It seems there is a holiday for everything from sliced bread day (July 7th), to opening a bottle of wine with dinner day (just a day before rum day on Aust 15th), to your favorite spirits day, and in turn National Rum Day is Tuesday, August 16th. If you are a fan of the spirit made from cane sugar or are just looking for a refreshing summer cocktail that will transport you to the Caribbean, give one of these tasty concoctions a try. Be careful though, these sweet and savory combos go down very easy on a 100 degree day.
Mount Gay Rum, one of the oldest and finest rums made from pure sugar cane, molasses and pure filtered water in Barbados has launched a new 100 proof rum aged in Kentucky white oak casks which are charred lightly to create a sweet and smoky flavor and deep amber color. Mount Gay Eclipse Black was just relased into the marketplace last month and promises to deliver intense yet refined character with a smooth taste and silky texture. Their 100 Reasons cocktail takes a traditional mojito up a notch with an extra layer of honey and caramel flavors from the rum and sweet spiciness from the ginger.
Jump for it.
100 Reasons
2 oz Eclipse Black
10 mint leaves
1 oz fresh Lemon Juice
¾ oz Ginger Syrup
Ginger Beer
In a high ball glass put the mint leaves and ginger syrup, muddle lightly, fill the glass with ice, add the rum and lemon juice. Top up with ginger beer garnish with a lemon cart wheel.
Zacapa Rum is a Guatemalan rum created in a facility that sits 7500 feet above sea level, in the clouds as they like to say, and is known for its rich caramel, vanilla and nutty flavors. To balance out these flavors Zacapa Brand Ambassador Tekla Israelson created a fresh and fruit driven cocktail with fresh strawberries and lime.
Las Fresas
1 1/2 ounces Zacapa Rum 23
3/4 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce fresh strawberry puree
Combine Zacapa Rum 23, lime juice, simple syrup, and strawberry puree into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a highball glass.
Ron Abuelo Rum is created from estate-grown sugar cane in Panama by the family-owned Varela Hermanos, dating back to 1908 when Don José Varela established the first sugar mill in the Republic of Panama. These aged rums are hand crafted and designed to be enjoyed on their own as a sipping rum or blended in cocktails. Ron Abuelo 7 Años is aged for seven years in small oak barrels and has a rich amber color, medium-bodied finish with hints of caramel and toasted coconut. Delicious in the Panamanian Soother from Master Mixologist Jonathan Pogash.
The Panamanian Soother
(Pitcher drink – served 8-10)
1 1/2 cups Ron Abuelo Añejo
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 oz agave nectar
1 pack blueberries
12 sage leaves
2 bottles Diet Ginger Beer (Barritts’s or Regatta)
In large pitcher, muddle the berries and sage together. Then add remaining ingredients with ice and stir very well.
If you are like me and have a half full bottle of Bacardi in your liquor cabinet, which might be called an “aged rum” because it has been there so long try mixing it with one of the hottest products available now – coconut water. Vita Coco Tropical Fruit coconut water, the brands newest flavor, just launched on August 1st and is designed to keep you hydrated with five essential electrolytes, 15 times the potassium of a traditional sports drink, and 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C. So yes, you can feel good about drinking it, even when mixing it with rum. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and some ice and you are sent to a tropical paradise in no time.
