Rum Quest Wednesday or Sorry Dave I was pirated.

I was helping (more like just hanging out) Casey do some work at his mom’s summer place when our friend and neighbor, Tui stopped by to say hello.

During our conversation Tui mentioned that she had a bottle of Admiral Rodney rum.

http://www.saintluciarums.com/admiral-rodney.html

Being the good pirates we are, we persuaded her, with disregard of her plea of “no I can not, I must not open this rum with out my Dave, it is a promise I made and must keep”!

The flag of no quarter was run up the mast as we attempted to relive Tui of her treasure.

After a valiant fight she finally gave in to the pleasures we desired.

And what pleasures indeed, this award-winning rum came in a beautiful package and bottle.

When poured into the tasting goblets we were greeted with wonderful amber color and a sweet attractive nose and sexy rum legs.

The initial taste was sweet toffee or caramel very up front and followed by ripe fruit or figs. There is a black pepper warmth. Along the way you will also enjoy the taste of oak cask (formerly used to age bourbon) brings everything to a very wonderfully smooth finish.

Any Reef Warriors within sniffing  ( Amanda and Sandy Bottoms, were soon followed by Randy and Sharon) distance soon appeared to taste, drink and behold the bounty of  delights that Tui had bestowed upon our senses.

This St. Lucia distiller certainly knows how to make rum.

Keep this rum locked up and only share with true believers.

Oh yeah, Dave she’s not that sorry.

She is a pirate at heart after all.

Rum Quest Q and A, or Letters, we get letters, Or just another mojito monday.

Last evening Casey, Amanda, Gail and I tried a new mojito recipe, strawberry basil mojito. It was a big hit on the deck and packed quite a punch

.http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/drink_recipes/mixology-monday-strawberry-basil-mojito/

I was going to post the recipe on rum quest Wednesday since I have been slacking on that duty. Then today we had a question come up from one of our followers re:the use of mint with rum, which allowed me the opportunity to share some thoughts.

Here is the question:

Michael commented on Rum QuestI come to you as a supplicant to an oracle.  I have a mint plant with many leaves.  I want to do something worthy with them, with rum.  Not too complicated.  What should I do, and with what rum should I do it? Note:  I have already tried placing a bottle of rum on top of a mint leaf.  Also waving a mint leaf over a bottle of rum.  My goal is to incorporate mint in the final beverage.Thank you kindly. Now I am pleased that Michael will readily bow down to my rum knowledge, but I must correct his belief that we here at rum quest are oracles or high priests of rum. We are, simply put, Drunken Sailors! To answer the question with one word, mojito! As to what rum to use, what ever you have on hand will do. Our favorite in Oronoco from Brazil. which tastes like a camp fire marshmallow when sampled straight, but when mixed with mint that has been beaten to a pulp, club soda and a simple syrup…… heaven in a glass. Oronoco can also be mixed with pineapple juice, mint, limewedges. 1 1/2 oz. oronoco 3 limewedges 2 mint leaves 3 oz. pineapple juice   (I incorrectly said lime juice in the original post) mint for garnish in a shaker muddle mint and lime, add rum and pineapple juice, shake with crushed ice pour into tall glass, garnish with mint. Other great rums for mojitos are Pyrat

rum quest wednesday

Today we will be trying Montecristo Rum Spiced blend from Guatemala.

This is what a spiced rum should be.

A rich golden color, with decent rum legs.

Carmel , honey, and cinnamon and brown sugar nose , maybe over ripe fruit or raisins.

1st sip revels ginger and caramel

Tastes like a ginger bread cookie.

Smooth and warm, very little or no bite in the finish.

Add an ice-cube and more spices are awakened. Molasses and more of the barrel flavor.

This would probably make a great spiced rum and cola, but why waste this outstanding rum on that.

Keep this on the top shelf.

http://www.montecristorum.com/site.php

Over the past couple weeks Gail & I have hit our new favorite pub for dinner, www.BuffaloBrewpub.com,    where along with great food we have tried 2 aged in oak rum barrel beers.  Both were very enjoyable and worthy of mention here. ( a quest, after all is about discovery, is it not)

The 1st is Innis & Gunn  http://www.innisandgunn.com/?to=1 Rum Cask. This is a dark amber beer, with a nice head. I did not get a lot of oak or cask flavors when I tried it, but it was after my meal and I am sure my taste buds were no longer sharp. The finish had a sweet rum taste and hints of ripe fruit. A very fun find, I hope to have this again soon. And I did find it, well Gail found it for me at a local grocery store, so now we can really explore it.

I quote, from the label on the bottle, “A slow maturation using American oak and rum infused oak has imparted this beer with a delicious warming that is bursting with fruit and lively spices”. The beer is aged for 57 days in the oak and has a certain spiceyness to it. I would say the spice and fruit flavors are similar to that of mulling spices, apple, pear ect. The flavors are not overpowering or easy to pick out as you often can with rum.

