What kind of rum should you use in a Mai Tai? We discuss the history of Mai Tai rums and offer some suggestions for making great Mai Tais at home.
New Appleton 8 Year Old Reserve
Appleton Reserve is the “middle tier” of Appleton’s mainstream rum brands, sitting in between the lightly aged Appleton Signature and the long aged Appleton 12 Rare Casks. It’s a longer aged rum but is still generally positioned as a mixing rum.
The new edition is an updated blend at 43% ABV (up from 40%) and confers a full 8-year age statement. As with all Jamaican rums, the age statement is the minimum number of years for the rums blended in the finished bottle.
I loved the old Appleton Reserve and it’s wonderful in a Pampanito cocktail from Smuggler’s Cove, and of course in a 1944 Mai Tai. But the new blend definitely is more suited for sipping. I’m tasting a bit more of the vanilla and caramel typically seen in rum aged in oak.
I’m really happy with the new Appleton 8 Year Old Reserve release.
New Appleton 12
Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rum has been my favored rum for a 1 rum Mai Tai for a while now. Previously known as “Rare Blend,” it’s now called “Rare Casks” as part of the new label and bottle style that is moving across all three of the mainstream Appleton rum brands (Signature, Reserve 8, and 12 Rare). While the Reserve 8 is a assuredly a new blend (the ABV goes from 40 to 43), supposedly the 12 is not changing. But I heard from some people online that it was different.
In the Mai Tai: I prepared two Mai Tais identical except for the rum. I could not taste the difference.
In the glass: tasting the two rums neat, I do taste a slight difference. The older Rare Blend has more of an oak barrel taste, whereas the Rare Casks does have a hint more of a Jamaican funk present. Very slight differences. It’s still a great rum that’s available widely for a very good price ($33 at Costco, mid-$40s at fine liquor stores). Go out and get it.
The new bottle takes up a bit less surface area in my liquor cabinet, and now features a cork (!). It still features the gold and black color scheme and now more prominently displays the signature of master blender Joy Spence. I’m totally liking this new bottle style.
Jamaican Sour
This was a riff on the Eastern Sour, a Trader Vic’s cocktail that features orange juice, lemon juice, orgeat, and bourbon. I thought I’d try it with rum instead.
2 ½ oz Orange Juice
¾ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat
1 oz Appleton Reserve Rum
1 oz Plantation Xaymaca Rum
This didn’t turn out as good as I thought it would. Perhaps lemon juice would have paired better with the orange. They can’t all be winners.
