Tag: Barbadosrum

Posted on

Dr. Funk Rum Asylum September Meeting

We had a nice treat Sunday afternoon at the latest quarterly meeting of Dr. Funk’s rum club, the Rum Asylum. These meetings are open to anyone, including a bunch of folks who joined during Sunday’s session. The Rum Asylum is a self-guided journey through rum, where your purchased rum pours are tracked on a checklist.

The focus this time was on Barbados rums from the Foursquare Distillery, including the Probitas blended white rum, the aged R.L. Seale’s finest Barbados rum, and the flagship Foursquare 2011 Exceptional Cask Series. Chris from Altamar walked us through details of the distillery and production methods, and then provided guided tasting notes to compare and contrast. The session completed with a raffle of some bottles for those in attendance, including the 2011 ECS release.

There was also a speciality cocktail using these rums called Aster and Primrose, said to be “a rum lovers cocktail” and priced at just $11. I stuck with the poured rums since I was driving.

Several Rum Asylum members reached their next levels. Greg completed Level I’s 20 rums and had to pledge an oath to get the Level II list and a pin. Meanwhile, Nik finished Level III and received a pin and pith helmet along with the Level III list.

The next Rum Asylum meeting is December 21st at 3 pm. There’s additional info about the Rum Asylum on Dr. Funk’s website.

Posted on

Blue Hawai-Tai at Jungle Bird Sacramento

The Jungle Bird tiki bar is celebrating Mai Tai week with some cocktail specials available now through Sunday, including our own Blue Hawai-Tai.

This cocktail leans a little sweet which is just fine since Jungle Bird will be serving this in a frozen format. They’re also using Mount Gay Eclipse as the aged rum base, another good call for this cocktail.

There are a couple of other special Mai Tais and a flight option, so folks up in California’s capital should make time to visit Jungle Bird this week.

Posted on

Completing Dr. Funk’s Rum Asylum Level I

I finally completed the first level of Dr. Funk’s rum club list, the Rum Asylum. I’d have finished back on March 11 had they not run out of my last rum, Real McCoy 12 year from Barbados, and finally returned after a couple weeks of heavy travel.

Level I is a very good overview of the various styles of rum, including unaged expressions all the way to heavily aged ones, plus distillate from more than a dozen different countries and regions. There’s a little bit for everyone, from those who like it sweet and light to those who like boozy funk bombs. I love Jamaica rum above all others, but best of all there’s not a dud in the bunch.

Dr. Funk Rum Asylum: Level I

1-3. Rum Flight (incl. Planteray Pineapple, Paranubes, Appleton 12)
4. Bacardi 8 Ocho
5. Barbancourt 8 yr
6. Planteray Xaymaca
7. Rhum JM VSOP
8. Santa Teresa 1796
9. Myers’s Single Barrel Select
10. Privateer Queen’s Share
11. Real McCoy 12 Yr
12. Lemon Hart 151
13. Wray & Nephew Overproof
14. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
15. Kō Hana Kea
16. Chairman’s Reserve Spiced
17. Appleton 21
18. Denizen White 5 yr
19. Pusser’s British Navy
20. Worthy Park 109

When you complete level I there’s a small pin awarded, plus the list for Level II and the goal of future rewards. Thanks to Justin for initiating me and letting me ring the bell.

The best way to celebrate the completion of the list? A fantastic Dr. Funk Mai Tai, of course.

Posted on

Samson Swizzle

This cocktail from former Zombie Village bar manager Sam Miller was the featured cocktail on Make and Drink on YouTube this week. We recently saw Miller at the reunion event at Zombie Village where the Samson Swizzle was on the menu, and I really should have ordered it.

Samson Swizzle by Sam Miller
¾ oz Lime Juice
⅓ oz Cinnamon Syrup
⅓ oz Passionfruit Syrup
1 oz Real McCoy 3 / light Barbados rum
1 oz Rum Bar Gold / lightly aged Jamaican gold rum
Angostura Bitters float
“Handful” of Mint leaves
Soda water
Build over the mint, top with ice and then swizzle. Add soda and more ice to fill, then float Angostura Bitters.

I didn’t have either of the specified rums at home. I subbed with Probitas which is a blend of mostly lightly aged Barbados rum and a bit of Jamaica rum, and used Planteray Xaymaca as a sub for the Rum Bar Gold.

