Category: Rum

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Mount Gay Pot Still Rum

This isn’t a new release but I finally decided it was the right time to go pull the trigger on this limited 2019 release from the Master Blender Collection. This aged pot still rum is delightful and is a great comparison to all the other Jamaican Pot Still rums in my collection. This too has the same heavy flavor (even at 48% ABV) but it is … different. There’s a plum note that is a noticeable departure from the banana notes most typical of the Jamaicans.

And in a Mai Tai? The same pot still characteristics do punch through the cocktail. I definitely would not confuse this Mai Tai with one made with Jamaican or Martinique or Demerara rums.

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Painkillers for Two

I had fresh pineapple juice and fresh orange juice, so no better time to make a Painkiller. This is the kind of drink that Mrs. Mai Tai tends to prefer so I made it a little larger with a little more OJ and rum and then split this into two glasses. I like this cocktail with a lower Pineapple ratio so I’m going to keep this ratio going forward.

Painkiller (serves two)
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Valencia Orange Juice
1½ oz Coconut Creme (Liquid Alchemist)
3 oz Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Rum
Shake with crushed ice and pour into a tall glass. Garnish with ground Nutmeg and Cinnamon.

It has been too long since I’ve had a Painkiller. This one was really great with that fresh juice and the flavorful and high-proof Pusser’s rum.

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Saturn Variant: Janus

A criminally underrated tropical cocktail is the Saturn, a late 1960s recipe that includes several syrups along with Gin. I decided to riff on it using Rum instead of Gin, so I named it after one of Saturn’s many moons.

Janus
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Passion Fruit Syrup
¼ oz Falernum
1½ oz Rum
Shake with crushed ice and strain into a Coupe glass.

I tried this with the best White Rum around, Probitas. That rum is a mix of Barbados rum and Jamaican rum and is so delightful when you want to taste the rum in a cocktail of this style. I also tried this with Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, which is heavier than the Probitas but still not overpowering the rest of the ingredients. If you made this with each of the rums it probably would reinforce your style preference (I preferred the Jamaican) but both are excellent.

I really like the subtle flavor of the Falernum in this, and I think it pairs well with the Passion Fruit Syrup and the Orgeat.

Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

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Nepalese Dinner

I don’t have too many opportunities to pair my Khukri rum made in Nepal, but it worked out tonight with some delicious dumplings and sides from Everest Momo. It’s delicious.

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Appleton Estate Extra 12

Picked up this vintage bottle at a local liquor store, to pair with the more recent Appleton 12 Rare Blend and Appleton 12 Rare Casks releases in my collection. This bottle has a Campari label so would have been from sometime after 2012.

I don’t believe in holding rum without trying it so I cracked it open. Tastes like Appleton 12, wouldn’t you believe it? My favorite rum. So easy to drink, without added sugar. And great in cocktails. Appleton 12 remains my recommended one-rum Mai Tai.

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Pumpkin Spice Mai Tai

Another neighborhood delivery

This was the choice of the recipient, who definitely needs a stiff drink. I’m not a pumpkin spice hater.

Pumpkin Spice Mai Tai
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat 
½ oz Orange Curacao 
¼ oz Demerara Syrup 
1 oz Captain Morgan Jack’o’Blast Pumpkin Spiced Rum
1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum