Category: Rum

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Golden Fez Shock the Monkey Lowball Glass

I purchased this very nice glass from our friends at House of Tabu. When you order you also get some additional goodies including a recipe card from Tiki Lindy, a pin, and a sticker. Very nice.

I don’t have a ton of these smaller “lowball” glasses, so this seemed like the opportune time to toe-dip into House of Tabu’s “Order of the Golden Fez” brand (or maybe it is a cult, I’m not sure). The glasses are still available, along with a pre-sale for the new issue of Exotica Moderne where I have an article about local favorites The Kon-Tiki in Oakland.

The Mai Tai was made with a freshly prepared bottle of Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend. That’s equal parts Appleton 12, Plantation Xaymaca, Smith & Cross, and Plantation OFTD. Rich, boozy, and delicious.

The orgeat comes from our buddy Tony Dunnigan who lives in San Jose. Tony’s homemade orgeat is pretty easy to make even if you’re lazy like I am. But I was happy to trade a couple rum samples for some of Tony’s orgeat. I noticed Tony has a couple Order of the Golden Fez mugs, so I guess he’s part of the secret society, too. Oops, maybe I have said too much.

Orgeat by Tony Dunnigan
2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
4 cups Granulated Sugar
Heat in saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves
Add 1 “light” teaspoon of Orange Blossom Water
Add 2 tablespoons of Almond Extract
Add ⅓ Cup Cognac
Continue to stir, then bottle

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Boozy Cocktails at Forbidden Island

Had a really great couple of cocktails at Forbidden Island the other night. I started with a vintage cocktail, the Tradewinds. FI’s preparation was quite nice and I enjoy this cocktail that’s a combination of citrus, coconut creme, rum, and apricot brandy.

Next up was the Bombo, an old fashioned riff that features Forbidden Island’s barrel selection of Balcones Rum from Texas. The rum is high proof and very full flavored similar to Jamaican or Demerara rums. The cocktail features the Balcones rum over crushed ice along with dark brown sugar and fresh nutmeg on top. It was really outstanding.

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Appleton 15 Black River Casks

The new Appleton 15 expression is rolling out and I was tipped that some Total Wine stores in the Bay Area were carrying a bottle or two. So I immediately put one on order and picked it up.

I’ve been waiting for this new Appleton rum. After last year’s Appleton rebranding that included reformulation of the Appleton 8 Reserve expression, this new Appleton 15 year expression is moderately priced and designed as a 43% ABV sipping rum. You don’t always want cask strength. The 15 is a minimum age statement, so the blend of pot and column still rums in the bottle have all been aged in Jamaica for at least 15 years. There’s even a certificate of ageing.

As we’re want to do at Ultimate Mai Tai HQ, we set up a #umtshootout. Blind tests against the currently available Appleton 8, and Appleton 12 expressions, plus sample of a different Appleton 15 limited release that I procured from an unnamed benefactor. The other Appleton 15 has a higher ABV, so was easy to pick out in the blind taste test.

All of these rums are pretty nice as blended aged rums, featuring lighter column still distillate and only a little bit of Jamaica’s legendary funkiness. Perfect for cocktails and I also enjoy drinking neat.

  • My favorite from the blind test? Thankfully, it was the 15. The Black River Casks have a much longer finish than the over two and a much nicer mouthfeel.
  • I liked the 12 second best, noting that it had a more caramel taste, with a medium finish. Meanwhile the 8 felt a little thinner, with stronger hints of orange.

If you’re a fan of Appleton 12 like I am, the new 15 Black River casks is worth the ~$20 premium. It tastes great neat and I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s Mai Tai.

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Spring Until Yesterday

Happy birthday to Oakland tikiphile Laura Murphy (aka Pearl) who’s birthday is today.

To celebrate, I made one of Laura’s original cocktails named Spring Until Yesterday. Quite tasty using some of my favorite rums from Jamaica, and flavors such as Coconut and Falernum that I didn’t realize worked so well together. Give it a try.

