Rum type sure does matter!

Well, I remember a while back when people were discussing their favorite rums, some people said that their favorite kind was "free" rum, and some suggested that in cocktails you can't tell the difference so much.
Well, I knew the folks were joking, but I had experienced first hand how another brand of rum completely changes the taste of the cocktail:
I made a round of Chief Lapu Lapu's (not a very strong dring) and I used the last ounces of Baccardi Reserve Light and Dark that I had.
Then, for the next round I used the Myers's I made the guests bring...and WOW! what a difference in taste! It suddenly made the drink something completely different.
I remember reading somewhere here that Baccardi made their rums more neutral tasting, and this really proved that. Hey - I don't care, as the Myers's is cheaper than the Baccardi ($27 Vs $37.50).
I also made the guests bring Havana Club to substitute for the light rum, but I did not get to try another Chief Lapu Lapu with the Cuban and the Myers's together...Hey, that's a good enough excuse to try it tonight!

(and I would like to use this opportunity to thank Beachbum Berry again for his great books!)

Ran

Havana Club is great in Daiquiris and simple drinks but you may be wasting it in tropical drinks that have many ingredients because the difference betweeen it and Bacardi won't be as apparent. But try a taste test of straight Bacardi against Havana Club and you will be amazed how bad the Bacardi tastes in comparison!

As long as you are doing a taste test I would recomend trying Whaler's dark rum it is made in Hawaii, and available at Trader Joe's for $9.99 a bottle and it a great rum. I use it for mixed cocktails, straight, everything. Skip the Bacardi this stuff is good.

As long as you are doing a taste test I would recomend trying Whaler's dark rum it is made in Hawaii, and available at Trader Joe's for $9.99 a bottle and it a great rum. I use it for mixed cocktails, straight, everything. Skip the Bacardi this stuff is good.

Want a taste explosion at a reasonable price? Try Gosling's dark rum. It is my new favorite (even over my old one Myer's). I have a bottle of 15-year old Bharbancourt (an amber) and it doesn't even come close as a sipping rum.

Thanks for the advice, guys...I'll have to remember them for when we move to the States...as the only Rums we have here are:
Baccardi (black, light and gold)- $37.50
Captain Morgan - no thanks
Rhum Negritta - pass
Myres's - $27 ($9 at the airport Duty Free shop...do you think the regular store has a profit margin?...gee, I dunno)
Havana Club (3 years) $37.50
Rhum St. James - $17 (for Mai Tai)
And some really cheap local/imported stuff that looks really bad.

No one even knows what Demrera or Barbados Rum is, and no one imports 151 proof rums.

My father used to have Stroh in his liquor cabinet, and as kids my brothers and I used to dare each other to sip it (160 proof...)
Unfortunately that rum is long gone.

Mahalo
Ran

Sorry, Whaler's is not made in Hawaii but is made on the U.S. mainland. There is nothing Hawaiian about it except the claim on the label that it is from a Hawaiian recipe. I prefer Myers' dark rum.

Gosling's is better than Myers' dark but has a much different flavor so its nice to have both. Myers' dark has a stronger molasses flavor.

Kick...if you want to paypal me 32.00+ shipping and if it's legal to ship it to Isreal I'll be gad to send you and the Wahine a half gallon of Goslings. I don't know how religious you are but after a taste you might think that Manna had once again fallen only this time in intoxicating liquid form! We have an E-bay rating of 613 all positive...our trust is our bond. Let us know.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-01-31 12:52 ]

Thanks for the offer Basement Kahuna...half a gallon for $32 sounds good...
It work, but there is the high chance of the customs people taxing it (they love to do that!) so it might prove not so economical in the end...but, the wahine is going back to the States in May, and i'm joining her a few months after that if all goes as planned, so I'll finally be able to practice mixology on a little lower budget :)

Mahalo
Ran

From the Land of the $27 Myers's

[ Edited by: kick_the-reverb on 2003-01-31 13:06 ]

I just bought "Cruzan Estate Diamond Rum" for the first time and am sipping it now... truly the other end of the spectrum from meyer's and demerara - those are perfectly rich, dark and mellow. But the rum needs to match the mood right? Diamond Estate is in one word "exciting"! It's aged for 5 years on St. Croix in oak barrels..

descriptors:
moderately sharp smoky bite
sugary oak flavor
finish is spicy and hot

Cruzan has been a growing force in the rum industry during the past few years.

http://www.cruzanrums.com/

Yeah...Meyers makes all the diff. It's a great rum because it already has some kind of tropical sweetness added to it already. Even if you make a Meyers and Orange Juice-which is what's called a 'Sharkbite' on the back of the Meyers bottle (minus grenadine)-you've already got a pretty good tasting cocktail right there.
:drink: aLoHa

Re: Cruzan

I'm a big fan. I use the cheaper Cruzan rums in place of Bacardi or any Puerto Rican rum unless the drink recipe is very specific. Even then I still use 'em.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Foxy's Firewater brands or Pusser's blue label.

