And rum marries better with fruit juice than any other spirit.” “You can use rum in place of whiskey, rye and especially cognac in drinks like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Sidecar. Toby Tyler, a rum savant with Afrohead rums, have long touted the vibrancy and versatility of rum.Ĭris Srokowski, global ambassador for Panama’s Ron Abuelo and an internationally acclaimed mixologist, says, “Some rums are so sweet, they are technically liqueurs that gives them a rich texture, but they are hard to mix.” Srokowski makes stunning riffs on classic cocktails by emphasizing the nuance that comes with well-aged and drier styles of rum, like Ron Abuelo.
“All rums have some sugar added,” says Tyler, “and just how much helps determine the style.” Fortunately for consumers, there are many possible nuances in how rum is made, including adding sugar back into the spirit. In many cases, that means molasses, a byproduct of sugar refining and a clue to rum’s beginnings-a way for plantation owners to stretch their income by repurposing what was basically industrial waste from processing sugar. Most regulations throughout the world (including the United States) vaguely state that rum is any spirit made from sugar cane and its derivatives. That taste begins with sugar cane and little else. Rum, in its many styles and colors, is the real taste of the tropics.” In an accent that still hints at his native Australia, he says, “I had been drinking cognac and Calvados, but when I moved to the islands, I found that a lot of spirits were too hot for my taste. Tyler is one of the owners of Afrohead, a rum he began blending a decade ago for him and customers of his boutique hotel, The Landing, on Harbour Island, Bahamas. “It’s the most versatile spirit at any bar,” says rum expert and blender Toby Tyler, noting it is the only spirit that comes in white, brown and black versions. Rum prospered through the age of pirates it fueled the Colonies’ battle for independence (Paul Revere had a fortifying mug on his ride) it was smugglers’ plunder during Prohibition boat rides from Havana to Key West and now, rum is the upscale darling of bartenders who admire its versatility as a convivial mixer and an elegant sipping spirit. Rum has come a long way from its 17th-century beginnings, a time when it was nicknamed “kill-devil” because, as an anonymous traveler in the West Indies declared in 1651, it was a “hot, hellish and terrible liquor” that could, presumably, drive out the devil himself.