However, there are several reasons why this special spirit blend should excite those who love to grace their palate with it. It is made from either fermented sugarcane juice or molasses that is distilled to become alcohol at about 80 proof or higher. So for those who love to chew off the stem of the sweet cane, it gives you an opportunity to enjoy it in a glass.
There are a lot of things about rum that are exciting to the drinker, from the several flavour palettes ranging from fruity and grassy to caramel and cinnamon to the lovable flavours when mixed to make a cocktail.
However, here are 10 more things that will certainly excite you about rum.
1. Rum is the fun one
Unlike other spirit drinks including cognac, bourbon, scotch, and tequila, rum has no international regulations surrounding its production method or place. So that means if all the above were your friends, (and they should be), rum would be the fun one – holding no bars in the level of adventure you can experience with it.
This rainbow factor about rum also means you have to do a lot of research before settling for a particular brand as the quality is not always guaranteed. You may not love to do a lot of reading, but look at the fun side, you get to know more about your favourite spirit.
2. Not made for the sunshine alone
It is good that rum is one for the sun, when the sour moments of life are nothing but shadows.Rum can also be enjoyed on cold weather. The drink comes with excellent flavours that can be both refreshing and warming, especially on a cold night with your lover.
3. It is sweet
No wonder it is such a favourite during the summer holidays and warm days. The sweetness of rum just makes it easy for it to be enjoyed while taking in the warmth of the weather, and the beautiful conversations that follow.
4. Not all rum is sweet
Certainly not all of us are sweet-toothed, and same goes for rum. So for those who love a tint of bitterness in their drink, some rum brands offer this. This is the great diversity of taste for which rum-drinkers are constantly excited about.
5. Hangovers do not come with every rum
Hardly does anyone love the morning headaches, dry mouth and tiredness that comes after a heavy night of drinking, and dark rum is one of the most feared when it comes to hangovers. However, since rum comes in different colours, white rum provides an alternative for people who fear rum-induced hangovers. You have heard that to avoid hangovers, it is best to keep your alcohol clear; but we say to avoid hangovers, keep your rum white.
6. It is great with cocktails
The Rum Sour is one great example of how well rum goes with cocktails. Another significant cocktail is the Bermuda Dark ’n’ Stormy, made with ginger beer and dark rum and full of intense flavour. Actually, every area where rum is produced comes with its own epic rum cocktail.
7. You may not only be drinking
Yeah! There is no argument that rum has medicinal benefits to the drinker, which is why we say you may not only be drinking, you might also be healing your body. Osteoporosis and intermittent claudication (muscle pain) can be prevented with the intake of rum. It can also cure common cold due to its anti-microbial properties.
Rum is already a classic drink in it’s own right, but when described as hot and buttered, it speaks volume of a reputable mixed drink – Hot Buttered Rum.
Hot buttered rum is a sweet and creamy mixed drink made with rum, butter, a sweetener, hot water or cider, and spices (usually cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg). It is traditionally associated with the Christmas holiday period in the US. This is most especially because it keeps you warm in the midst of the cold, frigid snowy weather.
History of Hot Buttered Rum
The story behind the emergence of hot buttered rum is a bit muddled. In the United States, the history of hot buttered rum dates back to the colonial period. It is said to have been invented in the 1650s when molasses were being imported to America from Jamaica. Distilleries opened up in New England where colonists then began adding distilled rum to hot beverages such as toddies and nogs, creating hot buttered rum, eggnog and others.
Another American legend credits the invention of hot buttered rum to the time of George Washington and the American independence. As recorded in The American Heritage Cookbook, hot buttered rum “found its way into domestic politics.” It speaks about a drink that was used to influence constituents and sway votes.
Another account holds that hot buttered rum originated from Europe at a time when water was contaminated, thus making drinking alcohol a safer alternative. During the winter months, warming drinks became antidotes to the poorly insulated buildings in Europe. At the time, everyone searched for creative ways to make their warm drinks, and that is how hot buttered rum became a thing.
According to another story, hot buttered rum is the creation of mariners who needed to stay warm on the high sea while making voyages.
