After consistent days of listening to the sound of a foghorn through the gray, wet fog that seems to have dampened everyone’s spirits here in the City by the Bay I started to think of an antidote for the summer blues. Fruity umbrella cocktails of an island nature were on my mind.
Rum, a spirit initially made by Spanish colonists from the juice of sugar cane plants in Puerto Rico in the 1500's is one of the leading alcoholic beverages sold in the world. Bacardi, with the signature bat on the neck is by far one of the frequently recognized brands. It’s also been one of the largest producers and distributors since 1862.
The center of the rum producing world is the Caribbean but Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, and other warmly suited climates also produce unique blends and styles.
There are white, golden, dark, spiced and aged rums. Rum is created by distilling the by products of sugar making with water. Fermented sugarcane juice or molasses, a by-product of sugar-making is most commonly employed. It’s often aged in barrels that previously contained bourbon or cognac. Caramel is often added to aged rums. Flavored rums such as, Bacardi Limon (citrus), Cruzan flavored rums, Captain Morgan Spiced (vanilla) and Malibu (coconut) account for roughly 39% (2002) of total rum sales. I had a surprisingly tasty vanilla mojito here in the City at the new hipster spot LIME.
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