Tag: Jamaicarum

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Cocktails and Rum in Oakland

Got try to another one of the new cocktails on the Kon-Tiki cocktail menu. The Golden Snitch is from their Exotic Apperitifs section and has sherry, pineapple gum syrup, and rum. Quite delightful.

The Kon-Tiki’s rum selection continues to bring in some interesting new expressions to try. I sampled Admiral Rodney Saint Lucia Rum finished in Port Cask, and I was definitely impressed by the flavor profile. Easy to drink but also some great lingering flavors.

A very different rum was the LROK release from Hampden Estate in Jamaica. This is supposed to be their “lighter” expression but make no mistake this is still a flavor bomb with a pretty high ester count. Bottled at 47% ABV this is something everyone needs to try. I love Jamaican Rum.

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Three Dots and a Dash (modified)

I decided to use some of this year’s most highly anticipated new rum releases and put them into a cocktail together. I love the Worthy Park 109, which is a Dark Jamaican rum that to me approaches the flavor profile of a Demerara rum. And the aged Clairin expression from Saint Benevolence is an amazing alternative for cocktails calling for an aged rum from Martinique. 

So, I chose a cocktail where the new rums would drop right in. The Three Dots and a Dash is a popular Don the Beachcomber cocktail, the recipe for which was unearthed a few years ago by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. Thanks, Bum!

Three Dots and a Dash (modified)
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orange Juice
½ oz Honey Syrup
¼ oz Falernum
¼ oz Pimento Dram
1½ oz Saint Benevolence Aged Clairin
½ oz Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 oz Crushed Ice
Flash blend and garnish with three cherries (three dots) and a pineapple (and a dash)

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Worthy Park Special Barrel Series

Got to try this new special release of Worthy Park Jamaica Rum. Aged 14 years, the oldest in Worthy Park’s collection, and available as a special release with Smuggler’s Cove where you can taste the rum and purchase a bottle. You can also purchase at K&L Wines.

This aged rum is bottled at cask strength and you’re going to taste the flavor in ever sip. This rum has a higher ester count than I recall from other Worthy Park releases.

If you’re a nut for Jamaica Rum, you’ll want to give this a try if you can. It’ll be gone soon.

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Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum

There’s a nice case of vintage Trader Vic’s bottles in the Cook Room at the Emeryville location.

This shot is of the Mai Tai Rum, which combined rums from Jamaica (70%), Martinique (20%), and Virgin Islands (10%), and coming in at a very nice 43% ABV. Likely a great rum to put in your Mai Tai (or your “Mai-Tai” according to the label, sigh). Man, I’d love to try some of this.

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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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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.