Rhum Barbancourt 5 is still my straight up fave on ice, although I have yet to try Gosling's.

I also like Mount Gay "sugarcane brandy aged rum". Nice sweetness behind it. Good mixer. Nice in a cuba libre.

Anybody down any Fernandez Black Label? Or puncheon rum?

I have a friend from Trinidad that is recommending these. I'm going to get some on her good word, but I'd be interested in anyones experience.

pele

My favorite rum is Trader Vic's authentic dark rum. It has a really pleasant aroma and flavor.

This is Great! Let me explain. I'm Diabetic as all get out. I recently got an insulin pump and began counting Carbohydrates and all sorts of interesting things that allow me more flexibility in my diet. Long story short... I didn't have even a sip of rum (or any drink with rum in it) for over 17 years and now I can! Whoo-hoo!
It's very helpful to find good suggestions on different brands as I have been buying Bacardi and Myers, pretty much, so far. I was told, by the fella that runs the liquor store behind the office, that there was absolutely no reason to buy an Añejo rum for use in cocktails when Bacardi Gold Reserve would do just fine. Was he full of it?

Long story short... I didn't have even a sip of rum (or any drink with rum in it) for over 17 years and now I can! Whoo-hoo!

Hey! That's great! Congrats!

But, please...be careful. Moderation boyo...moderation.

       It's very helpful to find good suggestions on different brands as I have been buying Bacardi and Myers, pretty much, so far. I was told, by the fella that runs the liquor store behind the office, that there was absolutely no reason to buy an Añejo rum for use in cocktails when Bacardi Gold Reserve would do just fine. Was he full of it?

Hogwash. He is full of it...and then some.

A) It depends on the cocktail. Would I use a 15 year barbancourt in a drink with banana creme, orgeat, and three juices? Probably not. How about with just lime juice and sugar syrup? Hmmm...maybe. I dunno. How decadent do I feel? Mostly the [bold] really [/bold] good stuff is for drinking over ice or just neat. But I have no qualms about mixing with a 3 year or eight year given the right circumstances.

B) It depends on the rum. I can get a bottle of 8 year Barbancourt for roughly 15 clams (USD). That's cheap enough for me to use in anything I suppose, and I'm as broke as bread on sunday.

C) There is much to be said for trying all sorts of rums. They are as varied as the day is long, and I marvel at the number of brands that are out there. I saw a bottle for sale the other day priced @ 156 semolians (still talking USD). That's crazy expensive for my budget, but I'd sure love it if some rich bloke dropped me a bottle. It'd be fun to try it.

D) Once you try 'em, you start to like certain ones. I've ruined a few friends for better rum now. They were all strict "rum is rum" drinkers before my eveil influence....heh heh heh

E) If rum is rum and why bother to get anything for cocktails so long as Bacardi Gold Reserve is available, then whiskey is whiskey, and vodka is vodka, and there's simply no good reason to drink a vodka tonic with Chopin when Popov is available.

Funny how discerning people get with some liqours but not others. Especially charming when it's a grain neutral spirit such as vodka (filtered to be nearly flavorless). Mind you, there are certainly differences in vodkas, but your average drinker couldn't tell the difference if I switched bottles.

....so, that brings us to the following golden rule:

"if you aren't tasting it, your'e wasting it."

I beleive that sums it up nicely...interpret as you will.

Otherwise follow our beloved Berry's advice and just mix them according to the directions. He did go to the trouble to research and write them out for us all, the least we can do is honor his wishes and use the proper rums.

Hats off Berry, you are the kung fu master.

...oh my, I am rambling.

Wanna know why?

'cause I'm drunk right now. Rum of course.

Cheers!

pele

[ Edited by: pele on 2003-02-01 00:51 ]

We just got a liter of Appleton white from Mexico. That's the closest place I know of to get it around here.

Rambling most marvelously, Pele! Thanks for all the tips. I've not yet purchased a copy of either of the Beachbum's books as they don't carry them in the stores around town and I'm having to stagger my online purchases to keep the wife from saying things like "FIVE HUNDRED FREAKIN' DOLLARS!?!" every once in a while.
I need to branch out a bit, I suppose, in my liquor buying. The store behind the office is small, and the folks are friendly, but more selection and better value speak volumes.
I appreciate everybody's advice!

[ Edited by: Traitor Vic on 2003-02-03 23:03 ]

(ahem....) Grey Goose is the finest vodka on the planet. That's what my guests get when they order a VM. Rum? My guests get 5 AND 15 year-old Bharbancourt, Goslings, Myer's, or Nephew, and whatever Demerara the ABC liquor superstore in Athens is stocking....(now I sound like an old fart blowhard).

But you sound like an Old Fart Blowhard who knows his Rum, BK.