Professor Cocktail

Professor Cocktail's Holiday Gift Guide: Rum

This week we're running our holiday gift guide, with suggestions for spirits in different categories. So far we've offered our bourbon recommendations and gin recommendations. Today we're doing rum.

Professor Cocktail's Holiday Gift Guide: Rum

Rum doesn't get the respect that whiskey does, but it's just as wonderful a spirit. Although it shines brightest in cocktails, the right rum is also delicious on its own.

The Bacardi Alternative: Cruzan Aged Light Rum ($14)

Both better and cheaper than the ubiquitous Bacardi, this rum is aged for two years and then filtered to remove the color. A very good all-purpose rum.

The Best Jamaican Rum: Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year-Old ($35)

My favorite rum for a whole slew of cocktails, including the Mai Tai, this is also great all by itself. Everyone needs some in the cabinet.

Sip, Sip Away: El Dorado 12 Year-Old ($26)

Rich, balanced and bursting with flavor, this is my favorite sipping rum. One of the best buys in all of spirits. Try finding a 12 year-old Scotch this amazing for under 30 bucks.

The Ultimate White Rum: Banks 5 Island ($26)

A great addition to any cocktail. It will make your Daiquiris, Mojitos and everything else sing.

Rum for Whiskey Fans: Mount Gay Extra Old ($40)

Convert the whiskey lover in your life to rum with this dry, complex spirit. Hailing from Barbados, the birthplace of rum, everything Mount Gay makes is good and this is probably their best.

We've included links for each suggestion to K&L Wines (where available). K&L is a great spirits store, with impeccable service and a sterling reputation. You can order from them with confidence. Send them an email to see if they ship to your state. (Note: We're not being compensated for these links.)

Cocktail of the Day: Scorpion (a la Trader Vic)

Scorpion

2 oz Light Rum
1 oz Brandy
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat

Shake with a lot of crushed ice and then pour unstrained into a large glass.

A version of Trader Vic's classic Scorpion Bowl, a drink served in a large bowl for 2-4 guests to enjoy, rejiggered to an individual size. This was originally a blended drink, but I've found it still tastes great when made with crushed ice.

(If you want a large version, as seen in the picture, just double everything.)

Plantation Rum Releases Its First White Rum

Great news from the rum blenders at Cognac Ferrand -- they're making a new white rum.

The spirit masters at Cognac Ferrand, producers of the award-winning Plantation Rum portfolio, have their own special twist on rums: cherry picking the very best aged rums from around the Caribbean and Latin America and bringing them to Cognac to be refined for a second aging in their own Cognac barrels, a technique only performed by Ferrand.

Now, for the first time ever, Plantation Rum introduces its first white rum - Plantation 3 Stars, named in honor of the three rum-producing stars of the Caribbean from which Plantation 3 Stars is crafted: Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica. Launching across the country beginning this September, Plantation 3 Stars (41.2% ABV) will retail for approximately $24.99 for a 1 liter bottle.

Almost every rum company offers a white rum. But Cognac Ferrand proprietor Alexandre Gabriel wanted to make one that stood out from the rest using aged and un-aged rums and the company’s exceptional Cognac blending skills.

Gabriel says “Most white rums on the market today are either too neutral and too vodka-like or too rough and rustic. We wanted a rum that shows character, elegance, complexity and a great finish – the ideal rum for cocktails. Blending is not a science, it’s an art because you are working with a product of nature. In Cognac, to become a great cellar master and blender it takes 20 years of practice and training. This is the know-how we bring to Plantation 3 Stars.”

For Plantation 3 Stars, Gabriel decided to use a 3-year aged Trinidad rum, carbon filtered to maintain its white color and to remove the heavier tannins while preserving the aromatics developed and refined by aging. Un-aged rums from Barbados and Jamaica are blended, along with a 12 year aged rum from Jamaica. The Jamaican rum is an expensive ingredient but key to the taste of the overall blend. Each rum in the blend brings its own characteristics.

Says Gabriel, “This is the beauty of blending. You can capture the best of each - Trinidad brings elegance and refinement, Barbados brings character and aromatics with fruit notes without being too heavy and Jamaican brings the funk, the touch that makes it a complete product.”

