What's your latest rum purchase?

Hey all, it's been a while!

Was in duty free the other day and picked up some Zacapa 23. I always thought of Zacapa as a rum to drink straight... but honestly I didn't like it that much so I'll start using it in my cocktails.

What category does it fit into? Are there rums in the same category that I can replace with Zacapa? I've read somewhere about someone sticking it in a Mai Tai (although what can you NOT stick in a Mai Tai!).

In his new book Smugglers Cove, Martin Cate has Zacapa 23 under the Column Still Aged (4) category. He seems to use it mainly in cocktails that he created.

Rick in Texas

On 2016-08-03 10:49, Warboys wrote:
Hey all, it's been a while!

Was in duty free the other day and picked up some Zacapa 23. I always thought of Zacapa as a rum to drink straight... but honestly I didn't like it that much so I'll start using it in my cocktails.

What category does it fit into? Are there rums in the same category that I can replace with Zacapa? I've read somewhere about someone sticking it in a Mai Tai (although what can you NOT stick in a Mai Tai!).

I used it the other day in a high end Trader Vic Style Navy Grog

2oz Homemade TV Grog Syrup (http://5minutesofrum.com/blog/2014/4/10/spice-syrup)
1oz Lime
0.5oz Grapefruit
1oz Zacapa 23
1oz Appleton 12yr
1oz El Dorado 12yr

Damn tasty!!!

I was browsing the rum shelves at my local Von’s and the store was clearing out their stock of Kozi Bay gold and silver . At $2.97 I thought I would give it a try. As expected it’s on the harsh side with a strong alcohol nose. But, it worked well in a Miehana. I use the recipe that Hang10 posted some time ago. It use to sell for a about 15 bucks - I thought it was a store brand rum.

I don’t use Kraken much cept in a false “Painkiller”. I was browsing the holiday liquor promos and spotted this one
15 bucks at Albertsons (La Habra, Ca.)15 bucks is the regular price for just the rum so I grabbed a couple. I saw em the next day for $21 at the new BevMo in Whittier. Btw, some of the mugs have much crisper detail than others. I don’t know if these are new this year-I did see one on an Etsy site yesterday.

Plantation OFTD was suppose to hit the Austin market yesterday but didn't show up. I picked this up as a consolation.

Found this at the back of my bar. I think a barkeep gave it to me a long time ago. Has a nice nose-gonna go with me down to Shelter Island (San Diego) this weekend.
Cheers

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2016-11-23 18:50 ]

Pictured below is my rum haul from my recent trip to Cuba. I want this post to be helpful to others who will be making the trip to Cuba in the not-too-distant future. GO if you can, and do it soon. The future of US travel to Cuba is still a bit uncertain, and you can see the country ahead of whatever deals Americans will be making to build and invest there.

I went as a solo traveler by small 700-passenger cruise ship Adonia (Fathom.org) for two reasons - I was able to get a Cuban visa very quickly and at the last minute, and I knew I could also haul more rum and cigars back by ship than if I had flown in. Plus the cruise fare included cultural and historical seminars, person-to-person tours, lodging, meals, rum tastings, a Spanish language phrase mini-seminar, camaraderie with other rum/cigar/travel fans, etc. And I'm a big fan of the more intimate small-ship cruising experience. I also bought my ticket from a discount site, so I didn't pay an outrageous price.

Note my choice of bringing back almost entirely Santiago rums. I already have a decent stock of Havana Club at home, so on this trip I chose to engage Cubans who are rum-knowledgeable including the head bartender at the Habana Libre hotel (former Habana Hilton before the revolution.) They all told me that Havana Club was popular with tourists but is over-rated and that they themselves definitely prefer to drink Santiago. The Santiago rum is made in the former Bacardi distillery in Santiago de Cuba. In the near future, I will be comparing Havana Club rum with Santiago rum and sharing tasting notes in another thread here on TC.

Rum is cheap in Cuba --- silver starts at $3.50/bottle, aged starts around $8 a bottle. Older bottlings are available, but in my opinion, aren't worth paying the premium prices. There are other good non-Cuban rums available in the US for much less, so I focused on the standard/common offerings with one exception - the Santiago 11 Year which was highly-recommended by two rum-knowledgeable folks I met.