Hot Buttered Rum in Popular Culture
Widely regarded as a holiday cocktail in America, hot buttered rum is a major feature during the Christmas season. Many lovers of the drink believe it bears the very taste of Christmas on the palate – sweet, loving, comfortable and warm.
The popularity of the drink inspired the name of a San Francisco Bay Area – Hot Buttered Rum. The band who have been performing since 2002 got national attention in the US when it song, “Right Between Your Eyes” made the theme music for Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen, a PBS television show. Hot Buttered Rum is a five-piece progressive bluegrass act with resounding performances at music festivals such as Newport Folk Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and South by Southwest. The band has also performed with the likes of Ben Harper, Bela Fleck and Peter Rowan.
Hot Buttered Rum is celebrated annually in the US on January 17th, and the rest of the world are quickly joining in the tradition for the sheer love of the drink.
Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
The recipe of hot buttered rum varies according to individual choices. The debate about how best to make the drink is unending and continues to brew much like the making of it. While some recipes prefer homemade caramel to be melted into hot rum, others choose to cream butter with sugar and let it melt over a warm stove. Easily, some people decide to use Dutch Caramel Vodka in place of caramel or cream butter and sugar.
You are free to go for any of the preferred recipes you find, and which suits your style. However, here is our preferred hot buttered rum recipe.
When the rains come pouring heavy from the skies, it is the custom of many men to engage a bottle or glass of spirit to stay warm and fight the cold.
Tequila and rum are two among the range of brands to choose from, making the whole drinking experience a lot more fun. Why? Because the time taken to decide on what to drink builds anticipation for the drink, which in turn makes the drink taste even better when served.
However, while we do enjoy the taste of our preferred spirit drink, many do not know the difference between rum and tequila.
So what is the difference between tequila and rum?
What is tequila?
Tequila is a spirit drink from Mexico. It is distilled from the fermented juices taken from the Blue Agave plants. The history of the drink can be traced back to the early 1800’s when the liquor was first produced in the Tequila Region, located in the state of Jalisco.
What is rum?
Rum is distilled from fermented molasses or sugar cane, and it is quite popular in Central and South America. It gets its name from saccharum, the Latin word for sugar. Its history dates back to the 17th century, when rum was first produced in the West Indies.
Production Process
How Rum is made
Rum is made from the tall grass popularly know as sugar cane. Either molasses or sugarcane juice are extracted from the plant, fermented, distilled and aged in oak barrels to make rum
Traditionally, the cane is cut close to the root where the concentration of sugar is highest, before the leafy top is lopped off. The cut cane is promptly transported to the mill where it is crushed in a machine to extract the sugar cane juice from the fibrous pulp. In some cases, the crushed fibre is burnt to provide heat for the distillation column.
Once the juice has been extracted, depending on the region, there are three processes that might follow:
The juice is immediately fermented and distilled to make rum. This kind of rum bears the vegetal characteristics of the cane. This practice is popular in the French West Indies (Martinique and Guadalupe).
Cook down and concentrate the sugar cane juice into a syrup. The syrup is either fermented and distilled or used as sweetening product. Fermented syrup is sure to bring out most of the characteristics of sugar cane juice, enabling distillation all year round, rather than just at the harvest.
The juice is made into molasses and crystallized sugar. The crystallized sugar is sold as a sweetening product, and the molasses can be fermented and distilled into rum. Most rums are distilled from molasses.
Fermentation
Water and yeast are added to the base liquid before the fermentation process begins. This process is referred to as natural fermentation. On the other end of it, the fermentation might involve tightly controlled laboratory-like conditions. Commercial production of rum makes use of both processes for an efficient and predictable rum.
The fermentation process sometimes takes just several hours, but it can also take up to a week or more depending on the desired effect.
Distillation
There is no standard process for the distillation of rum as compared to other spirits like whiskey, cognac and brandy. Distilling rum is quite a simple process nonetheless. The fermented liquor is heated in a sealed vessel to approximately 175 degrees Fahrenheit, evaporating the alcohols from the liquid. The alcohols are then re-condensed and collected, yielding the raw spirit.
The liquid is usually distilled using either pot stills or column stills. Pot stills produce a liquor with more congeners than column still, making the rum more rounded.
