traader vic's rums?

So anyone try them? they have four types, spice, dark, gold and light. There very reasonably priced, but thats what puts me off to them. Around $9 a bottle seem on the low end side to me. So any feedback before I plunk down my green? I've read that they have the best passsion fruit and gernadine syrups though.

I have tried the gold TV rum in Hawaii, but it seems to be available in certain regions more than others. In the San Francisco area it's uncommon in liquor stores. I thought it was fine for mixing but I didn't taste it straight. I would imagine it's a bit better than Bacardi and for less money. Trader Vic's sells fairly high quality product under their name. The grenadine and passion fruit syrups are unsurpassed. Just don't forget to refrigerate the passion fruit syrup, and never refrigerate grenadine.

I was a little dissappointed that none of the new TV rums capture the rich flavour of dark rums like Myer's or Demarara rums like Lemonhart. They have that modern, Bacardi-like subtle taste, more like alcohol, less like old barrels.
I LIKE the taste of rum, the rummier the better, but it seeems that the taste of the times has moved away from that. I don't think the new TV rums were neccessarily chosen with the family tradition in mind.

I tend to agree about the Bacardi Rums. Seems like about twenty years ago Bacardi and Ron Rico were in a marketing battle with the key element being universal mixability. They both wanted to reach out and seemingly grab some of the vodka market or maybe those consumers that really didn't like the taste of alcohol and wanted it masked any yet still wanted to be hip. I drank it with cola alot when I wasn't having blended whiskey with cola. On a camping trip, a more sophisticated buddy introduced me to Mount Gay Eclipse. I think it still is my favorite rum to this day.

Gosling's has a nice rich flavor for a dark rum, too. Lots of character, but I always seem to come back to Myer's. I just did manage to get a bottle of the 15-year-old Bharbancourt...not bad for a medium taste.

I picked up a bottle of Trader Vic's dark at Hi-Time in Costa Mesa and man, I thought it was smooth! Maybe I got a good bottle because I haven't been able to find it since, but I tell ya, it had a nice rich flavor to it. The Grog Log recommends it if you can't get Martinique Rum and I would say I have to agree.

Aloha,

Arty

bigbrotiki wrote:
"I was a little dissappointed that none of the new TV rums capture the rich flavour of dark rums like Myer's or Demarara rums like Lemonhart. They have that modern, Bacardi-like subtle taste, more like alcohol, less like old barrels."

Although I agree that barrel-aged full flavor rums taste better and are a must for any home bar, I think the light flavored rums like Bacardi are necessary for mixing. Most tropical drink recipies in the Grog Log and Intoxica use them and I think it would be a waste of fine rum to use it in all cocktails. It would be nice if Trader Vic started to market fine rums as well, but I welcome their alternatives to Bacardi for mixing purposes (especially if they are cheaper and of better quality). In Intoxica, the Virgin Island rums like Cruzan are touted as another alternative to Bacardi.

Several tropical drinks do call for Demarara rum and Myers' (Myers' actually gets it's dark color and flavor from the addition of caramel coloring, not from oak barrel aging like most dark rums). The Don the Beachcomber recipes in the new book often call for good Jamaican rum like Myers' platinum and Appleton Estate. I often use Rhum St. James from Martinique for my Mai Tais to try to make them taste like the original. And I love Havana Club from Cuba in daiquiris and other simple rum cocktails. But in general I save my barrel-aged rums for sipping.

It seems that back in the 70s as mixed drinks took over in popularity that's when good rum became hard to get. But since the cocktail culture revolution there are more choices now than in a long time, as more and more people are discovering fine rums.

We Californians will find it tought to get Trader Vic's brand liquors as they have no distribution in this state. Can you believe it?!! Hawaii... yes. Colorado... yes. Nevada... yes. But in the Trader's home state? No! I could get into the details of liquor distribution and why it's this way, but that's boooooring, so let's just hope they work it out soon. I heard it through the grapevine, that it may not be long. Until then, mail order and out-of-state buddies are valuable resources. Okole maluna!

-Weird Unc

Angosturra also makes a very good grenadine. Just check the label and make sure it really has pomegranate juice or natural pomegranate flavor in it.

-martin

Aloha! All's I gots to say is that some rums are for mixing...some rums are for sipping...and at not time would I have ever thought of TV's rums as sipping rums...and they are just so affordable that I can afford to stock my bar with lots of great rums on my back bar...hell, after the first couple of drinks...most of my guests don't notice the nuances of each rum in a drink with 3-4 rums in it...but if they want a snifter of Appleton 25yr old...I can afford to pony it up to them... My two cents, Grey