At this time, all restrictions have been lifted on how much rum and how many cigars you can bring back. I very honestly declared $400 of rum and cigars with US Customs, and all they said was, "Oh, that's nice! You're going to enjoy those!" No duties or other fees were charged, and it was as if I was invisible.

I'll re-post this trip report info in another Cuba or Cuban rum thread here on TC soon, and with more details.

The rums I brought back:
(3) Santiago White,
(4) Santiago Anejo,
(1) Havana Club 7 year, (gift for a cow-orker)
(1) Santiago 11 year.
Total of 9 bottles. I could have brought back more, but didn't think to take bigger luggage on the trip.

The Santiago White, front label.

The Santiago Anejo, front label.

The Havana Club 7 box, front label.

The Santiago 11, front label.

Gawd I had a great time. Go if you can as soon as you can. You won't regret it.

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2016-12-22 07:45 ]

On 2016-12-22 07:42, AceExplorer wrote:

Total of 9 bottles. I could have brought back more, but didn't think to take bigger luggage on the trip.

This lack of foresight is unacceptable!

Looking forward to photos and stories of your trip. I've long been posing the question of what are the OTHER Cuban rums worth having. I'm honestly not that blown away by the HC 3 and 7 year rums I picked up in Canada. I use them seldomly. Not because I'm worried about running out but because I have better rums from other regions that work better in the cocktails I make. Certainly there are lesser known Cuban brands making a high quality product. Can't wait to see your comparisons.

What other brands did you see besides Santiago?

Now THAT makes for a Happy Holiday! I also am looking forward to more stories about your trip.

Rick

Mike H. - I saw other brands of rum, but can't remember at the moment. I took some pics of the shelves at the stores so that I could share what shelves of Cuban rum look like. It was glorious to behold! And I fully agree that there are awesome rums available in the US, that's why my highest purchase was $40 for the Santiago 11 year.

Rick - I'll post short stories and advice for those thinking of going.

MadDogMike - I made it to Polinesio as you recommended, and spent I a few hours with Osvaldo at his bar. Wow, what a great guy! I took a number of photos at this former Trader Vic's, including the Chinese Ovens which are still there and enjoying (I think) very limited use.

To everyone - the Daiquiries at the Floridita are superb. So good that I can't get those drinks out of my mind. A good daiquiri is a treat, and I think they far exceed what I have made at my bar. Their lime is not tart at all, but very subtle. I have a number of Daiquiri tests planned to see what I can do at home. But they are proven masters of the Daiquiri, and I took a number of photos to share.

Go visit Cuba, especially Havana. I think you'll have a very nice time.

On 2016-12-22 11:37, AceExplorer wrote:

To everyone - the Daiquiries at the Floridita are superb. So good that I can't get those drinks out of my mind.

Go visit Cuba, especially Havana. I think you'll have a very nice time.

Don't leave us in suspense... what rum did they use? And were they frozen or shaken and strained?

I hope Chelsea and I can make it out there this spring.

Mike, thanks for busting my chops, ha!

Mike, they used Havana Club light, and they blend the drink til it's slushy. Their lime flavor is very subtle and balanced, and the drink amazingly lacks the tartness of my at-home concoctions using Persian limes. They also use a bit of Cuban maraschino liqueur. There are recipes, and a video, online purporting to be original from the Floridita. The video is at http://www.liquor.com/video/curbside-cocktails-daiquiri/ and other than possibly showing double the actual amount of lime juice in the real Floridita drink, it's a very good guide. I would expect a little obfuscation in such a video from the restaurant itself.

Their technique is to load up ice, squirt in pre-mixed lime/maraschino/simple syrup from a bottle, start the blender and then free-pour silver rum until a vortex forms inside the blender. When you make thousands of these, you learn to free-pour and master the art of looking for visual cues when to stop in the blender.

The end result is simply sublime. I could have sat there and drank myself into a pleasant stupor. It made me want to immediately experiment at home in an effort to re-create their pleasant concoction.

I had my photo taken with the server who brought our drinks. He was classic "old-school Havana"-looking with a big smile. The Cuban band in the corner was a blast too. The place was packed, and they have a Floridita merchandise store in the corner with cigar and cigarette ash trays, hats, key fobs, and black Floridita-embroidered aprons. Christmas season meant the whole restaurant was decorated.

