Tag: Jamaicarum

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Denizen 8 Year Jamaican Rum Wanderer Series

Issued as part of Denizen’s new Wanderer Series, this is a Single Origin Jamaican Rum aged for eight years and finished in Port Casks for three months. Issued at 54% ABV, this new premium rum is a limited edition of four different pot/column still rums and does come with a higher cost than Denizen’s standard rum lineup.

The Port Cask is doing some really funky things to this rum, and I didn’t really find it to be particularly representative of a Jamaican rum. The bottle says “single origin” but said origin isn’t really provided. Comparing this to something like Dr. Bird, another Jamaican rum with wine cask aging, I feel like more of the Jamaican notes are lost and are replaced with some industrial solvent notes that reminded me of a Haitian Clairin. I don’t get any of the banana or caramel notes supposedly attributed to this rum in the marketing materials.

I made this in a Mai Tai and while it wasn’t undrinkable, I did find it lacking compared to Denizen’s other rums.

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New Make and Drink Mai Tai Glass

Derek has come up with an all-new design for his Make and Drink YouTube channel’s Mai Tai glass. This one is much more elaborate than the previous incarnation, still sporting the Make and Drink logo but also including Hawaiian elements and even a Mai Tai recipe. The Mai Tai glass is available now and will be going up in price on June 1st, so “act now” as they say.

Derek’s favorite Mai Tai features both Jamaican and Demerara rums, hence the specific notation on the recipe, though of course it is always up to you how you use that two ounces of rum in the cocktail.

After you make the Mai Tai, be sure to check out Derek’s latest video which covers the oldest known Mai Tai recipe in print, a recipe “from the bartender at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel” that ran in the Memphis Commercial Appeal in 1958. That recipe features 1 oz of lemon juice and ½ oz of lime juice, so this version is definitely a little different than most Mai Tais you might have tried.

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The Rumba Mai Tai is One of the Best on Planet Earth

Nothing really new to report, Mai Tai fans. We went to Rumba for dinner and to wait until Inside Passage opened, and so I had to check and see if the Mai Tai is still world-class. I’m pleased to report that the Mai Tai is still one of the best you can get on planet Earth.

Rumba’s Mai Tai rum blend features house barrel-aged Wray & Nephew Overproof from Jamaica and Rhum JM Gold agricole from Martinique, so this features some savory and funky notes to pair well with the sweet orgeat. For those concerned with the Rhum Agricole component it’s a very approachable Mai Tai with just a hint of grassiness.

For my meal I had a fantastic Poke Bowl that included mango, pickled onion, jicama, and Basmati rice. Ray’s Cuban Sandwich also continues to be well prepared, and our service during the visit was great.

We didn’t partake in any rums, but if you’re in town looking for the largest selection of rums then this is the place.

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Updated Rum Blend in Forbidden Island Mai Tai

Forbidden Island recently updated the rum blend in their Classic Mai Tai and I’m pleased to report that it is definitely an upgrade. There is more Jamaican rum in this blend and improved richness as well, a worthy cocktail for a still wonderful tiki bar and the best Mai Tai I’ve had here in a long time.

There’s also still a Top Shelf Mai Tai available for $5 more, though we spoke with several people who tried both and they all preferred the new Classic. And for those looking for something a little different the Viking Mai Tai features Svol Aquavit and is also very good.

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Espresso Martini with Jamaican Rum

We’d visited Faith & Spirits in downtown San Carlos a couple months ago in the waning days of the holiday pop-ups, and we had an impromptu visit to town for dinner so decided to have some cocktails. We knew that Faith & Spirits does dueling pianos on the weekend, but that doesn’t start until 9 pm so we were super early and the place not busy yet. Nonetheless, the lounge vibe was a nice place to relax with excellent cocktails.

I started with a Paper Plane that was very well done, while Mrs. Mai Tai went with her current favorite, a really coffee-forward Espresso Martini. The rich flavors of the martini intrigued me and I wondered how they’d pair with a bolder spirit than vodka. As I was thinking about it I spotted an almost empty bottle of Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, a boozy favorite for cocktail mixing. So I ordered one with the rum subbing for vodka, just enough to kill the bottle.

Espresso Martini with Jamaican Rum

The rum was immediately noticeable and I thought it paired well to really make the cocktail a flavor bomb, though Mrs. Mai Tai and I’m sure others would find the original to be a cleaner and more pure tasting experience. Different strokes.

Faith & Spirits seems like a really nice cocktail bar on the Peninsula, if you’d looking for something about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose.

Paper Plane
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Disgruntled Mai Tai

This delicious Mai Tai riff comes from Sam Ross of Attaboy in New York City. Ross is a Bartender of the Year winner from Tales of the Cocktail and has been a staple of the NYC cocktail scene for two decades.

The drink is elaborately garnished with a little bottle of Underberg, a bitter German herbal liqueur. It also splits the rum base with Aperol, leaning into pleasant orange flavors.

Disgruntled Mai Tai by Sam Ross
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Curacao
1 oz overproof Jamaican rum, preferably Smith & Cross
1 oz Aperol
Whip shake with a small amount of crushed ice, then strain over crushed ice in double rocks glass. Then remove cap and paper cover from Underberg bottle and place nose-down into the cocktail. Garnish with mint sprig, lime wedge, freshly grated nutmeg, and cocktail umbrella.

I thought this was fantastic, though the Underberg didn’t really incorporate into the cocktail. In fact, I drank the whole thing and then lifted out the Underberg bottle which was still nearly full. So, I poured the contents out over the ice, added about ¾ oz of orgeat and then topped with soda. The orgeat balanced the bitter flavors and I found it to be quite pleasant.