"white rum" news and stories

I don't know if this recipe refers to the month of June or a woman named June. Perhaps Ward Cleaver created it after his wife got all jealous and suspicious when he worked late at the office so many nights in a row. But it just sounds like a June (the month) the drink, so here we go.

It's from Alex's Cocktails in the UK and includes very summer-sounding ingredients such as Midori, white rum, Cointreau, and pineapple juice.

Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc is 50% abv. / 100 proof white rum agricole from Martinique in the French West Indies and an Applelation d'Origine Controlle Martinique rum. Agricole comes from the term agriculture, meaning it is made not from molasses that is fermented and distilled, but from fresh squeezed sugar cane juice that is fermented into sugar cane wine called vesou and then distilled. This makes a much dryer style of rum similar to a fine brandy. This white rum is aged for a period of time to smooth it out, but not to pick up excess color or flavor and is crystal clear.

The aroma is a pleasant and warm earthy tone with hints of woodiness, herbaceous notes, lemon zest, and many more complex aromas with floral themes, some of which for some reason make me think 'Blue", I know not why. The taste starts off delightfully tart on the tongue and then warms up to a delightful woodiness, hints of musk, citrus, and like the aroma complex floral arrangements. It has an exceptionally long and pleasant finish. I thought with its higher strength there might be a burn while sipping but I was pleasantly surprised.

Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc is a premium rum that is that rare thing for a white rum. One that can be pleasurably sipped from a snifter, served on the rocks, or used to make a fine cocktail. I tried making mojitos and daiquiris and several other white rum based cocktails and was very pleased how its unique flavor both blended well, but showed through in the finish.

Not sure what the weather is where you are. Here it's icy cold (love it!) and windy but sunny. We had a dusting of snow over the weekend, but nothing to resemble a snowstorm, and certainly nothing resembling a blizzard.

But that doesn't mean we can't have a blizzard tonight. Several of them, in fact. I've found a bunch of different recipes for a cocktail called the Blizzard, including this one from Cocktail.com that includes Chambord, vodka, Kahlua, and white creme de cacao; this one from SuperCocktails.com that uses brandy, Irish cream, coffee liqueur, and white rum; and this one for a Kickin' Blizzard that uses ice cream.

The quirkiest variation I've found is this one called The Bleeding Blizzard, which mixes beer, Kool-Aid, and peach Schnapps!

Clément Première Canne Rhum is 40% abv. / 80 proof. This is a premium white rum that is estate bottled and Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée Martinique, produced and bottled in French Martinique. It is made by the same folks who make Clément Creole Shrubb orange liqueur. Première Canne is distilled from pure cane crush, as opposed to many rums which are made from molasses, and so is what is referred to as a A. O. C. Rhum Agricole.

Habitation Clément's Rhum's may just be some of the finest rums made in the world. Since they are in the rum agricole style which lends itself to producing dryer, almost cognac like rums of great complexity. Every single rum they make is good enough to be considered a sipping rum to have out of a snifter or on the rocks. But with so much going on that they make extra-ordinarily good cocktails as well.

Habitation Clément created what is now called A. O. C. Rhum Agricole back when it was first purchased by Homère Clément in 1887. Martinique was known to produce the best quality sugar in the world, but at a steeper cost than elsewhere. At the time there developed a sugar crisis on Martinique as Europe started buying less expensive sugar from Central and South America.

Sure, on any normal day, $35 for a bottle of rum may sound like a lot compared to what you would pay for say...generic "RUM" at the market, but $35 for Bambu White Rum is a steal compared to what your water and power bill will be after running your air conditioning for 30 days straight on full-blast.

Bambu is a triple-distilled product launched in the US last year. It is made to taste like traditional rum, yet for how white and light it is, it is more like vodka. To stay cool on this Monday's Happy Hour, muddle a couple of limes that that have been cut into wedges, a few mint leaves and a teaspoon of granulated sugar. Add ice, 2 oz. of Bambu Rum, and top the whole thing off with soda to make it sparkle.

$35 a bottle split over how many cocktails to keep you cool? Much cheaper than A/C.