Drinks · spirits
Rum — a sweet base, not a sweet drink
Rum is made from sugar, but the finished spirit does not have to be sweet. The most common mistake at the shelf is buying a dark spiced rum for a mojito and then wondering why the drink tastes wrong.
In short
- Strength
- 37.5–40% vol, overproof 57–75%
- Raw material
- molasses or fresh cane juice
- Origin
- the Caribbean, Central and South America
- Ageing
- from none to several decades
- Serving
- in cocktails over ice; aged rum neat at 18–20 °C
- In cocktails
- Mojito, Daiquiri, Cuba Libre, Piña Colada
«Spiced» means flavourings and usually sugar have been added. It is a flavoured drink, not an ageing class.
How rum is made
Molasses, a by-product of sugar production, is fermented and distilled. On some islands fresh cane juice is used instead, giving the greener, more vegetal style known as rhum agricole.
After that the cask decides. Young rum is bottled immediately or after a short rest and stays clear. Longer ageing brings colour and caramel. Colour alone proves nothing about age: darkness is often added with caramel colouring, and often is.
A tropical climate speeds ageing up: an eight-year-old Caribbean rum is frequently «older» than a Scotch whisky of the same number.
Four types on the shelf
Choose by type and purpose, not by colour.
Clear, light, more neutral. Mojito, Daiquiri, Piña Colada. The most versatile bottle to own.
Short ageing, soft caramel. Cuba Libre and long drinks; holds up neat as well.
Longer ageing or more molasses. Thick, sweet, coffee and dried fruit. Neat or in a strong cocktail.
Vanilla, cinnamon, orange peel, usually added sugar. Good with cola and ice; wrecks the balance of classic recipes.
57% vol and up. Not for drinking straight — it is used a few millilitres at a time for flavour and strength.
A mojito without mistakes
The most popular rum cocktail and the most often ruined.
Press the mint, do not shred it
Press a couple of times. Grinding it to a pulp gives a bitter, grassy taste.
Fresh lime
Half a lime per glass. Bottled juice makes the drink flat.
Sugar before the ice
Two teaspoons of sugar or 15 ml of syrup into the lime, then the ice and 50 ml of white rum.
Plenty of ice, soda on top
Fill the glass with ice, top with soda water, stir gently from the bottom up.
What goes with it
In cocktails rum has three reliable partners: lime, cola and pineapple. Ginger beer and rum is an underrated pairing, especially with gold rum.
With food: grilled fruit, chocolate, coconut, spicy Asian dishes. Dark rum and coffee are worth exploring on their own — simply poured over melting ice cream.
Common questions
Which rum for a mojito?
White rum. Spiced or dark will bury the mint and lime.
Is dark rum stronger?
No. Colour comes from the cask or from added caramel, not from strength. Strength is on the label.
What is rhum agricole?
Rum from fresh cane juice, mainly from the French Antilles. Greener and more vegetal than molasses rum.
Can aged rum be drunk neat?
Yes, like whisky or cognac: at room temperature, from a narrowing glass, without ice.