RUM
DISTILLATION
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BASE INGREDIENT
WATER
YEAST
FLAVOURINGS
RUM
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Juicing (by crushing or pressing)
for fruits
or other sugary bases to extract
their liquid
Malting Milling Mashing for grains
Malting — The grain or starch
is moistened and heated
slightly to launch germination
(“sprouting”), which causes
the grain’s starches to convert
to fermentable sugars.
Milling — After malting, the
grain is milled into smaller
pieces to expose the sugars.
Mashing — The milled grain
or starch is heated with water
then
Fermenting
Distilling
Aging
(optional)
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Aging
Many spirits are aged in casks (usually of oak), to mellow, harmonize and flavor
the spirit.
Which spirits are aged?
Some spirits, like whisk(e)y and Cognac, are always aged, while others, like
rum and tequila, may or may not be aged. Vodka is seldom, if ever, aged.
Because the cask aging also imparts a coppery or golden-brown color, spirits
aged in this way are commonly called “brown goods.”
Why barrels?
Traditionally barrels were used for convenience and durability during shipping.
But it soon became clear that, as with wine, barrel aging could mellow and
improve the taste of the spirits shipped therein. Gradually barrel aging became
an important factor in the style of many spirits. Modern distillers are very
particular about the barrels they use. Here’s what the distiller has to decide
when it comes to barrel aging:
Old barrels or new?
Some spirits are aged in new white oak barrels, while for others, used barrels
are employed.
A new oak barrel will impart more flavor to the spirit, a used barrel less flavor.
Spirits produced in continuous stills, which are usually lighter, are often aged in
new oak barrels.
Spirits produced in pot stills, which are generally more flavorful, are usually
aged in used oak barrels, whose flavor is less strong. Barrels whether new or
used may be charred to add a smoky, toasty flavor and aroma.
How much time in the barrel?
Spirits may be barrel aged for anywhere from just a few months, to several
decades.
RUM
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Profile - Rum production began in the Caribbean,
following the introduction of sugar cane to the region by
Christopher Columbus. It originally developed as a way
to use molasses, the byproduct of sugar production.
The original rums were heady and rich, retaining much
of the burnt sugar flavor profile of the molasses base.
Ingredients: Nowadays, rums may be distilled from
molasses (the byproduct of production of sugar from
cane), free run sugar cane juice, or cane syrup.
Production: Rum is made throughout the Caribbean as
well as many other sugar canegrowing regions of the
world including: Argentina, Brazil, Cuba,
Indonesia,,Peru, the Philippines, and even Hawaii. Light
rums are usually produced in continuous stills, though
pot stills may be used for aged sipping rums.
Classification: Rum is classed loosely by color/aging.
There are three* main types of rums:
1. White/Light/Silver — This dry, light-bodied style of
rum, the dominant seller in the U.S. dates to the late
19th century. White rums are produced mainly in Puerto
Rico and the
Virgin Islands, using continuous stills, and are bottled
unaged to yield a pale, pure-tasting product.
2. Amber/Gold — Gold rums are usually unaged,
gaining their color from the addition of caramel, which
can add flavor, too.
3. Black/Dark — The aged, dark rum style is classic to
Jamaica. Many of the finest dark rums are produced
using pot stills, to retain more of the flavoring
congeners, and aged in oak casks to gain additional
flavor and smoothness.
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Flavored or Spiced Rum — Bacardi successfully
pioneered flavored rums, a sub-category of white rums,
with its Limon (lemon flavor) and Bacardi O (orange flavor)
brands. Spiced rums are an additional category that is
becoming more popular, particularly in the United States.
Examples include Bacardi Spice and Captain Morgan.
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Type of Rum Aging
White/Light/Silver Unaged
Amber/Gold Unaged or minimal aging
Black/Dark Aged in oak casks
The Latin culture wave lit the white rum category afire by
popularizing the Mojito cocktail. White rum is also a
classic mixer, especially with cola (as in the Cuba Libre
cocktail), tonic, and orange juice. Gold and dark rums are
favored for Caribbean and tropical cocktails such as the
Piña Colada, the Mai Tai, and Planter’s Punch.
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TIPS:
Rums are ideally-suited to “layering” — mixing multiple
rum styles in the same cocktail for greater flavor
complexity. The classic recipes for Planter’s Punch and
the Mai Tai are examples of this principle. Rum also has
great flavor affinity with Angostura bitters so try a dash
with the classic rum drinks, and any new creations you
invent.
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Fact:
Rhum agricole is the name of a style of rum produced
from free-run cane juice. It is a specialty of French
Caribbean territories such as Martinique.
FACTS ABOUT RUM
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Production
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Molasses (the by
product of
production of
sugar from cane),
or free run sugar
cane juice, or cane
syrup
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Made mainly in
Puerto Rico,
Cuba,
Caribbean,
Colombia,
Venezuela,
Cuba, Guyana
Brazil, Australia,
Fiji, India,
Reunion Island,
Mauritius,
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Age & Classification
Classed loosely by
color/aging. Aging
times vary by brand but
are roughly as follows:
• White/Light/Silver —
un-aged
• Amber/Gold —
moderate aging in oak
casks
• Black/Dark — long
aging (4+ years) in
charred oak casks
Popular Cocktails
Cuba Libre
Daiquiri
Mai Tai
Mojito
Planter’s Punch
Rum & Coke
Rum & Cranberry
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Popular Brand Names
Appleton Estate
Bacardi
Captain Morgan
(Spiced)
Cruzan
Gosling
Malibu (Coconut
flavored)
Mount Gay
Myers’s
Planters
RUM - SERVICE
• Straight/Neat
• Mixer – in Old Fashioned or Hi Ball glass –
Lemon Slice – most popular with cola
• Cocktails – Blended, shaken or stirred
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TRIVIA
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Naval Rum
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The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655 when the British fleet captured the island of
Jamaica. With the availability of domestically produced rum, the British changed the daily ration of
liquor given to seamen from French brandy to rum. While the ration was originally given neat, or mixed
with lime juice, the practice of watering down the rum began around 1740. To help minimize the effect
of the alcohol on his sailors, Admiral Edward Vernon directed that the rum ration be watered down
before being issued, a mixture which became known as grog. While it is widely believed that the term
grog was coined at this time in honor of the grogram cloak Admiral Vernon wore in rough weather, the
term has been demonstrated to predate his famous orders, with probable origins in the West Indies,
perhaps of African etymology (see Grog). The Royal Navy continued to give its sailors a daily rum
ration, known as a "tot," until the practice was abolished after July 31, 1970.
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A story involving naval rum is that following his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson's body
was preserved in a cask of rum to allow transport back to England. Upon arrival, however, the cask was
opened and found to be empty of rum. The pickled body was removed and, upon inspection, it was
discovered that the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the cask and drunk all the rum, in the
process drinking Nelson's blood. Thus, this tale serves as a basis for the term Nelson's Blood being
used to describe rum. It also serves as the basis for the term "Tapping the Admiral" being used to
describe drinking the daily rum ration. The details of the story are disputed, as many historians claim
the cask contained French Brandy whilst others claim instead the term originated from a toast to
Admiral Nelson. It should be noted that variations of the story, involving different notable corpses, have
been in circulation for many years
Rum's association with piracy began with English privateers trading on the valuable commodity. As
some of the privateers became pirates and buccaneers, their fondness for rum remained, the
association between the two only being strengthened by literary works such as Robert Louis
Stevenson's Treasure Island.