Sub for Stroh 80?

Working my way through remixed and have stumbled upon a single recipe that calls for Stroh 80. I am not that interested in purchasing a bottle based upon the many poor reviews I have read. Can anyone please make some substitution suggestions? If not, perhaps a good description of its flavor might help give me some ideas.

Thanks

I have chosen to ignore the bad reviews of Stroh 80 and I have come to embrace it as a welcome part of my bar. It is simply a very unique spiced rum, and why the naysayers can't come to some degree of accepting that, really puzzles me. The folks at Frankie's Tiki Room have fully embraced it, and their recipes influenced me to buy a bottle because it does work well. I'm not sure that any substitute really exists - it's that unique.

Stroh 80 is too strong for me to taste neat, but it works well in the Frankie's cocktails. 60 is sippable and to me has a unique but not anywhere near bad taste. I haven't tried the 40 yet, or their Jaegertee, but my local Total Wine recently started carrying those and it's only a matter of time before I buy and try those also. It intrigues me. It's a fun discovery. It's just a strong variety of spiced rum which I really think blows away some of the other crap we get pushed out to us as "spiced" rum. Rather than being a rum formulated to make money off the masses, the Stroh line of rums have a pretty interesting and genuine history. They are actually an integral part of certain European cuisines because of the flavors imparted by the unique blend of spices. To be sure, this is a spiced rum with balls, and I mean that in a very positive way. It reaches out and engages you.

I don't think I would be so forward about Stroh if we didn't have Frankie's Tiki Room to look at as an example of using this stuff quite well. It adds subtle hints of flavors to a drink and contributes to that multi-dimensional layering we so enjoy in well-crafted cocktails.

Having said all that, I'm certain the Stroh 80 could be used to strip floors. Hey, it's 160 proof, no surprise there, right?

It's all good. Go towards the light, Destro, and embrace the fun that is Stroh! Bwahahahaha...

Ok, so I didn't describe the flavor in my last post. That's very difficult to do, so I just poured myself a couple ounces of Stroh 60 and am sipping it slowly. I can't put my finger on the flavors. I'm gonna think out loud here...

-- Pleasant aroma, some alcohol as expected, but also a pleasant and delicate spiciness to the nose.
-- Nice transparent golden color.
-- My brain makes me think of Jaegermeister liqueur, but no, it's not at all like Jaegermeister. Bold flavor profile, but not syrupy, definitely not anything like the thickness of Jaegermeister.
-- Definite spice flavors, and you can taste the alcohol, but instead of an alcohol "burn," the spices very quickly overpower and mitigate the alcohol by replacing it with flavor. Wow, that's a pleasant surprise.
-- Unusual, and in a very good way. Definitely much more pleasant to me than sipping Kraken neat. (I know Kraken is a bold dark spiced rum, and Stroh is a much lighter gold rum. I'm just sayin' that I like sipping Stroh better than I like sipping Kraken.)
-- I just cannot identify the spices. It's a mysterious blend. It has a unique aftertaste. Is that a hint of ginger I taste? A bit of cinnamon? Cardamom? Definite impressions of citrus peels.
-- I know Stroh is a European spiced rum. Europe and the Middle East produce some very unique and very strong spices. Who knows what they throw in and cook to make this stuff. This is mysterious, and good.

So there you have it. I like it.

Not sure if that helps you, Destro. Stroh is one of my surprise discoveries in 2013, especially in a contrary light to all the bad stuff people have written about it. I will also tell you that one of my non-tiki friends was here when I cracked open my new bottle of Stroh 60 and he also tasted it and liked it.

I thought it was butterscotch candies dissolved in kerosene? :lol:

Here's some photos of Stroh's tasting (guzzling?) from Mojave Oasis a few years back :wink:

I did make a pretty tasty Chief Lapu Lapu as I remember

Haha. Nice one MDM. When i read this thread the first thing that came to mind was that photo and i was going to try and find that pic myself but you beat me to it.

A bartender friend made a cocktail using Stroh at the bar he was working at several years ago, and although i cant remember what the cocktail tasted like, i did try the Stroh neat as i do defintely recall it having a dominant flavour in the drink. I also recall my reaction to it being similar to picture above.

That was quite a while ago now and my tastes/palate have changed so i'll have to definitely give it another try.

Wow, great pics! Yup, the 80 is difficult to drink straight like that.

Butterscotch - I never thought of that - I can see that now that you say it. It is definitely an unusual flavor profile.

There is also a small bottle - 7 ounces - available for about 10$, at least here in Austria. Somebody wants to trade?

Thanks everyone - I think I will bite the bulled and pick up some Stroh - eventually. Not right now.