A Little Rum History

People have sung songs about it and written about it, banned it, bootlegged it and praised it.  Many mysterious legends place it as the libation of choice for pirates and swashbucklers.  It’s an important part of the culture of most Caribbean countries and was even given as part of daily rations to British sailors for over 300 years, until the custom was abolished in 1970.  Without a doubt rum, and the people that consume it, make for some interesting tales.

The rums we enjoy today come mostly from Caribbean countries or certain parts of South America.  It is made in other locations as well; such as Australia, Fiji and the Philippines, and there are even a handful of micro-distillers in the US.  Rum is usually made from molasses, a byproduct of sugar cane processing, or it can be made directly from the juice of pressed sugar cane.  Freshly distilled rum is clear but it can be aged in wooden barrels to further develop the complex flavors and impart color.

Most cigar lovers have tried rum with their cigar at one time or another, and for many it is considered the perfect accompaniment to a great smoke.  Whether you choose to take it neat, on the rocks, or perhaps in a cocktail such as a mojito or Cuba Libre, you’ll no doubt enjoy a time of peaceful relaxation with your stogie in one hand and this great libation in the other.

Common Varieties of Rum

Rums come in many variations, but there are three basic styles that serve as a foundation for most other rums.

Light Rum: Generally light rums have minimal aging.  They offer very simple flavors, generally providing only some sweetness.  Light rums are excellent for cocktails.
Gold Rum: Gold rums are  aged in wooden barrels, generally white oak bourbon barrels.  The barrel aging adds color and some flavors to the rum.
Dark Rum: Aged longer than gold rums, dark rums gain much more character and depth of flavor than light or gold rums.  Many premium dark rums can be enjoyed neat and will produce flavors of molasses, caramel and some spices on the palate.

Working with the styles above there are other variations of rum available such as spiced rums and flavored rums.  Most cigar lovers stick with the core rums but may occasionally enjoy a spiced rum and coke, however there are those out there that love flavored rums as well.

Different Varieties of Rum

A Few Rums That I Enjoy

Rum is definitely my drink of choice.  One of my favorite cocktails is the Mojito and I enjoy the Cuba Libre as well, both of these pair well with cigars.  However, if I really want to indulge, there’s nothing like a dark, aged rum served neat and poured a heavy 2 fingers deep.

One of the great things about enjoying rum is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a great bottle of rum.  Many of my friends that drink Scotch get a bit jealous when I’m able to get a fantastic rum for $35.00 – $40.00 a bottle.  You can even get some good rums in the $25.00 range and I’ve found a great light rum for cocktails at only $9.99 per bottle.

Brugal White Rum: (~$10.00/750 ml) I never would have picked this rum off the shelf if I didn’t recognize the name from a bottle gifted to one of my friends by a Dominican cigar maker.  At $9.99 this is a great bargain for an excellent mixing rum.  It tastes great in a mojito, with simple rum flavors and a hint of sweetness.
Pyrat XO:  (~$25.00/750 ml) This is a tasty, affordable rum.  The sweetness of this rum is secondary with some great citrus flavors most noticeable.  I enjoy this on the rocks, or even mixed, but do not care for the Pyrat served neat.
Ron Zacapa Centenario 23: (~$38.00/750 ml) The Ron Zacapa 23 steps into a different realm than the Pyrat or Brugal.  This is a blended rum from Guatemala and includes some rum aged for 23 years.  This gorgeous amber rum can be enjoyed neat and will delight you with flavors or molasses and vanilla.  One of my very favorite rums.
Zaya Gran Reserva: (~$40.00/750 ml)  Until recently the Zaya rum was made in Guatemala but recently moved to Trinidad.  Zaya is another fantastic rum.  It is neck-in-neck with the Zacapa as my favorite, however both are enjoyable and offer slightly different flavor profiles.  Sipping this neat offers very noticeable vanilla and lingering in the background I detected flavors of banana.  A friend noticed the same when sampling this rum.

Thirsty Yet?

If you haven’t tried rum with your cigar, you should.  Even you Scotch lovers may be surprised by a premium rum, on more than one occasion I’ve heard my Scotch drinking friends say “Wow, that’s good,” when I pour them a taste from a great bottle of rum.  Not to mention, my bottle of premium rum was probably $50.00 – $100.00 less than their bottle of Scotch.

Try one of the rums above when you get a chance.  To get you started here’s a simple recipe for the famous Cuba Libre.

Cuba Libre Recipe

Ingredients:
- Lime
- Rum
- Coke
- Ice

Preparation:
1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the ice
3. Splash in a generous portion of rum
4. Fill with Coke.
5. Garnish with more lime and enjoy!