what's your favorite use(s) for Coruba dark?

I found this rum for the first time here on MY west coast, after reading so much about it on TC.

tried some neat- like it, the flavor profile to me fit right between Appleton Estate v/x and Meyers's Dark.

mixed up some Planter's Punch, a little too Meyersy-overstrong in that.

wondering what drinks the Coruba is especially good in.

It's the best MaiTai Rum for the 2oz. dark rum

Personally, I wouldn't drink Coruba Dark straight, but it does work extremely well in a Dark and Stormy. I fill a Collins glass with ice cubes, add 2 oz of Coruba Dark and fill to the top with Bundaberg ginger beer. So ono, and refreshing to boot.

I like Coruba better than Meyers's, although it does have a similar flavor profile. For folks in the SF Bay Area, BevMo doesn't carry it, but you can find it at Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley.

Cheers!

[ Edited by: tofukulele 2011-11-12 11:36 ]

Planters Punch, Navy Grog...

tried it in a Painkiller, too much aftertaste...

On 2011-11-12 11:35, tofukulele wrote:
Personally, I wouldn't drink Coruba Dark straight, but it does work extremely well in a Dark and Stormy.

excellent call, the Coruba made a great DarkN'Stormy. I usually make mine w/Gosling's, but the Coruba seems even better, really holds its own w/the ginger beer.

also, just tried it out in a Hurricane-- 2.5 oz Coruba, 1.5 oz passionfruit syrup, 1/2 oz lime, 2 t grenadine. Outstanding.

will try it in a Navy grog soon as i have some honey. Really prefer that drink w/honey vs. rock candy syrup.

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2011-11-13 21:18 ]

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2011-11-13 21:20 ]

Glad I could be of service :)

Okole maluna!

used Coruba as the dark rum in a Navy grog, was a great drink but I couldn't single out the taste of the Coruba or discern how the drink was improved by virtue of using Coruba.

also tried a Coruba Mai Tai which to my shock was really good.

my conclusion:

Coruba is a great choice for drinks with just a few components where you want the dark rum to stand out, especially when those components have a strong flavor.

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2011-11-15 09:10 ]

For folks in the SF Bay Area, BevMo doesn't carry it, but you can find it at Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley.

Eddies Drive-In Liquors on College near Trader Joes has Coruba as well.

As "itself" I use it for the dark rum component of a Mai Tai, but you can also use Coruba Dark to turn an average rum into a bigger rum. For example (and I would always eyeball the measurements), if I ran out of Appleton Estates Extra, I could take a shot of VX and by adding just the right amount of Coruba turn it into something that passed pretty well for Extra. We're talking drops of Coruba added to a shot of whatever.

On 2011-11-16 10:22, The Gnomon wrote:
As "itself" I use it for the dark rum component of a Mai Tai, but you can also use Coruba Dark to turn an average rum into a bigger rum. For example (and I would always eyeball the measurements), if I ran out of Appleton Estates Extra, I could take a shot of VX and by adding just the right amount of Coruba turn it into something that passed pretty well for Extra. We're talking drops of Coruba added to a shot of whatever.

I've done this as well to stretch out a bottle of VX. Turns out rather nice. Anyhow, I enjoy Coruba in anything with lots of fruit juice.

Coruba plays very well all by itself in a tall glass of unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider

okay, here's a Navy Grog variation I made that nicely features and yet challenges the Coruba:

1.5 oz Coruba dark
1 oz Lemon Hart 151
1 oz honey mixx
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz guava juice

stir vigorously in a glass beer mug, add ice, stir vigorously for twenty seconds. drink, smack your lips, and grunt.

maybe call this the Navy M.P.?

On 2011-11-16 10:22, The Gnomon wrote:
you can also use Coruba Dark to turn an average rum into a bigger rum. For example (and I would always eyeball the measurements), if I ran out of Appleton Estates Extra, I could take a shot of VX and by adding just the right amount of Coruba turn it into something that passed pretty well for Extra. We're talking drops of Coruba added to a shot of whatever.

interesting, havent tried that with anchor liquors, but have with mixers. Have added a little cognac to curacao to substitute for Grand Marnier; have added a little almond extract to Creme de Noyaux to substitute for orgeat...

crikey, my skull still aching today from the crack of the Navy M.P.'s baton cross me noggin.

On 2011-11-17 11:26, thePorpoise wrote:
crikey, my skull still aching today from the crack of the Navy M.P.'s baton cross me noggin.

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

I am not a Coruba fan, but, that is drinking it straight. It mixes better. In general, those I talk to say this is their go to Dark Jamaican Rum for mixing (unless they can get Smith & Cross). I only use Myers' if it is called for by name, or if I need a bit of extra flavor punch. If I don't want to use my meager Demerara on a drink that it will be lost in, I'll mix VX with Myers' or something along that line.