This is a delicious cocktail and the soda is an important component as it helps to incorporate the mint flavors throughout the cocktail. The amount of Ango would vary depending on your personal preference.

Posted on

Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength

Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength is a new limited edition expression of the longstanding intro level Barbados rum, now available in a full flavor 57% ABV format. Eclipse is a blend of pot and column still rums and is light in body with a few years in the bottle, so while it is approachable in cocktails there isn’t always the flavor I want from cocktails like a Mai Tai, and it is sort of too much for lighter rum drinks like a Daiquiri. In the past I shied away from Eclipse in lieu of either true lighter rums from Puerto Rico or more flavorful lightly aged rums such as Appleton Signature or El Dorado 5.

But this new Navy Strength expression is much more what I want from a rum, a lot of flavor that comes through in a cocktail and is even pretty approachable when served neat in a glass. The term Navy Strength isn’t a true measurement but conveys the much higher ABV in this expression. Some of the Foursquare products from Barbados can have an overly oaky flavor, including Real McCoy 5 and Old Brigand, but this Mount Gay leans a little more floral.

I made a Mai Tai and found this expression cuts right though and you can really taste the rum, and a great alternative if you’re looking for something that’s a little mellower than the funky Jamaican rums or grassy Martinique rhums.

Posted on

Liquid Alchemist Falernum Syrup

New from craft cocktail syrup company Liquid Alchemist is their new Falernum syrup. This syrup is a blend of almond, ginger, lime, and cloves and most certainly is way more assertive than any other Falernum I’ve tried. This is a rich syrup and adds a lot more oomph to cocktails, perhaps just on the edge of being too spicy. Nonetheless I really liked the ginger and clove notes in the Liquid Alchemist Falernum.

Falernum is an interesting category because there are liqueurs such as market leader John D. Taylor Falernum, but also non-alcoholic syrups like this one. I remember Jeff “Beachbum” Berry saying that the syrups are twice as flavorful as the liqueurs, so you can use half as much for the same amount of flavor. I agree with this idea, and I recently purchased Maggie’s Farm Falernum Liqueur and didn’t find it nearly as flavorful as syrup-based Falernums.

The bottle includes a recipe for a Saturn, a notable and popular cocktail that features Falernum. The recipe included increase the ratio of Gin and completely omits Orgeat. Compared to a Saturn made with Maggie’s Farm, I definitely preferred the one made with Liquid Alchemist.

Liquid Alchemist Saturn
2 oz Gin
½ oz Liquid Alchemist Falernum
½ oz Passion Fruit Syrup
½ oz Lime Juice

I found this Saturn to be lacking the body that the Orgeat provides in the cocktail, so while I do recommend Liquid Alchemist Falernum I would suggest sticking to the classic recipe where this Falernum plays well with the bold flavors of Passion Fruit Syrup.

I also tried this Falernum in a Planter’s Punch to good effect. When I tried Liquid Alchemist Falernum in a Corn ‘n Oil it was spicy enough that you wouldn’t need to add Angostura Bitters. A little goes a long way.

The sample was provided by Liquid Alchemist, but this is not a sponsored post.

Posted on

2010 era Mount Gay Extra Old

Found this at an independent liquor store about a mile from my house. I’m not sure why I never stopped in but this beauty from 2010-2015 was there for just $41. The character of this Mount Gay Extra Old blend leans a little heavier and has more traditional oak barrel flavores than the current XO expression that leans a bit fruitier. Chocolate notes are stronger in the older blend, too. Then as now, this is issued at 43% ABV.

I was lucky to find a 2000s era Extra Old in another local store a few years back, so I now have four generations of XO expressions, though my 2015-2019 era bottle is almost gone. These are all very flavorful Barbadian rums that for me a pretty easy to sip at this ABV level and they’re missing the “over oaked” taste you sometimes get with aged rums. These are great on those nights when I want to taste the rum but don’t want to deal with cask strength ABV.

The latest XO expression is commonly seen over $60 which factors as a premium for the well-known Mount Gay brand but which also means that savvy shoppers can find better values by looking at brands such as Doorly’s, Old Brigand, and Real McCoy (all produced by Foursquare on Barbados). Nonetheless, the XO has remained a good option for those looking for widely available and approachable sipping rums from Barbados.

Comparison Chart