This summer’s been a rum do, but that’s a good thing, says Susy Atkins
Iused to drink rum only in winter, especially on stone-cold and snowy nights. Then, a drop of dark Caribbean rum sipped by the fire feels incredibly indulgent and warming. But I’ve enjoyed rum more this summer, too, both in cocktails and as a long drink (rum and tonic is every bit as good as G&T. Garnish with lime…)
It’s partly because there are so many rums around now. This spirit is definitely having a moment, with more classic labels in bars and shops. Patrick Fogarty, of the awardwinning Dr Ink’s Curiosities bar on Exeter quayside, tells me that this year “people are asking for their favourite rums by brands, just like they have got used to doing with gin”.
I prefer the golden and dark rums to the white ones – they’re more complex and can fascinate with their spicy, oaky, raisined depths. Look out for those made in the UK, perhaps from imported cane sugar spirit that is cask aged here, or those made from scratch like the Barbican Botanics label, right.
Some spiced rums really pack a punch. If bold, intense flavours of fresh ginger, cracked peppercorn and all spice do it for you, then plunge straight into Dark Matter Spiced Rum, made in Banchory, Scotland (40%, Tesco, £29 down to £25 until Sept 9). Meanwhile I’ll be making my favourite rum cocktail, a Dark and Stormy, with a Caribbean classic, Goslings Black Seal, right. Stir 50ml rum, 25ml fresh lime juice and a dash of angostura bitters, plus a little sugar syrup (if you like), over ice in a tall tumbler, top up with a proper ginger beer and garnish with a lime twist. Something we can drink all year round.
BARBICAN BOTANICS SPICED RUM
Plymouth, England (40%, £29 for 50cl, barbicanbotanics.com, littlerumbox.com)
Cleverly balanced and not too sweet, with a fresh orange streak along with richer figs, and more warming clove and ginger. There’s a subtle dab of oak in there, too.
COPALLI BARREL RESTED DARK RUM
Belize (44%, £41.30 for 70cl, masterofmalt.com)
Made from organic sugar cane and aged in oak casks once filled with bourbon, this new rum is on the sweeter side, with complex flavours of butterscotch, vanilla, raisins and buttery shortbread. Sip it neat.
GOSLINGS BLACK SEAL BLACK RUM
Bermuda (40%, £20.49 for 70cl, distillersdirect.com;
£26, Waitrose)
Impressively rich, intense and rounded in texture, a dark rum packed with black treacle and ginger cake with a twist of black pepper. This makes a great cocktail ingredient.