This all time classic cocktail evolved over the centuries and this particular recipe is based on the one from Smuggler’s Cove. Rather just using an egg white in the cocktail, we’re using the entire egg. The result is creamy, though not as much as something like an Egg Nog that includes dairy.
The result is pretty good. I went with the traditional style and medium body of a Barbados rum, though something more flavorful would probably pair better with the rich taste of the egg.
Rum Flip 2 oz Old Brigand Barbados Rum ½ oz Demerara Syrup 1 medium egg Dry shake for 10 secs, then add 1 cup ice and shake. Double strain and top with nutmeg.
Distilleries often have different production methods to produce disparate types of spirit expressions. Each recipe and production method that produces a different final distillate is called a mark and distilleries often have several of these. Hampden Estate in Jamaica produces eight distinct marks – most of which go back decades.
The 8 Marks Collection produced in conjunction with La Maison & Velier USA lets consumers be able to directly compare Hampden’s eight marks side by side by side. The large box contains 200ml bottles of each mark, plus a handy reference sheet for the distillery and for each mark. Noteworthy are all the precise details about wash components, fermentation time and type, chemical compounds, and more. Each is presented at 60% ABV, so needless to say flavor won’t be lacking, and with all of these being unaged you can taste them without the variability that aging in barrels can provide.
I obtained mine at a tasting event where we received the kits and were led through the details. Most of Hamdpden’s expressions are high on the ester scale, up to DOK at 1600gr/hLPA and the highest the Jamaican government allows. But all of these are funk bombs to a greater or lesser degree. Even after going through seven of these I really did feel that DOK was a different beast.
The variability of these expressions is noticeable and interesting. HLCF (the basis for Rum Fire) is probably the most complex and rich, despite being in the middle of the ester scale. More esters does not necessarily mean better, that’s for sure. In my tasting, I liked rare C<>H mark the best.
The 8 Marks collection is available in some retail locations already, with more to come soon. Price varies from around $150 and up. This isn’t a super limited release, but Hampden says this won’t be an annual release – though a version of this tasting kit with the marks aged for one year is coming in 2024.
For a more in-depth look at this collection, I encourage you watch this video from our friend Arminder.
This is a fun video, as you’ll see if you watch. The idea is to pick just three bottles of rum for your collection, so while this was a tough choice I actually came to my three basically right away. And regular viewers will not be surprised when you compare my list to the video I did almost three years ago called the 5 Bottle Rum Challenge.
Myers’s Rum was part of a spirits portfolio sale a couple years ago, resulting in the iconic Jamaican rum now being part of the Sazerac conglomerate. The previous vintage was bottled in Canada where untold things were added to the bottle, the less said the better (and it’s all kind of unverifiable anyway). These were recently offered in 750ml *plastic bottles* (urgh!) and in a nice 1 liter round glass bottle ideal for use at bars.
One of the tidbits dropped at the Myers’s Rum seminar with Martin Cate earlier this month is that Myers’s is now bottled in Kentucky and those unmentionables are no longer part of the “blend.” Indeed the new bottle has a mention of Sazerac and also Kentucky on the back label, so we know this is the new blend. Plus, the iconic Myers’s flared glass bottle is back!
I wouldn’t say these strike me as wildly different, though the new blend tastes a bit heavier and there’s just a hint more of the traditional Jamaican funk in this blend. Perhaps there’s more pot still distillate now? Myers’s is still very mild and perfect for mainstream bars, but a 40% dark Jamaica rum without a bunch of sugar or additives means that it might be the best rum you’ll find at many bars worldwide. Better than those tasteless, coconut, or pirate rums, that’s for sure.
If it’s been a while, you might want to give the new Myers’s a fresh taste.
I had been planning to do this comparison already but was inspired by the Goslings float on the pretty reasonable Mai Tai I had at 19Ten in Santa Rosa last week. Dark Rums of this type are typically column still rums with little to no age, but darkened with caramel coloring. All are under $20 a bottle and issued at 40% ABV.
Todays lineup:
Goslings Black Seal – the most ubiquitous dark rum apart from Myers’s and thanks to Gosling’s trademark, the called rum in a Dark n’ Stormy.
Trader Vic’s Dark – private label brand used at the Trader Vic’s restaurants and available in some retail locations.
These three rums are fairly similar, and distinct from dark rums from Jamaica or Guyana given their lighter character. Though Goslings does have a very pleasant burnt caramel flavor that reminds me of Demerara rums from Guyana like Lemon Hart 1804. This was the standout among the bunch and the taste from a glass was similar to the 19Ten Mai Tai.
Bacardi Black has a sweeter taste that isn’t nearly as flavorful, though it is not unpleasant, and is about the same hue as Goslings. It’s used in the wonderful Mai Tai at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, which is why I bought it in the first place, but compared to Goslings it doesn’t seem offer much.
Meanwhile, Trader Vic’s is by far the darkest of the bunch and when you can find it at retail a few bucks cheaper too. Unfortunately, the taste has an artificial candy flavor that I did not find pleasant in the glass. So, Goslings is the easy pick here.
I’m not sure that any rums of this category are totally necessary, given that Myers’s or Coruba are not big funk bombs typical of Jamaica and could serve adequately for dark floats or in recipes calling for rum of this style.
It is nice to see newish brand owners Sazerac trying to do something different with the Myers’s Rum brand. This slightly upscale version of the Jamaica rum stalwart is finished in Sazerac Rye Casks and bottled in Kentucky. The bottle has hints of the flared front of the classic Myers’s bottle, though with clear glass, and the design including the cork expresses an indication that this should be considered for sipping. There’s no age statement.
At 43% ABV, Single Barrel Select is a little more suitable for tasting outside of cocktails but won’t kill novices who aren’t used to cask-strength spirits. The Rye finish is very subtle. As with Myers’s Original Dark, the rum doesn’t have the high ester and congener count you see with some Jamaican rums, and it compares fairly well to Appleton’s releases at the high $20s price point it seems to be widely available at.
I wouldn’t call Single Barrel Select an all-star for sipping rums, but for rum newbies it might be well-received. Certainly it is a welcome addition to the Myers’s line and we hope to see other interesting expressions in the future. Love me some Jamaica rum in all forms.
This bottle was available for sale at craft cocktail bar California Gold in San Rafael, who’s logo appears on the medallion. You can also find this at other bars and at retail.
