A Rant About Bad Rum

[@Doug_in_NC]

It’s crazy that most bars are stocked with half a dozen “high end” vodkas that in a blind test you couldn’t differentiate from bottom shelf vodka sold in gallon plastic bottles, but then when it comes to rum they just have Captain Morgan and Bacardi. I have very little experience of the full range of rums, but I really like Plantation 5 Year old. I use it in my wife’s favorite cocktail, a Brass Rail and she loves it.

[@speakeasyspirits]

Plantation (now Plantaray) is a great choice. One of my local bars has switched to their 3 Star for light rum, OFTD for overproof, and Original Dark for their well dark rum. And the drinks are better for it.

[@egrumstrup]

I completely agree! Rum is so under appreciated!

[@speakeasyspirits]

Rum selection has become how I set my expectations when I go into a bar or store. If all I see is Bacardi and Malibu, I won't expect much. But if I see a wide variety, I start to get excited.

[@PalCabral]

Well said! ❤

[@speakeasyspirits]

Thanks!

[@BillLambert]

You're so right about the uninspired cocktails, but rum is such a mild flavour that it quickly gets lost in the mix. It's hard to design a drink around a spirit that's so easily camouflaged by juice and sweetness. Outside of an El Presidente which features and highlights the rum, very few cocktails use the spirit as anything more than generic sugary booze... it's almost seen as vodka with molasses.

[@speakeasyspirits]

I think rum has just become synonymous with sweet and fruity. To 90% of people a daiquiri is a slushy with booze, not the simple lime and rum drink it should be. I'll try to showcase more cocktails that let rum shine in future videos.

[@Quiet1-y9x]

Beg to disagree. It takes a bit of willingness to experiment, but add in 1/4 oz of an un-aged Jamaican white rum, play around with Rhum Agricols, Clairins, Mexican Charandas and rums from Michocan, cane juice rums from the Indian Ocean. Rum's variation in flavors leaves what other types of liquor offer in the dust.

[@bartkoscinski9421]

Yea, it's really unfortunate how little most places seem to know or care about rum. One time I asked for a daquiri at a place trying to be a fancy cocktail spot in upstate NY and the owner looked at me funny and said they only serve "classic" cocktails LOL. I didn't have the heart to explain how dumb that comment was and just ordered an old fashioned instead. In the city it's a different story, and rum is gaining popularity among bartenders and restaurants, but even here you'll get the odd cocktail made with some chemical tasting infused bacardi at places that really should know better.

[@speakeasyspirits]

Exact same thing happened to me. A bar where my usual is a Last Word or Aviation, I asked for a Daiquiri. "Sorry, we don't have a blender." But, there was a time when Whiskey struggled to compete with Vodka and resorted to "Light Whiskey", rum may still have it's day, if enough of us continue to insist on good rum and good cocktails.

[@ILuvRum]

Good synopsis. Spiced Rum isn't rum, it is a liqueur, its like calling Southern Comfort bourbon whiskey. You are so correct when you say there are a lot of good rums out there, you just have to look for them. In a way we are fortunate that they are not more popular and can find them relatively inexpensively. The bourbon "craze" has taken a lot of the fun and affordability out of drinking good whiskey, but we still have that with rum. Some regions have good regulation, like Barbados for instance, they allow no sugar or other additives, same for the Rum Agricoles of the French Carribean. No beef against Bacardi though. I enjoy making a Mai Tia with it 1 oz Bacardi silver, 1 oz Meyers's Original Dark, 1 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz orgeat and 1/2 Oz. Curacao. Hard to find a better one even if you go high dollar with something like Appleton 12 or 15. Bacardi in place of vodka in a Mango Cooler also makes a great refreshing, slightly more flavorful drink..

[@speakeasyspirits]

I hope I didn't come off as too harsh on Bacardi. The best rum is the one you like to drink. I just would love to see some variety outside of tiki and rum bars., Some aged rums, let people experience the difference between Jamaican, Gyana, and Demarara. The same way I can walk into any bar and get bourbon, scotch, and Irish whiskey. I've made drinks for people who tell me "anything but rum, it's too sharp/harsh." Because all they've ever had is a cheap white rum mixed with a little fruit juice or cola. And I've seen the world of rum open up to them when I have them try a good aged rum.

[@ILuvRum]

@@speakeasyspirits Meh, they are an easy target, being the biggest out there, but they have a great history and even a great lineup beyond their Plata Superior that is on every back bar and liquor store shelf. Their Ocho is affordable and interesting and widely available for starters. Puerto Rican rums though are sort of boring in general compared to a lot of the others, I guess because of the familiarity we in the U.S. have had with them for decades. Keep up the good work.

[@bobbie4242]

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate you listing all the bar equipment that you use. I’ve been admiring your juicer for a while now. I looked it up on Amazon, and was surprised that the link took me to an aluminum juicer; I thought that aluminum reacted differently to alcohol and that stainless steel was a better option. Would love to hear your opinion.

[@speakeasyspirits]

Lemons, limes, and oranges aren't acidic enough to cause a problem. I wouldn't store juice in it for long periods, I generally rinse it between cocktails, or hand wash at the end of the night. I wouldn't use a dishwasher. The juicer itself never comes in contact with alcohol, but if it did, the alcohol in even cask strength rum or whiskey isn't high enough to be an issue. It would need to be closer to pure alcohol. Everything I've read from Consumer Reports and other sources say it's a safe material for a juicer.

[@jaysonwmsr]

A call to rum (arms)!!!!

[@speakeasyspirits]

Rise up, rum fans!

[@Quiet1-y9x]

Such a great cocktail to play with.. My favorite "El Presidente" vermouths include Dolin Blanc, Comoz Blanc, Cocchi Americano. ( BTW, "High End Vodka" is an oxymoron! )

[@speakeasyspirits]

I should have said "overpriced vodka". I've got some Cocchi Americano,, I'll give that a try .