Tweaking the rum was a delicate process. In the end, Gabriel decided on an ABV of 41.2 percent. Says Gabriel, “I was dreaming about this rum and could mentally taste it before it was even made. We wanted character and personality, but didn’t want it to be too heavy because it our goal was to make a balanced and elegant rum exceptional for cocktails," said Gabriel. "We found the perfect balance for Plantation 3 Stars at 41.2% alcohol by volume."

The white rum category is a competitive market cornered by huge corporations. Gabriel notes, “We are a small artisanal spirit producer so from a marketing perspective this product makes no sense. But on the other hand, we felt that we had it in us to create a hell of a white rum and could not resist the creative urge. We really worked long and hard at it and the process was exciting for everyone at Ferrand. We hope Plantation 3 Stars makes people’s taste buds dance! After all, the work we do is for great pleasure - that’s what we’re all about.”

TASTING NOTES: Plantation 3 Stars White Rum

Keenly vibrant and well-balanced, Plantation 3 Stars displays the finesse and style of Trinidad and Barbados well integrated with the character and fuller flavors of Jamaica. On the nose it has delicate notes of tropical fruits intertwined with brown sugar and ripe banana. On the palate it displays subtle spices and floral notes with a finish of sugar cane and vanilla.

Cocktail of the Day: Miehana

Miehana

1 oz Gold Rum
1 oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Grand Marnier
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice

Shake with ice, then pour unstrained into a Collins glass. Add more ice if necessary.

It's Tiki time, baby! Adapted from a recipe by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry.

Cocktail of the Day: Skinny Colada

Skinny Colada

2 oz Jamaican Rum
2 oz Coconut Water
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
Splash (squeeze) of Lime Juice

Stir in a glass with ice.

A cool, flavorful drink without a lot of calories. Make sure to use a good quality rum, since there isn't a lot of syrup covering it up. 

Appleton Estate Reserve Rum Wins First Place

Congrats to one of my favorite brands of rum, Appleton Estate!

Appleton Estate Reserve was awarded the prestigious 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge Chairman's Trophy, surpassing all other brands as the top overall selection in the rum category. Appleton Estate Reserve received a first place score of 96 points and an "Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation" from the panel of esteemed judges!

Held in New York City each year, the Ultimate Spirits Challenge has quickly become one of the premier spirits tasting competitions. Leading industry expert and event founder F. Paul Pacult served on the elite judging panel, along with other prominent authors, spirits buyers, journalists, bar owners, consultants, and educators. The panel judged each entry for superior quality and value. 

Appleton Estate 12 Year Old was also a finalist in the rum category, scoring an exceptional 93 points with an "Excellent, High Recommendation" from the judges.

Cocktail of the Day: Cherry Mojito

 
Cherry Mojito

2 oz White Rum
4 Cherries
6 Mint Leaves
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice 
Soda Water

In the bottom of a tall glass, muddle cherries with mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup. You don't need to muddle it too hard. Add rum. Fill the glass 3/4 of the way with ice and stir. Top with soda water.

A cool, tall, refreshing drink for summer.

Rum Review: Denizen Rum

Denizen Rum
Dutch Rum
Final Grade: A-
Price: $14 (750ml)

Denizen Rum is something of a paradox. It's a Caribbean rum, but it is blended in Europe. It's an aged rum, but it is crystal clear. It's a quality rum, but it is sold at a very affordable price. One thing is no mystery, however: this rum is a winner.

Denizen begins with aged Trinidadian rum from the Angostura distillery, which is charcoal filtered to remove all color. It is then blended in the Netherlands with small amounts of 15 different pot-distilled Jamaican rums, giving it much more flavor and body than is typically found in clear rum.

And clear it is. Denizen has a bright, clean appearance, accompanied by a subtle floral, sugar cane aroma. It has a silky, medium-bodied mouthfeel -- it's immediately apparent that this rum hasn't been distilled to death. There's still a lot of character here.