Innis & Gunn also have a spiced rum cask beer.

The 2nd treat is Southampton Abbott 12

.http://www.southamptonpublickhouse.com/Default.aspx?redirect=/the-beers/750-series/Default.aspx    the 750 series

Here is a little video review as well.

It is described in the beer menu as “a strong dark ale with notes of raisins, figs, and caramel, and a pronounced “dark rum” character. Deceptively smooth.” I could not have said it better. I really enjoyed this beer, and could notice the rum characteristics.

I would consider both beers top shelf and worth the quest.

Last week a  question was asked re: Travellers gold rum and the tomato we noticed in the flavor. I did some thinking and drinking and research, so to further answer the question, yes tomato is sometimes used in rum. Goslings Black seal is a great example. I seem to remember a similar taste in the Goslings Family Reserve.

Finally, the rum loving pirate in me feels obligated to share this PSA with you. Today, May 2nd is Scurvy Awareness Day. Check these links for the facts, http://atlasobscura.com/blog/obscura-society-sf-smugglers-cove-scurvy-awareness-day

http://www.limestrong.com/

and make sure you add some lime to your rum tonight.

Thanks, Lou

Rum Quest month week 4

As rum quest month sadly draws to a close we will finish up with Vizcaya cask 21 and Ron Cententario. Casey and I plan to keep up with  rum quest Wednesdays.

A friend recently visited Costa Rica, when I bumped into her she mentioned what great rum she found there. I told her that Costa Rica makes one of my favorite rums,  so it is in her honor we review Ron Centenario.

A sweet nose, with maybe a hint of cherry. Light in color but bold in taste. Nice thick rum legs as well. Aged 7 yrs in oak brings out a full body, a nice smokeyness warms the tongue. Mild hints of vanilla and caramel. Very smooth. This is a good sipping rum, keep this on the top shelf.

http://www.rndrumreviews.com/RnDRumReviews/Centenario_A%C3%B1ejo_Especial.html

http://www.roncentenario.com/english/index.html

Vizcaya cask 21 cuban formula rum

from Dominican Republic

aged in oak

Casey will  say this is the rum that started rum quest for him. We had tried some different rum but Viscaya opened up all the possibilities of rum.

A light root beer color, nice rum legs. A sweet complex  nose greets you. Lots going on.

The 1st taste is warm and sensual. Sweet, spicy, oaky, vanilla blend together with many other flavors.Very complex but enjoyable. Smooth going down, warm finish. A world-class sipping rum.

Casey’s Take: Yup this is the bottle that started “Rum Quest”. I remember i was looking to find a rum better then capatin morgan private stock, which was all i was drinking for many years. I went on the net and found Vizcaya which got some good reviews. So i ordered up a bottle, got it, took a sip straight up. And said to myself “there is a god” next thing I know, I drank 3/4 of the bottle. And it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Its that good, lots of Carmel, Vanilla, and wicked smooth. Its like liquid candy. Very dangerous! A must have Rum. I give it 9/10

Keep this rum locked up and share only with true believers.

http://www.rndrumreviews.com/RnDRumReviews/Vizcaya_VXOP.html

http://vizcayarum.com/home.html

A quick note on the web links for these two rums, both are very full of info, they will make you a better rum quester. enjoy, Lou

rum quest month week 3

It is still Wednesday, so it is still rum quest Wednesday.

Better late than never. The weather has been soooo… wonderful we have been busy with household chores and getting in some water time, so tonight we reward ourselves with some Barbancourt estate reserve.

http://barbancourt.net/index2.php?mode=1&langue=en

This rhum is from Haiti and aged 15 yrs in french limosin oak casks. This is also from 100% sugar cane juice, and pot stilled. I am usually not a fan of the rhums, but this is a real delight.

The color is a light coffee or light root beer. Nice legs. A rich spicy nose with hints of sweet cinnamon.

On the tonuge it is very spicy/peppery and rich. It warms the mouth and throat going down. There is also a light oaky taste, and maybe some hints of ripe bananas.

A slight oily finish, found in many pot stilled rums, lingers nicely.

This is a good classic sipping rum. Top shelf all the way

Casey’s Take: Well i agree with Lou on this one. I pretty much hate all “RHUM” kind of rum’s, but this one is very unique, and very good. If you are going to try one of the Barbancourt rum’s dont even bother with the 4 or 8yr. Save up your beans and try this one. Its worth it. I give it a 8/10.

http://www.rndrumreviews.com/RnDRumReviews/Barbancourt_15_Year_Old.html

Next week: Vicaya cask 21