I saw the place a second time, but after it closed, sometime around 1am in the morning as I stumbled, er, walked, the 4 miles back to the ship from the Polinesio. I highly recommend getting lost in Havana - it's safe and fun, lively, invigorating, and you can practice your Spanish with the people you run into. But that's another story entirely. And yes, I intentionally chose NOT to take a cab and walk back after my night at Polinesio. I'm very glad I chose to walk - I saw a ton of neat people and things they do at night - and I could have taken a cab at any time. Cuban life is arguably better in some ways because they don't have TVs, PCs, X-Box, etc.

I wanna go back. I think about this trip every day. This was truly memorable!

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2016-12-22 12:50 ]

On 2016-12-22 12:32, AceExplorer wrote:
...and you can practice your Spanish with the people you run into. But that's another story entirely.

Communicating with the locals is something I was wanting to ask you about, but don't wanna completely derail this thread so hurry up and post some stuff to a Cuba thread so I could nag you there.

Might as well contribute something worthwhile to the thread. Picked this up today...

I'm so used to the VSOP but wanted to try something else. This one has a pretty rough, non pleasant earthy smell out of the bottle but tastes surprisingly smooth. Thus far have only tried it in a Donga. Curious to see how it plays out in a Mai Tai.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2016-12-22 17:55 ]

Christmas gifts from friends

I recently ran out of Clement VSOP and so needed to replace it (as it was my only rhum agricole.) I wanted to try something new but couldn't decide whether to get something light and strong for mixed drinks, or something aged and more complex for cocktails (or even neat.) Since these were both reasonably priced and I am notoriously indecisive I grabbed both the Damoiseau and the JM to hopefully cover both bases.

I hope I made the right choices. Any opinions?

I also grabbed the Dominican Club Silver because it was on the store's close-out shelf for five bucks, so why not, and the Pyrat because my gal thought the bottle was too cute not to pick up. The Sirop was an impulse buy inspired on another recent thread.

On 2017-01-11 20:21, CosmoReverb wrote:
I also grabbed the Dominican Club Silver because it was on the store's close-out shelf for five bucks, so why not, and the Pyrat because my gal thought the bottle was too cute not to pick up. The Sirop was an impulse buy inspired on another recent thread.

I think you did the right things. I also have some lower-cost (but not always lower-end) bargains in my collection. These are great for mixing daiquiris and other things at times when you're not necessarily worried about making top-shelf cocktails. If you're gonna be slinging drinks at a party, then the bargains are especially nice to have handy.

Your gal is right, the Pyrat is a nice bottle, I'm sure you made her happy with that purchase.

My local Wally World liquor store is going on a mark-down binge tonight or tomorrow (when the District Manager shows up) and I've already been told to come back and see what $5 and $6 and $10 bottles they're trying to clear out. So I'm stopping by tonight and tomorrow night to see when the clearances happen. Clearance sales are also a great time to buy gifts for folks.

I like Belizean rum, and its caramel-ly flavor. Picked up a bottle of Traveller's One Barrel recently. Not expensive, but enjoyable

[ Edited by: Tele295 2017-01-12 08:51 ]

[ Edited by: Tele295 2017-01-12 08:53 ]

On 2017-01-12 08:50, Tele295 wrote:
I like Belizean rum, and its caramel-ly flavor. Picked up a bottle of Traveller's One Barrel recently. Not expensive, but enjoyable

Good choice. I would even go so far as to say that One Barrel might be the best "bang for the buck" rum around. I don't mean to oversell it, it's by no means gonna stand up against some of the higher quality choices, but for a low cost, all around workhorse? You won't find much better.

It tends to get overlooked because a)most people don't go looking for rums from Belize and b)the low price makes others assume low quality. I know a lot of connoisseurs don't care for the strong caramel flavor, which many say tastes a bit artificial, but my palate isn't refined enough to mind.

The in-laws go to Belize every year - for some reason, I have never thought to have them bring me back rum. They're going again in a month and a half so it's time to rectify that.

I just came back from New Providence Island (where Nassau is) and I did think to look for rum. I found a distillery, took lots of pictures, drank lots of rum, and brought 4 bottles back. (Always look for rum when you travel!!!) Soon I'll be posting here with pics of my latest rum purchase, and I'll have some tasting notes.