The flavor is spicy and dry, only slightly sweet, with a medium-long finish. It definitely has some heat to it that reminds you you're drinking rum. You can also taste the vanilla and oak that indicate it spent some time in wood.

Denizen is certainly a rum you can sip neat, especially with a couple ice cubes to cool its fire a bit. But it really shines in cocktails. Almost any drink that calls for a white rum, from a Daiquiri to a Mojito to a Piña Colada, will be improved by the use of Denizen rum. Its versatility means you can use it virtually anywhere with good results.

Best of all, this rum won't break the bank. You can buy a bottle from DrinkUpNY for only $13. Most of the time you can't even find Bacardi for that cheap, and this rum runs circles around that better-known brand.

Currently, Denizen is only available in New York State, but hopefully they'll be getting wider distribution soon. This is a rum that's too good to pass by.

Report Card:

Quality Grade: B+
Value Grade: A
Final Grade: A-

Rum Review: Cockspur Fine Rum and Cockspur 12 Rum

Cockspur Fine Rum
Bajan Rum
Final Grade: B+
Price: $18 (750ml)

Cockspur 12 Rum
Bajan Rum
Final Grade: C
Price: $30 (750ml)

Barbados is the original home of rum, and one of the better known Barbadian (or Bajan) producers of the spirit is Cockspur. They currently make two rum expressions that are distributed in the United States: Cockspur Fine Rum and Cockspur 12.

Both of these are gold or amber rums, distilled from fermented molasses. They are typical of the Bajan style: more dry than sweet, with a toasty, floral aroma.

Cockspur Fine Rum is the "entry-level" bottling. It is lighter in color than the Cockspur 12, and has a spicy, brown sugar smell. Its taste is smooth, with an initial burst of caramel, followed by a dryer flavor of oak. The finish lingers a bit on the tongue, with a nice, tingling presence, but not an overhwhelming amount of heat.

Although the Cockspur Fine is primarily intended as a mixing rum, it was still quite suitable for sipping neat. It would go well with a little Coke or ginger beer, if you'd like something on the sweet side. I mixed it in a Daiquiri and it was delicious. A very sold rum, especially for the price.

The Cockspur 12 Rum, however, did not accord itself so well. When compared to the Fine Rum, I found it lacking in most ways.

The Cockspur 12 starts off well. It is beautiful in the glass, a gorgeous dark amber color with medium body. Its smell is close to the Fine Rum: brown sugar and alcohol with a little oak. Once I took a sip, however, the disappointment set in.

This rum was very hot and rough for a blend of spirits aged so long. (Cockspur 12 is made from the oldest rums in the distillery. It is not technically a 12-year-old spirit, but some of the rums in it are that old.) The flavor is dry and oaky, with a touch of vanilla. There is almost no sweetness to this rum. It has a bitter, almost leathery flavor that I didn't care for.

Even after some time in the glass, I found it less than ideal for sipping. I did try mixing it in a cocktail -- a Daiquiri, naturally -- and it was very tasty like that. However, a rum like this has to rise or fall when drunk on its own.

The Cockspur 12 does have some things to recommend it. It has a lot of complexity to its flavor profile -- there's a lot going on here -- and a long finish. If you're used to drinking single malt Scotch, this is a rum you might like to try. For my taste, however, I'll be reaching for a different bottle.

Report Card: Cockspur Fine Rum

Quality Grade: B+
Value Grade: B+
Final Grade: B+

Report Card: Cockspur 12 Rum

Quality Grade: C-
Value Grade: C+
Final Grade: C

Rum XP Awards - Best in Class

At the Rum Renaissance Festival in Miami last week, 25 judges gathered to taste over 100 different rums. These people are, presumably, some serious rum drinkers, so I was excited to read their results. Medals were given out for Gold, Silver and Bronze -- but here is the list of those rums that were named Best in Class.

1 Barrel
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
Plantation Guatemala Gran Añejo
Plantation Jamaica 2000
Plantation XO 20th Anniversary
Poesia Cachaça
Rhum J.M. White
Santa Teresa Araku
Siesta Key Spiced
Panama Red

Congratulations to all the winners!