what rum for mixing?

I like to mix drinks and was wondering what are affordable rums to use. I am a student so I cannot afford to splurge alot on rum. So please mention any cheap but good light/dark rums. I don't drink rum straight up. I tried drinking a shot of Bacardi once and it burned.

On 2007-05-20 19:49, kingdomwinds wrote:
I like to mix drinks and was wondering what are affordable rums to use. I am a student so I cannot afford to splurge alot on rum. So please mention any cheap but good light/dark rums. I don't drink rum straight up. I tried drinking a shot of Bacardi once and it burned.

Castillo. Made by Bacardi, but without the advertising dollars. :)

I've found that almost anything from Cruzan is great for mixing, and it's only a few bucks more to get to Coruba.

But dude, you're a student. Since you have no money, buy liquor that comes in those clear plastic bottles now so that you'll appreciate the good stuff later.

Appleton White is $8-$10 for a 750 and its better than Bacardi.

Bacardi Select is an OK stand in for Myers (or other dark rums). It is about $21 a handle (1.75 L).

Cruzan dark would be my choice for an amber rum. Pretty good and about $20 a handle.

Find a good liquor store that passes distributor sales on to you. Distributors (if you're in a state that allows them) sometimes have inventory they want to dump, and they discount this a lot. Then just troll the liquor store once a week or so, and you'll see some stuff get marked down. I've seen Pyrat White rum for $7, Pyrat XO for $18, and some other stuff for 25%-50% off.

Thanks for the tips. I just went to a local liquor store and the owner picked out some Brugal dark and white rums for me. Was $9 a bottle. I plan to make some Mai tai when i get back home.

I will look at those brands next time i shop for rum.

[ Edited by: kingdomwinds 2007-05-21 11:02 ]

Aloha and welcome to the Land of Lost Livers that everyone else calls Tiki Central......

I could recommend a whole bunch of rums for you, but I am not sure what you have where you are or even if you will like them.

So.....

I will offer this instead:

If you see billboards for a rum (any liquore actually) no matter how cheap it is avoid it. Not entirely, just figure that the money spent on advertising is money not going into the bottle for quality.

If you see lots of magazine ads or hear about it on the radio, tread carefully because that is only really one step below billboards for total cost of advertising.

If you see a really kick-ass label on a bottle, watch for it and get it on sale. The best labels are usually on the worst liquors, but sometimes you get surprised.

And, this is the most general rule, anything less than $20 ish a bottle is probably going to disappoint. Anything above $40 ish a bottle is probably best taken over ice. I want to stress the generality of this last statement because I have some real stinkers that were over $50 and I have some real gems that were under $10.

And the last bit I want to offer to you (everyone really) is that your broke student status limits you less than you think. A fifth of anything is 25 ounces and most drinks call for between 1 and 3 ounces. That means a $40 bottle of rum is still only $4 per drink. All of my local watering holes are asking that for a beer, so the math works in your favor if you are careful.

Drink, enjoy, and then drink some more.

On 2007-05-21 15:56, Chip and Andy wrote:
A fifth of anything is 25 ounces and most drinks call for between 1 and 3 ounces. That means a $40 bottle of rum is still only $4 per drink. All of my local watering holes are asking that for a beer, so the math works in your favor if you are careful.

Your math is solid here, old-timer, but I remember 25-cent draft nights when I was in college (yeah, back in the 19th century), so really by your figuring, for his $4 he is getting one drink where he could normally get sixteen!
:wink:

I just like using rums in mixed drinks such as zombie, mai tai, pina colada, etc. I don't drink it straight up so I don't need anything fancy.

Also, what are those gems that were under $10?

[ Edited by: kingdomwinds 2007-05-21 18:25 ]

On 2007-05-21 16:09, tikibars wrote:
...but I remember 25-cent draft nights when I was in college (yeah, back in the 19th century), so really by your figuring, for his $4 he is getting one drink where he could normally get sixteen!
:wink:

My what long teeth you have granpda..... The only reason I survived college is because Shiner Bock was always the $2 pitcher drink at the pool hall.

On 2007-05-21 18:19, kingdomwinds wrote:
I just like using rums in mixed drinks such as zombie, mai tai, pina colada, etc. I don't drink it straight up so I don't need anything fancy.

Also, what are those gems that were under $10?

Well, you are asking more than you realize. Many a an argument has started around here when people start to talk specifically about the brands to match up in your drink.....

I'll offer the following as some of my 'favorite' rums:

In the Under $20 category I like Brugal, Ronrico, Angostura 'Old Oak' Gold, Cruzan.

In the About $20 category (usually more, but sometimes on sale...), Cruzan Single Barrel, El Dorado, Lemon Hart

I wont go higher under the premise of financially challenge student...

Basically, pick a couple of outlets and shop regularly. If you get to know the owner/manager/cute checkout person you will have a chance to chat them up about what they have on sale, what is good or not, and in the case of the cute checkout person you might get a date to go with that bottle......

I've had success with Appleton Extra and/or Coruba . . both under $20. for 750 ml. and considerably less when on "Sale" but then again, I tend to favor the Jamaican rums anyway over all others.

I may disagree with some of the price points set in previous posts. There are quite a few awesome rums under $20.00 and some under $10.00 that beat out some of the higher priced rums in my opinion.

Less than $20.00 that are good for mixing and sipping:
Ron Batron 8 yr and 12 yr (same distiller as Zacapa) ($12-15)
Gosling Gold ($14)
Brugal Anjeo ($13)
Old Mill ($17)
Santa Teresa Grand Reserve ($17)
Flor De Cana 7yr ($19)
Angostura 8 yr ($19)
Abuelo Anjeo ($15)
Ron Ocumare ($12)
Most of these are also excellent sipping rums

$10 and Less
Palo Viejo ($8)...this one really surprised me...I did a blind taste test with this one and the new Pyrat XO and preferred this one to the more expensive Pyrat...both my wife and friend did as well....I have not been a fan of the formula Pyrat rum...too much sweet orange flavor
Castilo ($7-$8)
Cruzan Estate ($9-$10)
These are decent for mixing

I currently have over 60 different bottles of rum in my collection and growing...I agree many of the heavy marketed rums are not worth the price. Of course some of the higher priced bottles are worth the money but meant to savored for special occasions...I am trying to convine my wife that I need a jug of the BRN rum for $2.6k but so far she is not agreeing.....:)