On 2017-01-11 20:21, CosmoReverb wrote:
I recently ran out of Clement VSOP and so needed to replace it (as it was my only rhum agricole.) I wanted to try something new but couldn't decide whether to get something light and strong for mixed drinks, or something aged and more complex for cocktails (or even neat.) Since these were both reasonably priced and I am notoriously indecisive I grabbed both the Damoiseau and the JM to hopefully cover both bases.

I hope I made the right choices. Any opinions?

I also grabbed the Dominican Club Silver because it was on the store's close-out shelf for five bucks, so why not, and the Pyrat because my gal thought the bottle was too cute not to pick up. The Sirop was an impulse buy inspired on another recent thread.

The JM is one of my favorite Agricole rums that are currently imported to the US. It is my go to for sure. I like the Sirop as well, you will enjoy it! I have not tried the Damoiseau so I would have bought it to try as well. The Pyrat is not great rum, made by Patron which is also overrated in my opinion, but since you got it for the bottle I am sure it is a win :)

Luv them Bajan rums Anxious to try this as a sipper.

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2017-02-06 23:02 ]

My bar has been slowly draining and I've not bothered to restock until now. Recently I've acquired or ordered:

Cruzan Aged Light
Cruzan Aged Dark (my 2 basic mixing rums)
Flor de Caña 4
Lost Spirits Navy Rum (to replace my nearly empty Smith & Cross)
Plantation Dark 143 proof (to replace Bacardi 151 and Cruzan 151 as my basic overproof)
Plantation OFTD
Ron Zacapa

Lately my go-to drink has been a Daiquiri #3 with Flor de Caña 4. I have liked using it in several cocktails in the past but the Daiquiri #3 was the one that made me think, "Okay, I absolutely love this rum."

Doorly XO and Bacardi 1919.

Bought the gin . I was in the mood for a Saturn Not a big fan of Spiced rums but this one had a wonderful nose. The Blonde had no nose whatsoever. Nice to see another rum distiller in San Diego. I usually use "Death’s Door” Gin in my Saturn’s but I also like to experiment. I intend to grab a bottle of the Spiced rum next trip. The drink recipes sound good.
Cheers

David- looks good

My most recent is Trader Vic's Royal Amber rum. I'm not fond of the rest of the TV rums, but I to give credit where credit is due, and the Royal Amber makes a great Mai Tai. One of the best Mai Tais I've ever had, even better than the Saint James Hors D'Age and Appleton 12 combo.

On 2017-02-21 21:52, Dr. Coruba wrote:
My most recent is Trader Vic's Royal Amber rum. I'm not fond of the rest of the TV rums, but I to give credit where credit is due, and the Royal Amber makes a great Mai Tai. One of the best Mai Tais I've ever had, even better than the Saint James Hors D'Age and Appleton 12 combo.

Just where can one get this Royal Amber? I've never seen it in the flesh, even in liquor stores that stock the whole rest of TV's rum line.

On 2017-01-11 20:21, CosmoReverb wrote:
I recently ran out of Clement VSOP and so needed to replace it (as it was my only rhum agricole.) I wanted to try something new but couldn't decide whether to get something light and strong for mixed drinks, or something aged and more complex for cocktails (or even neat.) Since these were both reasonably priced and I am notoriously indecisive I grabbed both the Damoiseau and the JM to hopefully cover both bases.

I hope I made the right choices. Any opinions?

I also grabbed the Dominican Club Silver because it was on the store's close-out shelf for five bucks, so why not, and the Pyrat because my gal thought the bottle was too cute not to pick up. The Sirop was an impulse buy inspired on another recent thread.

Which Store did you get the Sirop JM at?

Hi Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa

Thank you. I've been close to ordering from Hi Time and this might seal the deal.

Over the weekend I picked up some Hamilton 86 to replace the El Dorado 5 I'd just finished. Pretty good, though on its own (and to my tongue) it seems to have slightly less dimension. I did enjoy it in an Ancient Mariner, and looking forward to trying a Queen's Park Swizzle.

On 2017-02-22 09:02, PalmtreePat wrote:

Just where can one get this Royal Amber? I've never seen it in the flesh, even in liquor stores that stock the whole rest of TV's rum line.