Blending and Aging
Rum is traditionally aged in bourbon casks, and the aging period can take up to a year. However, other wooden casks can be used as well as stainless steel tanks. The colour of the rum depends on what it was aged in. While rum aged in oak casks become dark, the ones aged in stainless steel tanks remain colourless.
After the aging process, the rum is blended to ensure a consistent taste. For light rums, there may be a filtration to remove any colour gained during aging. Meanwhile, caramel may be added to darker rums to balance the colour of the final product. Blending is usually the last stage of the rum-making process.
How Tequila is made
Tequila is made from blue agave plants. The piña of the agave plant is harvested manually using an extractor called “Jimador.” It takes about 17 pounds of Agave to produce 1 liter of 100% Agave Tequila, each weighing between 65 and 135 pounds.
Fermentation
To extract the agave juice, the piña hearts split open and steamed in large pressure cookers. The juice that flows out are collected in large steel vats for fermentation. Yeast is added to the juice and it is left to ferment for up to 12 hours or even several days. The duration of the fermentation process depends the amount of water and sugar in the piñas, the type of yeast used and the ambient temperature.
In order to speed up the fermentation process, , inoculum is sometimes added to the batch. The addition of inoculum makes the fermentation take approximately 20 hours to 3 days. Whereas, if inoculum is not added, it could take up to 7 days for proper fermenting to occur. The rate at which the liquid ferments affects the overall taste of the tequila.
Distillation
Tequila undergoes a double distillation process just like whiskey. After fermentation is done, the liquid undergoes the first distillation process also known as “deztrozamiento” or “smashing.” This process takes a couple hours and yields a liquid with an alcohol level of about 20% known as “ordinario.” It is then distilled again till a potent high-proof Tequila emerges from the still with an alcohol level near 55%. The second distillation is known as “rectification,” and takes three to four hours. Some tequilas are distilled a third time, but this is not a frequent process. After the second distillation the tequila is considered silver, or “blanco,” tequila.
Aging
French or American white oak barrels that have previously been used to age bourbon are used in aging tequila. Reposados are aged between two months to a year, Añejos are aged between one and three years and Extra Añejos are aged for over three years. All tequilas are colurless after distillation, but the longer the tequila ages, the more coluor and tannins the final product will have. The taste of the final product is also affected by the condition of the barrels (such as their age, previous use and if their interiors have been burnt or toasted).
Difference between Tequila and Rum
In spite of the fact that tequila and rum undergo similar production processes – fermentation, distillation and aging in old bourbon casks – both spirit drinks still have outstanding differences.
Tequila
Rum
Tequila can only be produced in the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, in the central western Mexican state of Jalisco.
Rum can be produced wherever sugar cane is grown.
There are three varieties of tequila. Blanco, Reposado and Añejo.
Rum is typically classified as light, dark or flavored.
Tequila must be made up of at least 51 percent Agave, if not it is a mescal.
Rum is made largely from the bye-product of sugar cane like molasses and sugar cane juice.
Popular in Mexico
Popular in Central and South America
Tequila has a wild and dangerous side to it, though can be enjoyed in less formal situations, but never ends well if taken in high quantity.
Rum comes with a carnival vibe, less sophistication in a black-tie, after-dinner setting.
Daiquiri cocktail is just more than one special drink mix. It is a range of cocktails that makes use of mainly rum, lime juice and sugar.
Invented by American mining engineer Jennings Cox, the cocktail shares a name with a beach and an iron mine near Santiago de Cuba. Jennings certainly got the name from Cuba during the Spanish-American war.
For a long time, it remained a local drink consumed in a tall glass packed with cracked ice. Lime juice was squeezed over a teaspoon of sugar that was poured over the ice. Two or three ounces of white rum was traditionally used for the drink.
The cocktail had more drinkers after Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson introduced the drink to it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. Soon it became the favourite drink of author Ernest Hemingway and President John F. Kennedy.
Daiquiri cocktail grew in popularity by the 1940s with World War II rationing making whiskey and vodka scarce, and rum, the mainstay of the cocktail, much more available. Also, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor policy led to rum, formerly seen as gin for sailors and outcasts, becoming fashionable.
