Rum

No other spirit inspires a story as romantic as Rum, from pirate life on the high seas to the Caribbean’s idyllic islands. Rum is made by fermenting and distilling molasses or freshly squeezed sugarcane juice. It has an alcoholic content of 20% to more than 70% and comes in a variety of colors ranging from light to black.

Rum is a spirit prepared from sugarcane molasses or juice that has been fermented and then distilled. The clear distillate is typically aged in oak barrels. The majority of rum is made in the Caribbean and North and South America, although it is also made in other sugar-producing countries including the Philippines and Taiwan. Rum, unlike certain other spirits, does not have a set of production procedures. Instead, rum is made in traditional techniques that differ depending on the area and distiller.

There are many grades of rum. Light rums are often used in cocktails, but “golden” and “dark” rums were traditionally taken straight or plain, frozen (“on the rocks”), or in cooking, but are now more regularly mixed. Premium rums are designed to be drunk straight or over ice.

The best rum is made in distillation stills and matured in barrels, whilst the cheapest clear or “white” rum is made in distillation stills and bottled without being aged in barrels. Rum is, of course, the base for tropical cocktails like the Dakiri and the Mojito.