Rumfest Recap – Part 1 – Ron Barceló

We came, we saw, we drank some rum. This was our first visit to this yearly rum institution and it was fantastic! So this is part one in a series of posts devoted to the drinks and other happenings, well, the bits we can remember anyway, of Rumfest.

Within five minutes of entering the Royal Horticultural Halls we had landed at the Ron Barceló stand. Kirsty from Love Drinks talked us through the history of these Dominican Republic rums and treated us to a sample.

This brand of rum has been distributed by Love Drinks in the UK since July of this year I believe, and until Rumfest we hadn’t had the opportunity to try it.

Let’s talk about Ron Barceló Imperial. The aroma of this rum sent my head swimming with wonderful thoughts, citrus and chocolate, late nights at the beach, jumpers for goal posts. Maybe not, but something about it reminds me of childhood anyway.

On to the taste and it actually does live up to the aroma, no burn on the throat with this rum at all and a very syrupy and smooth taste. The Ron Barceló Imperial oozes quality and the bottle (lets face it, the bottle IS important) is fantastic and would look good on anyone’s rum shelf.

We can heartily recommend this rum. Get a bottle, you will not be disappointed!

A tremendous start to Rumfest for us, and shortly after this stand we realised we would have to slow down or things might get messy…

The UK Rumfest 2009

This weekend sees the biggest event in any Rum fan’s calendar, the fantastic Rumfest!

Myself and Ross will be there to sample all the wonderful rums and also to document the event for everyone who can’t make it. We’re hoping to get photos and video as well as tweeting live from the event.

This will be my first rumfest and I’m sure it will be fantastic!

If any of you have any specific requests or are going to Rumfest and fancy a chat with someone like minded don’t hesitate to get in touch.

See some of you there!

UPDATED: Rumfest done and your happy bloggers are back at home, nestling some very fine rum in our hands. Our updates will follow this week, where we review the rums we tasted and report on all of the happenings…

Summer Rum Cocktails

I’m a bit late with this one as I’ve had some severe technical issues, limiting my blogging some what.

RumDood is continuing his excellent Rum 101 series and his latest post is Six Summer Cocktails.

While we’re half-way through summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemispherists are still waiting for their summer, it seemed like a good idea to talk about six summer rum drinks to keep you cool and refreshed while in your bathing suit.

• Daiquiri
• Caipirinha
• Mai Tai
• Jamaican Mule
• Mojito
• Queen’s Park Swizzle

The Jamaican Mule is, of course, a Dark ‘n’ Stormy. Renamed due to the copyright issue I mentioned in my last post.

Rum 101: Six Summer Cocktails

Cocktail Copyright

Having a quick look around the blogosphere (how much I hate that term cannot be measured in ounces) and stumbled across a slightly worrying fact.

Apparently the cocktail Dark ‘n’ Stormy is a registered trademark in the US. It’s registered by Goslings and the trademark DEMANDS that any cocktail calling itself a Dark ‘n’ Stormy uses Goslings Black Seal rum.

The strange thing is my recipe for a Dark ‘n’ Stormy calls for Goslings by name, because frankly,  it tastes better than other alternatives.

This little fact might make me change the name and use a different Rum. I do hope this doesn’t become a trend, the possibilities are endless, and a little bit scary.

Cockspur Five Star Rum Review

This light amber rum is matured slowly in American bourbon barrels before blending takes place. On opening the bottle you are greeted with a simple yet pleasant smell. It has a much lighter golden colour in comparison to other dark rums (such as Appleton XV and English Harbour).

The ambient flavour of the bourbon barrels it is aged in is not lost on Cockspur. Five Star is sweet with a slight butterscotch aftertaste, and there is a little bite that this drinker can only attribute to the barrels. Not unpleasant in any way, just a little suprising. The bourbon undertones become even more obvious when drinking this straight. This is a good dark rum, but one better served mixed rather than neat.

Buy Cockspur Five Star Rum

The White Zombie

RumDood has posted his version of this cocktail invented by Rob V. Burr of Gifted Rums.

2 oz Rum Cream (Cruzan Rum Cream)
1 oz Jamaican Rum (Appleton Estate V/X)
1 oz Rhum Agricole Vieux (Clement VSOP)
1 oz J. Wray & Nephew Overproof
.5 oz Cointreau
.5 oz Absinthe (La Fee)
.25 oz Allspice Dram

Combine ingredients in a tin and shake with ice.  Strain over crushed ice and dust with fresh nutmeg, garnish with a cinnamon stick.

This is a cocktail recipe I’d really like to try myself, maybe even adapt, just need to source some of the ingredients.

Be sure to check out Gifted Rums for the development of this cocktail and, of course, RumDood for the full details of his version.

Bundaberg Dark Rum Review

This Australian dark rum is double distilled using only locally grown sugar cane and aged in it’s own specially made oak vats for a minimum of 2 years, so the taste and aroma is all down to the blending process.

Known locally as ‘Cane Champagne’, Bundaberg has yet to make a big impact outside of Oz.  It’s a light, sweet and straighforward rum, with no real complexity or depth of flavour.

There is nothing overly memorable  about drinking this, but equally there is nothing to dislike either. It’s a generic mixer that wouldn’t be out of place at a party, but in my opinion that’s all I would use it for.

One of the ‘tests’ I light-heartedly apply to any dark rum I drink: Can I imagine pirates drinking this in Tortuga while counting their ill-gotten gains? Sorry Bundaberg, you’ll have to walk the plank.

OVD Demerara Dark Rum Review

O.V.D. (Old Vatted Demerara) is a very dark rum made with a blend of the finest demerara rums in the world and matured in oak casks for around 7 years. This was imported by George Morton from Guyana in 1838 and blended especially for the Scottish market.

First impressions are good. Suprisingly sweet with an hint of treacle toffee which settles comfortably on the tongue. Very enjoyable as a long mixed drink over ice, this will appeal to fans of all dark rums. O.V.D. sits somewhere between Alnwick Rum and English Harbour. Drank straight it reminds me a little of brandy, especially the aroma. Certainly one to add to the collection.

Alnwick Rum Review

One of my work colleagues suggested I give this particular brand a try so off I went in search of a bottle. I’m used to drinking dark rums that are a deep golden colour, so when I saw the black liquid sloshing against the side of the bottle I was a little reticent, but decided to take a chance.

First impressions were good. Alnwick Rum has a distinctive yet pleasant aroma, reminding this drinker of the elderberry wine my grandfather used to make. It pours like thin molasses and has a hint of the taste of black treacle.

After the more golden rums, the first taste was a surprise. Strong, but not overpowering, with a very pleasant aftertaste reminiscent of bonfire toffee, and oddly enough, rum & raisin ice-cream. When I decide to make my Rumtopf, I think this will be the ideal base rum.

This is a dark rum I would serve for special occasions, rather than for everyday drinking.

Zacapa XO Aged Rum

I’ve read a LOT of good things about this rum, so many people are enthused by it but it is one of the most expensive rums around.

I’ve been looking for an excuse to try this one out and I’ve found it, I think. The site I get all my rums from (TheDrinkShop) has put this little beauty on special offer! It’s down from £81.15 to £72.95!

Every month, I allow myself one complete extravagance, and I think this will be it. I often buy art prints with my monthly allowance but I can’t help thinking that this would be art itself.

The bottle and box alone are fantastic!

Anyone tasted this? Do you think it’s worth the price? Let me know!

Zacapa XO Aged Rum for £72.95!