Know Your Rum

Rum is a spirit that should be in everyone’s cabinet year-round. Thanks to its versatile flavors, it can be the base of some great cocktails or add a nice kick to some delicious desserts.

The production of rum is rather simple and unlike other alcohols; the distillation process is essentially lawless. Legend has it, a Barbadian slave received a nice buzz after trying molasses that had been in the sun for a few days. This concoction became popular among the slaves and land owners decided to begin production. Boom, rum was born!

The simplicity of rum allows it to be produced around the world, but the best ones come from the Caribbean and Latin America. There are four different types of rum you need to know about:

Light Rum

Aged for about a year in wooden barrels or stainless steel containers and filtered multiple times, they carry the same hefty feel of darker rums minus the oaky flavor and color. The clarity makes them good option for cocktails like the Mojito.

Amber Rum

Also known as Gold rum, these rums are aged for three years and have a rich but sweet flavor. It works great for rum cake.

Dark Rum

Aged for a minimum of five years, these rums carry a deep smoky-sweet flavor and a rich dark caramel color. It’s the key for the Bermuda classic cocktail, Dark n’ Stormy.

Spiced Rum

Aged for around the same length as dark rum, but followed with mixing in some colorings and spices to give it that signature spicy flavor. It’s a perfect addition to some hot cocoa for those cold winter nights; add some marshmallows and boom you have a perfect hot cocktail.

Differences between high and low quality is simply taste. Ignore the fancy bottles and wording just trust your instincts.

Happy sippin’!