Building the Home Bar: Rum
Wojciech Boruch / 500px
The history of rum is both disturbing and uplifting. The spirit we enjoy today in our cocktails on warm, breezy beach fronts and in air-conditioned homes was not born out of comfort and indulgence. The first distillation of rum dates back to the 17th century Caribbean, where enslaved people on sugar cane plantations used the farming byproduct of molasses to make alcohol. Soon thereafter, the impurities were removed and the first versions of the type of rum we enjoy today were produced. Rum’s popularity grew into colonial North America and as the demand for sugar also increased throughout Europe, it soon became a global commodity. Rum became attributed to piracy through the British Navy, following the conquering of sugar cane plantations and Spanish rum distilleries in Jamaica. From then on, the British no longer depended on brandy as their spirit of choice and, therefore, no longer depended on their arch-nemesis, the French, for their booze.
The rums we drink today come in many different varieties, all dependent upon molasses content, aging, and filtering practices. Dark rums contain the most molasses. Their aging is prolonged and is done so in large, heavy charred barrels, giving them a deeper, richer flavor. These are rums that are often spiced in addition to their flavors of molasses or caramel. Gold rums also get their color from barrel aging but are not aged for as long, hence its namesake. Light rums are often referred to as “white” or “silver.” These typically have very little flavoring other than a general sweetness and are filtered after aging to remove any accumulated color.
Because of its inexpensiveness at its lowest common denominator, rum has unfortunately acquired connotations of a cheap, fraternity party spirit purchased and consumed for no reason other than intoxication. However, rum is a venerable spirit whose flavor and profile do not need to be hidden by accompanying cocktail ingredients or monetary limitations. Rum can certainly be dressed up in the form of a Mai Tai or Pina Colada, but simple, straightforward libations like the Daiquiri or Cuba Libre leave plenty of room for the rum to shine on center stage. Whether you’re spending a day of vacation at the poolside bar or seeking or providing refreshment at home, you should always know what you’re looking for and why you’re ordering or using any certain bottle.
With Europe’s discovery of North America, Caribbean soil was also discovered as the most fertile for sugar cane, but no place more so than Cuba. By the year 1850, Cuban soil provided more than one-third of the world’s supply of sugar, making it an excellent place to start. Havana Club’s rum production process is not one that can be taught in textbooks. Those tasked with supervising distillation are referred to as Maestros del Ron Cubano. These masters of their craft undergo a 15 year training period, learning to select the best molasses, oversee fermentation, pick the best aging casks, and how to blend. Havana Club is straightforward because it doesn’t need to be anything else. Rich sugar cane, fertile soil, and a tropical climate are all that was needed for Cuba to earn the nickname “isle of rum.” Havana Club works passionately to preserve their homeland’s tradition, a tradition whose simplistic beauty is exemplified perfectly in this three-year, naturally aged light rum that will authenticate your Mojito to the highest degree. A 700 mL bottle of Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos is available at The Whiskey Exchange for $25.
In 1791, Dutty Boukman swore an oath to liberty at a secret ceremony, sealed his pledge with a bottle of rum, and Haiti’s fight for freedom was ignited. Unlike over 98% of rums on the market, Boukman is produced the “Agricole” way, where instead of using molasses for distillation, Boukman distills directly from sugar cane juice. The sugar cane is locally harvested, pressed, and quickly fermented to preserve its dry, grassy aromas. From there, Boukman is infused with botanicals and barks native to and locally foraged in Haiti such as banded wood, oak, citrus peel, whole allspice, and clove, vanilla, and cinnamon. This rum is a product of the community it serves and represents. Boukman is derived from two of Haiti’s richest canefields. Sugarcane is grown at a farmer’s co-op in the Croix-des-Bouquets and bottled at the Deux Main co-op in Port-au-Prince. Today, 10% of Boukman Botanical Rhum's profits are reinvested back into childhood education through Haiti Futur, a Haitian-led non-profit organization with operations in five different countries. Rum’s history is riddled with dehumanization and cruelty, but now the spirit’s industry has been taken over by forces working towards the good of humankind, working to honor their ancestors and the traditions that helped sustain their culture through unimaginable hardship. Boukman Botanical Rhum is accomplishing just that, not to mention it is absolutely delicious. A 750 mL bottle of Boukman Botanical Rhum is available for $45 from Astor Wines & Spirits.
Since 1903, all Ron Abuelo rums have been distilled using raw sugar cane grown on the distillery’s very own terroir. The crop is nourished for eleven to twelve months by spring water from the terroir’s private wells. Following the annual harvest, the 85,000 tons of sugar cane are pulled, still by cattle, to the mills to be sorted. From there, fermentation with Ron Abuelo’s special yeast strain is carried out, distillation in traditional column stills takes place, and then the aging process begins. This is where the separation occurs between Centuria and all other Ron Abuelo rums. Other rums of the distillery are aged using the vintage pallet system, where barrels are refilled every two years with rum of the same age in order to control a singular flavor profile. Ron Abuelo’s Centuria is aged using the solera system, where different rums of ages between 12 and 40 years are blended together to create a perfectly balanced, bottomless pit of flavor. Every year Ron Abuelo rum is aged, the distillery loses about 8% to the ‘heavens.’ The rum is evaporated through the oak barrels into the Panamanian climate, an amount referred to as “the angels’ share”. With a rum as rich and well-rounded as Centuria, the possibility of divine intervention is not to be immediately dismissed. Ron Abuelo Centuria Rum has been awarded double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a platinum ranking by the Beverage Testing Institute. Although rum’s sweetness lends itself to the cocktail shaker, Ron Abuelo’s Centuria stands alone to be sipped neat or on the rocks, the perfect pedestal on which to indulge in its fruitful bounty. A 750 mL bottle of Ron Abuelo Centuria premium rum is available at Total Wine & More for $140.
