do i just perfer white and dark rums

or are gold rums generally better just drank straight.recently ive bought a couple gold rums(appleton estate v/x,mount gay eclipse)and it seems like there really smooth when drank straight but ive noticed you get more of a rum taste when you mix white and dark rums with juice or coca cola

[ Edited by: Jay4 2014-05-14 13:59 ]

[ Edited by: Jay4 2014-05-14 13:59 ]

In general the dark rums like Goslings, Cruzan Blsckstrap, and the dark Jamaican style rums have great strong flavors (molasses, burnt sugar, smoke, etc.) that really shine in tropical drinks but are quite rough if you try to drink them straight. They are meant to be mixed. Most light Spanish style rums don't have a ton of depth flavor-wise and their inclusion in tropical drinks is usually to boost the overall strength of the drink without going overboard on the intense flavors and throwing the drink out of balance. The relatively unaged gold rums you mentioned (Appleton V/X, Mt. Gay Eclipse) work in much the same way although they do have a bit more interesting flavors going on compared to the light rums. In a pinch they are sippable.

For most people the aged gold rum expressions (5+ years, and typically more) are the preferred sippers, and most of them also mix to make great cocktails although depending on the price lots of people keep the best stuff for sipping. And the truth is you can get excellent results using relatively inexpensive rums in your drinks once you know the types of flavors you are looking for and the best rum combinations to achieve them.

On 2014-05-14 14:49, Sunny&Rummy wrote:
And the truth is you can get excellent results using relatively inexpensive rums in your drinks once you know the types of flavors you are looking for and the best rum combinations to achieve them.

you mean flavors in terms of the stuff im drinking or flavors in term of the rum? i usually just mix rum with something like orange juice(actually its orange peach mango,Dole brand)or coca cola.the 2 rums you mentioned though(cruzan blackstrap,goslings black seal)ive had and really liked though

Hi Jay4

I think that chilling a spirit makes it taste a little bit stronger / less sweet.

As to if you like white / gold / dark rums more, I'm with Sunny&Rummy - it depends what you are mixing them with.

Shop brought fruit juices & coke are a good way to start finding out what you like - All the rums you mentioned are good.

If not to cheeky, I would suggest that you try making a few basic cocktails - like the Mojito or Planters Punch. Swapping shop brought juice or pop for fresh squeezed lime juice & adding a bit of soda water you'll get a bit closer to making delicious cocktails.

If you wanted a recommendation for a good sipper along the lines of Mount Gay or Appleton VX, I would recommend Plantation Barbados 5 star :)

On 2014-05-16 00:58, AdOrAdam wrote:

Shop brought fruit juices & coke are a good way to start finding out what you like

ya,thats what i usually mix rum with.as far as recommendations do they have anything that would be like goslings black seal,i looked up bermuda black rums but it seems like goslings was the only one listed

[ Edited by: Jay4 2014-05-16 10:33 ]

[ Edited by: Jay4 2014-05-16 10:33 ]

Whalers, Meyers and Coruba all have dark rums. My favorite would be Coruba but I might use Whalers more often in drinks since it is cheaper. Goslings is good though, especially when you can find it on sale for $9.99.

Tastes vary widely, you just gotta try a bunch until you pick up on your personal preferences.

For cocktails, balance and proportioning of quality rums, juices, syrups and flavoring is essential. Here, also, I suggest mixing up tried-and-true recipes from one of the Bum's books as a good way of learning "how things work" and also what you like.

The above steps are the initial fun part of picking up rums and tiki drinks. It's easier to do if you have tiki bars or friends with home tiki bars in your vicinity. You're not gonna like every drink, and that's ok. It's about experimenting and finding your own groove.

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me after my frontal lobotomy.