I'm not a Coruba fan either. It may be that, until recently, my only locally available dark Jamaican rum was Myers's, and I therefore grew accustomed to its strong smokey flavor. When I finally tried Coruba, I found it didn't have quite enough flavor for me in the drinks that call for a dark Jamaican, preferring the Myers's I've been using all along. Perhaps it's symptomatic of Pavlovian conditioning.

-Tom

Zombie, as per the Intoxica! recipe. I like it better than Meyer's. I use the Cruzan as the 151 proof, and either Pyrat or Mt Gay for base.

In case many people are wondering why Coruba dark Jamaican rum works so fabulously in a Mai Tai, here's why: After Trader Vic used up the world’s supply of the 17-year-old J. Wray & Nephew, he reformulated his Mai Tai recipe with the 15-year-old J. Wray & Nephew and Coruba.

Coruba is one of the best (after Kohala Bay) dark Jamaican mixing rums - that is, for the money and for what you get in terms of a quality, funky, and versatile product who's history goes all the way back to our Tiki forefathers. Within the Appleton/Myers's/Coruba pantheon, the latter is the more preferred and consistent choice.

According to Ed Hamilton, Coruba contains a higher percentage of column still rum than it did five years ago. (It is a blend of column and pot still Jamaican rum.) That could account for it not standing up as well in older recipes that specifically called for it.

JeffCleveland - thanks for that info.

I have found this to be true - and with even earlier formulations of Coruba too, which are slightly smokier and more heavy-bodied in nature. Of course, the Jamaicans have slowly been weakening those bold flavors over the years. However, while most people won't notice this, there is a difference. Could be the lack of that pot still influence, as you noted. Still, for a truly classic drinking experience, you can't beat the earlier formulations - that is, if you can find them.

FYI - I have 6 bottles left (from a recently discovered, hidden liquor store 'stash') from the early 1990s:

Interesting...

On 2016-09-26 10:37, JeffCleveland wrote:
According to Ed Hamilton, Coruba contains a higher percentage of column still rum than it did five years ago. (It is a blend of column and pot still Jamaican rum.) That could account for it not standing up as well in older recipes that specifically called for it.

After this thread got bumped, and before the post above was made, I went ahead and made one of these....

On 2011-11-12 11:17, croe67 wrote:
It's the best MaiTai Rum for the 2oz. dark rum

It tasted like a Mai Tai, better than what's served at your average bar, but certainly not the best Mai Tai. I guess it not being the same rum as it was just five years ago when that suggestion was made attributes to it's less than stellarness.

I still use Coruba as my go to mixing dark instead of Myers or anything else but in a Mai Tai it's typically Appleton 12.

Mike, Appleton 12-year (now ceremoniously called 'Rare Blend') is a great product. However, as with all spirits, it all boils down to taste and economics at the end of the day. If I was a private individual, I'd use Appleton 12-year for my Mai-Tais, however, if I was a high-volume business or bartender/mixologist, I'd prefer to use Coruba dark; the cost difference is quite significant. As for personal taste, I prefer the taste of Coruba which I find to be sweeter and slightly more smokey than Appleton 12-year. Both products have their uses.

Not sure if you've managed to try the new Coruba flavored expressions yet, but Coruba coconut is pretty darn good - better than Malibu (it's obvious competitor; both are 21%) which I now use as my baseline, go-to coconut rum:

[ Edited by: RumScrummager 2016-09-28 14:56 ]

[ Edited by: RumScrummager 2016-09-28 14:58 ]

Good information there, RumScrummager. A lot of us here avoid Malibu at ALL costs because it's just cheap Canadian white rum with synthetic coconut flavoring and it tastes very hideous. I'm using Cruzan coconut rum, but will have to give the Coruba a try. I'm sure the quality will be better than Malibu.

Here Coruba will have a problem -- market penetration is all about pushing other companies products off the available shelf space. Let's see how they do.

Frank, I agree unanimously.

However, what I find somewhat amusing is that Malibu, along with the other usual suspects - blue Curacao, Bacardi 151, and the infamous piña colada, have all been (in part, or collectively) associated with Tiki's demise - that is, in terms of tarnishing Tiki's reputation and helping the collective consciousness relegate it to the likes of syrupy cruise ship drinks and tacky kitsch. However, as you may very well know, not only is blue Curacao having a massive comeback at the moment, 151-proof rum is all of a sudden back in vogue (think Cruzan 151, Lemon Hart's new 151, Don Q's excellent 151, and Plantation's new O.F.T.D., to name but a few), and the piña colada is still being riffed to this day - even by the very same people who were quick (and rightly so) to vilify it's existence - for example, Jeff Berry serves the popular Kea Colada cocktail at Latitude 29, one of their best-selling drinks. Yet poor old Malibu turns out to be the fall guy, the patsy. It has more to do with 'guilt by association' than the mere concept of coconut rum - or indeed, the particular nature of the product. Funny that.

