Rum & lifestyle

Rum is a product of sugar cane, either in the form of molasses or cane juice, fermented and distilled in a cane-growing country, most rums are produced in the Caribbean and American countries, but also in other sugar-producing countries, such as the Philippines and India. Cocktails: When it comes to making cocktails made of Rum, I generally don't make rules. As long as you are not mixing something extremely "unsipped" is fine. There are perhaps three main types of rums sold today... There are white rums, dark rums and spiced rums. Light Rum is almost always unaged White Rum can be aged, but for a very short time – the reason being maturation adds colour to the spirit. White rums are best served as mixers for cocktails or highballs, and this is because the flavour is not as rich as dark Rum, and white rums usually lack balance and complexity. Many lightly aged rums are charcoal filtered to remove any colour it received from the ageing process, like that it's clear after the charcoal filtration. You can make the Between the sheets, Daiquiri, Mojito and Punch bowls with light Rum, best white rums in my opinion to appreciate is Plantation White 3 Stars, Bacardi and Matusalem Platino. Spiced Rum typically is aged for the same length of time as black Rum, often have additional flavours such as vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. There could also be added caramel colouring to give it a signature sweet spice taste. You should make a Mojito, Zombies and Mai tai with this type of Rum. Rum options: Sailor Jerry, Kraken and Rumbullion Spiced Rum.

Aged Rum is also known as Dark Rum and has been aged the longest of any of these types of Rum. The extended time it spends in wooden casks gives it a dark colour and deep, smoky-sweet flavour. The most common brands are Gosling's Black Seal Rum, the iconic spirit in a Dark & Stormy, and Myer's Dark Rum, used in many tiki drinks. Blended aged rums will have similarity tasting notes to a whiskey. They are typically aged between 5 to 18 years. Aged rums are perfect for mixing in stirred cocktails, such as the Old-Fashioned, Negroni, El Presidente and they are also fit for sipping neat.

There is a wide selection of Rum, but the ones which are part of my lifestyle: Pineapple Plantation, Matusalem 7-year, Appleton Estate, Zacapa 23, Sailor Jerry, Plantation XO 20-year, Eldorado Special Reserve 15-year, Rumbullion and Bacardi 8.