No joke. I live 4 freeway exits from TV Emeryville and know of at least 4 local bars that use TV rums for specific cocktails but don't know of a single place in my area that actually sells the stuff. I even wrote to them via the TV Rum website some time ago begging for info on local vendors cos I want to get the Royal Amber so badly but they never responded.

http://www.acespirits.com/buy-trader-vics-royal-amber-rum-shop-for-rum-online.html

Trader Vic's Royal Amber Rum 1L (Case of 12)

Case Price: $183.49(Save $20.39)

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2017-02-25 06:13 ]

Thanks for the link, Skip! That place is the only one I could find online that I could actually order it from, but the "Special Order" up to 14 days turnaround bit had me scratching my head. I may need to just suck it up, place the order, and cross my fingers.

On 2017-02-27 10:14, HopeChest wrote:
Thanks for the link, Skip! That place is the only one I could find online that I could actually order it from, but the "Special Order" up to 14 days turnaround bit had me scratching my head. I may need to just suck it up, place the order, and cross my fingers.

Worth the wait. The 14 days, which could be much shorter, is because they don't have it on the shelf. Ace is near the distributor for the Trader Vic's rums, so they order it as needed. Ace does their special orders on Mondays and if the timing is right, they get the Royal Amber in on Tuesdays. which means you could have it pretty quick. BUT, if your order misses the Monday ordering that week, that's why it can take 14 days.

If you enjoy it, I would start stocking up on it. Now that Trader Vic's is down to just two U.S. locations, and only one of the two locations, Emeryville, USES the Royal Amber (sadly the Atlanta TV doesn't use it for their Mai Tais), this really great Mai Tai rum could go the way of Kohala Bay :(

Hey, Doc, when you use the Royal Amber in a Mai Tai, do you use alone or mix it with another rum? And have you had any success using it in other recipes?

Quality info, dear Doctor - cheers for that. I will make sure to order on a Friday or Saturday to ensure I can get on that Monday order. Funny, I had just assumed (and you know what happens when you assume!) that the Atlanta location would be using the Royal Amber as well. What are they using out there?

Hamo: at the Emeryville Trader Vic's it's a straight up 2 ounce pour of the Royal Amber for the regular Mai Tais.

Ahhhhhhhh

On 2017-03-01 06:26, Hamo wrote:
Hey, Doc, when you use the Royal Amber in a Mai Tai, do you use alone or mix it with another rum? And have you had any success using it in other recipes?

On 2017-03-01 08:57, HopeChest wrote:
Quality info, dear Doctor - cheers for that. I will make sure to order on a Friday or Saturday to ensure I can get on that Monday order. Funny, I had just assumed (and you know what happens when you assume!) that the Atlanta location would be using the Royal Amber as well. What are they using out there?

Hamo: at the Emeryville Trader Vic's it's a straight up 2 ounce pour of the Royal Amber for the regular Mai Tais.

Hamo: HopeChest knows her Emeryville Mai Tai, it is 2 oz. The Royal Amber is a custom blend of dark French rum (it says "Made in France" on the label) and (I believe) Caribbean Amber rum. This blend was likely created to allow for a single two ounce pour instead of two 1 oz pours from two different bottles. Funny you should ask about using it with another rum. When I was given my first bottle and at the time had no prospect of getting another, I tried to see if I could use it with any of my other rums to make it last twice as long. I failed after several tries with various styles of rum. Imo, nothing came close to matching how good the Royal Amber was by itself. And I have enjoyed the Mai Tai with it SO much, I haven't mixed anything but Mai Tais at home for the last several weeks!

HopeChest: the local Ohana here in DC just did a "group buy" of the Royal Amber - three cases worth! Our order went in on Monday and is being delivered Saturday to DC. Given Minnesota is pretty close to half way between us, I imagine you might get about the same kind of delivery if you time it right. As for Atlanta, and why they aren't using the Royal Amber... my best guess, and it is pure speculation is that #1, they are a franchise. I'm sure that TV HQ would prefer that they use the Royal Amber, but perhaps cannot enforce their using it. #2, it may be a question of consistency of supply. I checked with the local Atlanta distributor for the TV line of rums, they said that they do not always have it in stock, which if that is the case, the Atlanta TV may be using the TV Gold and Dark instead because they cannot afford to use an inconsistent source. (and by the way, the Royal Amber is NOT simply a blend of the TV Gold and Dark in one bottle)

On 2017-03-03 18:55, Dr. Coruba wrote:

Hamo: HopeChest knows her Emeryville Mai Tai, it is 2 oz.

Hahahaha, that would be "his", actually! Happens frequently online. It's my band's name.