinks I could make but haven’t made yet – Beachcombers Gold, Rum Barrel, Blood Of Kapu Tiki, Corn & Oil, etc etc ~ Im still exploring!!!