It’s popularity has grown beyond the Cuban borders where it was born, and is now a favourite cocktail choice for cocktail lovers and mixologists the world over.
“There’s naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion.” – Lord Byron
Rum is a timeless, unique alcoholic beverage with a rich history and to appreciate while you drink, it’s only right that you get to know a little more about it.
Rum – fermented and distilled from sugarcane by-products or sugarcane juice, then commonly aged in oak barrels – is mainly produced in the Caribbean and Latin America but also in South Africa, India, Scotland, United States and many other countries. It is an impressively diverse spirit ranging from light and dry to dark and rich, thus, still embraced by a curious cocktail culture today. The origin and nature of rum is well-known and easy to access on the internet, so we will delve into these lesser-known facts instead.
They have no classification system
Unlike cognac and bourbon, rum is not regulated by any sort of strict definitive classification system. With rum, individual countries have their own standards. This means that any spirit starting with some form of sugarcane can be referred to as rum. Consequently, rums can range from clear and gin-like to dark molasses-heavy brews.
Rums are categorised by colour
If you absolutely need to differentiate between rums, it’s important to note that they are commonly categorised by colour. These are the light or white rums, gold or amber rums, dark rums and black rums. Light rums are the mildest. They are sweet and generally have little flavour. Gold and amber rums have spent more time in some sort of barrel than the light rums and have a stronger taste. Dark rums have been barrel or cask-caged for even longer and taste a little like whisky while black rums are as rich as Guinness.
Rums have specific terms for identification
Similar to when identifying French wine labels, rum can be identified by specific terms. Rums identified as “rhum industriel” are those which were made from sugarcane by-products while the ones identified as “rhum agricole” are seasonal rums made from the juice of fresh sugarcane.
That your rum is sweet isn’t necessarily a bad thing
Rum is sweet or dry depending on three factors: the duration of its aging process, the type of barrel it aged in and the form of sugarcane used. The degree of dryness with rums in general is significantly diverse. Common dry rums like Brugal Extra Dry are no better than sweet rums like the vanilla-scented Old Monk 7 Year from India. They were just made differently.
Rum is your best bet against a hangover
Even in Barbados, the birthplace of rum where it’s been distilled since 1703, people fear rum-induced hangovers so much that most resort to vodka. In reality, all light-coloured spirits including vodka, gin or filtered rum is your best bet for pain prevention. You aren’t more prone to a hangover with rum, and besides, a glass of water and banana before bed won’t hurt.
Rum has medicinal properties
Rum was especially useful for armies at war until a couple of decades ago. The British Army for instance, gave rations of rum it called “tot o’ rum” to its sailors because a mixture of rum and wine kept the risk of scurvy at bay. It was the added dash of lime to the mix that actually prevented scurvy.
Rum owes a great deal to advancements in air-conditioning and tourism
The latter half of the 20th century saw the development of modern-day air-conditioning, and this made it possible for large numbers of people to migrate to warmer regions in the world where rum remained the dominant spirit. Naturally, the massive increase in tourists in such regions led to a rise in rum’s popularity.
Rum was at the core of the slavery triangle
From the late 16th to the early 19th century, rum was at the epicentre of the slavery triangle. The first leg of the triangle had to do with the shipment of molasses to New England from the Caribbean to produce rum. After this, came the shipment of rum to West Africa to trade for slaves and the last leg of the triangle involved the passage of slave ships to the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and South America where slaves were put to work in the sugarcane fields.
The most expensive rum is nameless
The most expensive rum in the world doesn’t have a specific name but makes up for that in price. This rum was bottled in the 1940s by the Jamaican distillers Wray and Nephew, and contains blends that experts say date as far back as 1915. The bottle has been displayed at Europe’s first Rum Festival (RumFest) and there are only four such bottles remaining in the world! These bottles are valued at a whopping $40,000 each.
Admiral Nelson was preserved in rum
The infamous Admiral Nelson who died in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar is said to have had his body preserved in a cask of rum before finally being laid to rest. As a result of this incident, rum was referred to as “Nelson’s blood” for a while. It is not known for sure whether the cask was full or mostly empty.
