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Finer Things
Yo, Ho Ho and a Lavender Tonic for Rum Month
By Gerry Furth
“Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum” may be lyrics from a 1901 Broadway musical, but the faux British sea shanty perfectly describes the wild story of this drink. Mostly associated with Puerto Rico these days, the British and European back story is as riotous and colorful as the newest jazzy cocktail.
Rum is fermented liquor distilled from sugarcane molasses (ah, sweet sugar high). It ranges in color from clear to dark brown, with dark rums being the most flavorful.
The juice of the fermented sugarcane was initially distilled in Ceylon and India as early as 800 B.C., with the manufacturing process as we know it today originating in the West Indies. Dutch and French colonists were the first to become manic manufacturers and money makers of the easy to produce spirit in the West Indies around 1600.
The English were not far behind as the thriving industry saturated Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The British are credited for giving the drink its greatest boost of all in the 18th century, and also its name. The word “rum” is derived from “rumbullion,” an old Devonshire word meaning “great tumult.”
The first British marketing plan was ingenious. The government decreed that each and every sailor in the royal Navy ships be given a generous daily ration of a half pint of rum or “grog” to “help keep their spirits high.” The custom, though slightly altered, lasted for close to 200 years, ending in 1970!
By this time Puerto Rican rum reputation primarily because it is the only country with strict aging laws. All rum must be aged a minimum of one year in charred white oak barrels. Gold and dark “anejo” rums must be aged even longer, which brings out a rich Cognac flavor and smoother, more balanced taste. Government standards require rum to have a minimum proof of 60 (30 percent alcohol by volume), though it can rum up to a party-powerful 190 proof.
In 1954, a bartender at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan created the legendary Piña Colada, adding to the natural impact of molasses, fruit juice sugar and refined sugar. My own experience proved this when I accompanied Los Angeles Chef Toribio Prado of Cha Cha Cha and the Ivy Restaurant fame to a dinner he created at the James Beard Foundation in New York. The chef served the then novelty Mojito with the same sugar mix at cocktail hour and fine rums during the five course dinner. No one could remember the food past the second course but everyone had a grand time.
Maybe that's why today rum is the second largest spirit category in the U.S. behind vodka, with Puerto Rican rum being 75% of it, totaling over 15 million cases annually.
Brilliant and engaging Celebrity Chef Wilo Benet, who hosted the “Top Chef” TV Show is publicly sharing his repertoire of exquisite rum-based dishes. Typically, Bill's Mango Gazpacho with Coconut Rum, as starter or meal, is chock full of tropical flavors with cucumber for freshness and rice vinegar and tarragon for a sweet kick. (www.pikayo.com)
At the same time Puerto Rican rum-meisters want innovative rum cocktails. Recently Tony Abou-Ganim, “The Modern Mixologist,” led a “Rum Academy“ for bartenders and guests in Los Angeles. Tony whipped up new run infusion drinks created by Rums of Puerto Rico, in which the spirit is mixed with sliced fruits, spices and chilies and steeped for several days. Mr. Abou-Gamin very confidently predicts this to be the next new cocktail trend “because of the “more conscious effort to marry rum and gastronomy using fresh ingredients in creative ways,” in his words.
The cocktail names themselves are bouncy fun and include Co-Q-Nut Sling, ManGotham with Parrot Bay Rum. (cocktailtimes.com) and the “Lavender Tonic.” (www.loftliqueurs.com) with lavender and agave syrups, and lime juice balancing out a Bacardi Superior Rum.
And for those who prefer a classic but light and refreshing cocktail, simply mix a white or an amber rum with fresh fruit juice and a splash of soda, or for a deeper after dinner drink, try a dusky, dark añejo sipped neat from a snifter. Salud!