BTW - the common denominator here is craft: the craft cocktail movement is single-handedly making overproof rum popular again; it is bringing back color (like blue Curacao), and helping to popularize the frozen drink once again. You may have heard that Dole Whips are now allowed inside Florida’s Enchanted Tiki Room. Also The Golden Tiki in Las Vegas (courtesy of impresario Branden Powers) routinely hand out free Dole Whip samples to customers. The list goes on and on.

As a testament to the 'bad rap' that Bacardi 151 has, it is not surprising the company has announced the discontinuation of the classic product. Although, this does seem somewhat counterintuitive in light of the fact that overproof rum is currently on an upswing; they might come out with a newer, aged, and more craft-worthy version. Who knows.

As for a blind coconut rum tasting, these would be my contenders (not in any order of preference, of course):

• Malibu
• Coruba Coconut
• Koko Kanu (if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle)
• Rum Haven
• Brinley Gold Shipwreck Coconut
• Wray & Nephew's CocoMania Coconut rum (if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle)
• Koloa Coconut

I'm not a huge fan of Myer's - IMO the alcohol overpowers the flavor in a mixed drink. Coruba manages to add flavor without beating you over the head with it. I equate Myers it to Bailey's Irish Cream. Myers is readily available at most bars because it's a "name" rum most everyone knows but for subtle tropical drinks where you have a lot of complexity I find Myers too overpowering whereas Coruba mingles well without transforming the drink into something else.

Anything that calls for a dark aged rum gets Coruba in my house, that it's one of the go-to rums for Latitude 29 doesn't hurt my opinion on it either.

David, thanks for that bit of information - I wasn't aware Latitude 29 used Coruba as their go-to, however, I'm hardly surprised. Coruba dark is an incredibly versatile rum for the money and what you get. It has also outlived many other Jamaican brands, including the previously well-known One Dagger, Two Dagger, and Three Dagger rums which went out in the 1950s.

On 2016-09-28 19:47, RumScrummager wrote:

As for a blind coconut rum tasting, these would be my contenders (not in any order of preference, of course):

• Malibu
• Coruba Coconut
• Koko Kanu (if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle)
• Rum Haven
• Brinley Gold Shipwreck Coconut
• Wray & Nephew's CocoMania Coconut rum (if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle)
• Koloa Coconut

Don Q also makes a very respectable Coconut Rum, using real coconut for the flavor.

JenTiki, yes - I've heard the Don Q coconut is pretty good. However, if we include it in our lineup we may as well open the floodgates and include Bacardi coconut and Cruzan coconut too, which I've heard are both pretty solid. I was trying to compile a somewhat unorthodox list of contenders. I believe that Don Q, Bacardi, and Cruzan all belong in the same corner, which is why I purposefully left them out. However, either one could emerge as the undisputed winner. Who knows. I currently do not know of any individual who has all the rums listed. The only person who might come close is Hurricane Hayward...

What other bottles out there offer funkiness AND richness? I'm struggling with this dilemma when making cocktails - where choosing between Funky or Molasses. I simply want a bottle that does both so that I wont have to compromise in either direction.

[ Edited by: lll888 2016-11-16 08:01 ]

I'm trying to track down a couple of bottles of the Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still rums, both gold and dark, to see if they meet that particular criteria.

On 2016-11-16 09:12, HopeChest wrote:
I'm trying to track down a couple of bottles of the Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still rums, both gold and dark, to see if they meet that particular criteria.

Great! Thanks

If the Hamilton black is anything like the gold (my understanding is that they differ in color mostly), then I believe it will be far too funky to use on it's own as a replacement. I have the gold, and I have been using it in a 1:8 ratio with coruba to bring more pot still funk. Any more and it overpowers most drinks, in my opinion. That Hamilton pot still brings the funk.

Hamilton's Black is FAR funkier than the Gold. I gave my bottle away, overpowered every drink. The only use for it is at 1/2 ounce or less servings in a cocktail in my opinion. One of the only rums out there that I don't like.

I have that Hamilton Black sitting on the shelf. Can't drink it straight and does not taste good mixed in anything.

I think he was going for Smith & Cross as both smell similar but it is way more funky or something than Smith.

Just for a reference to my comment earlier...

Smith & Cross is one of my all time favorite rums, I drink it quite possibly more than any other rum.

On 2016-11-16 16:05, lunavideogames wrote:
Hamilton's Black is FAR funkier than the Gold. I gave my bottle away, overpowered every drink. The only use for it is at 1/2 ounce or less servings in a cocktail in my opinion. One of the only rums out there that I don't like.

Purchased it today without doing sufficient research. I'm in the same boat. Absolutely no clue how I can use this one. Eek...

On 2016-11-16 09:12, HopeChest wrote:
I'm trying to track down a couple of bottles of the Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still rums, both gold and dark, to see if they meet that particular criteria.

Abort! Abort! I purchased it today and it's 3x funkier than S&C.