Spring Until Yesterday by Laura Murphy
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Coconut Creme
¾ oz Falernum
1 tsp Herbstura
¾ oz Rum Fire Overproof Jamaican Rum
1 oz Coruba Dark Rum
Flash blend with ice, then pour into glass or mug. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon and a bouquet of mint.

Herbstura: equal parts Herbsaint (or Pernod/Absinthe) and Angostura Bitters

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Aged Clairin Mai Tai

I’m such a big fan of Saint Benevolence rum, especially their Rum Clairin expression. An unaged rum from Haiti, I’ve long extolled the virtues of this flavorful, savory spirit.

The newly available aged expression is the same rum, just aged in barrell for at least a year. A great way to see how barrel aging changes a spirit, and makes the rum more approachable for many consumers.

It tastes great on its own, not “too oaky.” And it is wonderful in a Mai Tai of course. Had to use one of my tall Saint Benevolence glasses.

Saint Benevolence is worth seeking out. I bought my bottle of Aged Clairin at Bitters & Bottles.

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Worthy Park Blind Taste Test

I posted this to my Instagram stories and it seems to have drawn some interest.

When I posted about Worthy Park 109 a couple days ago, I mentioned that this new black rum from Jamaica tasted more like a Demerara rum from Guyana than the funky rums that Worthy Park is most famous for. Those Worthy Park rums are most notably expressed with Rum-Bar Overproof, but also many of the Hamilton rums that use Worthy Park distillate as their base. And then some people said that 109 didn’t taste anything like a Demerara and I was only looking at the color. Well, I’ll never turn down a challenge.

Hence the blind taste test with some Jamaican, Demerara, and blended rums. I compared the WP109 to Hamilton 86 from Guyana, Blackwell Black Gold from Jamaica, and the new Hamilton Zombie Blend that is a blend of rums from Jamaica and Guyana.

Tasting Notes

To me, the 109 tasted most similar to Hamilton 86. I know that caramel coloring is present in both and in theory does not impart taste, but to me these were very close. The 109 being 100% pot still and higher ABV did have a better mouthfeel and a richer taste.

The Blackwell was a poor choice for this comparison, since it was so clearly not really in the same league as the others. Beside the lower ABV (40%) there definitely was a sugary taste that made it stand out. The color isn’t that black either. I should have maybe tried Coruba instead. I find the Hamilton Pot Still Black to be quite funky (using Worthy Park distillate) so that wouldn’t really have been a good comparison either. In other words, Worthy Park 109 isn’t just a higher proof “black Jamaican” but something a bit different.

As for the true Demerara/Jamaican hybrid, I found the funky notes in the Hamilton Zombie Blend to be quite forward. While delicious and wonderful (and easily sippable at 59% ABV) it too didn’t really taste like the Worthy Park 109.

As I mentioned in my post the other day, I found the rich and heavy and boozy characteristics of the Worthy Park 109 to be delightful in a Mai Tai where I’m looking for rich and heavy and boozy. This one is a keeper.

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Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve

A reacquisition for a product I bought a couple years ago and went empty very quickly. This is a wonderful aged Jamaican Rum expression from Worthy Park.

Bottled with a blend of rums aged 6-10 years in the tropics, this is 100% pot still rum and so flavorful, even at 45% ABV. If Appleton is too mellow and Hampden is too funky, then Worthy Park is, well you know – just right. Very approachable and yet still a great way to introduce newbies to how great Jamaican rums can be. The flavor lingers long after you finish drinking it, but doesn’t completely blow out your tongue.

This is Worthy Park’s mainstream aged expression. It comes in a fancy bottle and while cask-strength aficionados might balk at the price considering the ABV, I’d compare this something like Mount Gay XO. Maybe not the best “pound for pound” but something that perfectly captures what I’m looking for with a sipping rum and worth the slight premium for a trusted brand. Sometimes you don’t want cask strength but you still want it to be great.