The Mojito is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. It is simple and delicious, however there are so many ways you can have a Mojito. Try out the recipes below, and have fun with them!
Want to have some cocktail fun at home all by yourself? There’s no need to break the bank or muddle recipes up. Here are 7 simple do-it-yourself cocktails that are easy to prepare and serve to your guests.
Classic Mojito
Ingredients:
Captain Morgan White Rum (50 ml)
(1 dash) Soda Water
(2 tsps.) Caster Sugar
2 Lime Wedges
1 Mint Sprig
Crushed ice
Process:
In a mixing glass, mix caster sugar and lime wedges together using a pestle or a large spoon to extract lime flavour and aroma.
Mash about 12 leaves from the mint sprigs together with the lime and sugar.
Add crushed ice to about three-fourths of the glass.
Pour the rum and dash of soda.
Use a spoon to stir the drink thoroughly.
Garnish with a few crushed mint leaves and add crushed ice. Serve cold.
Daiquiri is from a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice, and sugar or other any other sweetener. The daiquiri is one of the six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury’s classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.
The Daiquiri Story is very essential to drink history. In 1898, after Roosevelt’s victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Americans began to exploit Cuba’s iron-ore mines. Cox led one of the initial exploratory expeditions. Cox and his team worked in the Sierra Maestra Mountains on the south-eastern shore of Cuba where the small town of Daiquiri lies and it was while he was there that he created his classic drink.
The engineers in Cuba received substantial salaries and generous tobacco rations, after all there had to be some incentives for these qualified engineers to leave their secure positions in the USA and brave the threat of yellow fever in Cuba. Thankfully our hero also requested they each received a monthly ration of the local rum, Bacardi Carta Blanca. Noticing that the Cuban workers often mixed Bacardi with their evening coffee, he began to experiment himself.
Legend has it that another engineer called Pagliughi was viewing mines in the region and met with Cox. During their meeting they set about making a drink from the ingredients Cox had to hand: rum, limes and sugar, and thus history was made.
The original recipe and other such historical references specify Bacardi carta Blanca as the rum used to make a Daiquiri. Thus to make an authentic Daiquiri you should use a light white rum. And as Bacardi purports to be made using the same strain of cultured yeast and recipe as I Jennings Cox’s day, then modern day Bacardi Carta Blanca is a natural choice.
Enjoy a Daiquiri today and remember the great Mr. Cox as you do so.
There’s something really exciting about taking childhood treats and switching them up. The delicate balance of innocence and cheekiness—of creaminess and booziness—in spirit-drenched ice cream hits a real sweet spot on a sweltering afternoon. What better thing to try this weekend than these recipes for ice cream filled with booze?
To make the ice cream, blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, heavy cream, milk, vanilla extract and salt until combined using an immersion blender, handheld mixer or regular blender. Chill the base for at least two hours. Stir in the bourbon, and churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions until you reach your desired consistency. Spread the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for at least 4 hours before serving.
To make the berries, melt the butter in saucepan over low-medium heat, and add the sugar. Stir in the berries and bourbon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries soften and the mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. It will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the ice cream.
To make the ice cream, heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it simmers. Add the ginger and remove from heat. Let the ginger steep for at least 10 minutes. Strain out the ginger, and let the cream cool to room temperature. Blend together the ginger-infused cream, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt until combined using an immersion blender, handheld mixer or regular blender.
Chill the base for at least two hours. Stir in the rum, and churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions until you reach your desired consistency. (If you’re using the candied ginger, add it in the last minute of churning.) Spread the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for at least 4 hours before serving.
To make the chocolate sauce, heat the cream with the light brown sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the cream just starts to bubble. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Add the rum and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. Serve over ice cream. Store leftover chocolate sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Make sure you have fun trying these recipes out. You can tweet us showing us your recipes or tag us on Instagram!
To make the Piña Colada add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
Shake, and strain into a Hurricane glass filled with fresh ice.
(You may also blend all the ingredients with crushed ice instead.) Garnish with a cherry and a pineapple wedge.
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