Most mixologists have a love of rum, and it's not really hard to understand why.
Made from sugarcane juice or molasses from the far-flung plantations of the Caribbean , rum is versatile, can be distilled into a range of varieties and boasts one of the biggest players on the cocktail scene, the mojito.
The world's biggest selling rum, BACARDI Superior (£17.50, 70cl, 37.5% abv, Waitrose) was the first premium white rum, originally distilled in Cuba. Not much else had been known about the Bacardi family's 152-year history, but now stories of their determination to survive revolutions, Prohibition and exile are being used as the foundations for a new ad campaign - cocktail hounds can even find a new BACARDI Superior rum at 44.5% abv - the same alcoholic strength as the original rum used to create their Legacy Cocktails in the early 1900s - in selected premium bars
One of these famous cocktails is, of course, the Daiquiri, taking its name from a town on the outskirts of Santiago de Cuba, where it was created. Here's the recipe to try at home (which can substitute the 44.5% with BACARDI Superior at 37.5%).
:: DAIQUIRI 50ml BACARDI Superior, 25ml freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 barspoons of caster sugar
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass.
While sailing and trading in the Caribbean, a stalwart for Royal Navy sailors' daily tot (rum ration) was the traditional Lamb's Navy Rum, and over 160 years later, they're ushering in a new era with Lamb's Spiced (£14.49, 70cl, 30% abv, Tesco). Most spiced rums are made to mix, and a rum swizzle is a long and refreshing drink making the most of a Caribbean golden rum that's soft and fruity with a hint of cinnamon on the sweet, spicy finish.
:: LAMB'S SPICED SWIZZLE 50ml Lamb's Spiced, 25ml passion fruit juice, 12.5ml acacia honey, 12.5ml Falernum sweet syrup, 12.5ml lime juice, fresh mint.
Fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Stir in the ingredients with a long bar spoon, swizzle to mix and garnish with mint.
Another favourite port of call, Skipper Rum (£20, 70cl, 40%abv, Sainsbury's) is produced from the finest demerara cane in Guyana, South America and hasn't changed a drop since the Navy's slightly more recent ration days of the 1930s. A blend of seven dark rums, the best way to enjoy the rumbunctious, bittersweet, spicy taste and lingering molasses is in a Cuba Libre with plenty of ice cubes, lime wedges and cola.
Also a native to Guyana, El Dorado have a treasure chest of award-winning dark rums. Named after the fabled golden city, El Dorado Five Year Old (£23.90, 70cl, 40% abv, www.ocado.com) is an amber beauty made from demerara sugar and tastes more mature than you'd think from five years in oak casks. Winner of a Silver Medal Outstanding at the 2013 International Wine & Spirit Competition, it can be enjoyed neat over ice and sipped like a whisky or brandy.
Meanwhile, Ron Zacapa 23 (£49.75, 70cl, 40% abv, www.alexanderandjames.com) is a blend of dark rums from six to 23 years matured in ex-American whiskey casks, and the Guatemalan producer's recommended serve is neat over a single cube of ice, savouring the toffee aromas, complex mouthfeel with a spicy, honeyed sweetness, cigar and coffee notes and sweet vanilla on the lingering finish. A rum for connoisseurs, Ron Zacapa pairs beautifully with dark chocolates such as ganache and pralines.
Sweets and pastries are all part of Island life and sweet rums such as Ron Aguere Caramelo Rum (£31.50, 70cl, 24% abv, www.harveynichols.com) from Tenerife should be kept in the fridge so the icing sugar sweetness tastes less confected. Made from aged rum blended with caramel and matured in oak barrels, it's intense with rich, sweet caramel flavours, fudge, toffee and spice. Truly scrumptious, this golden nectar could even be poured over ice-cream for the ultimate sugar rush.
Beyond the Canary Islands and tropics, another 'spirit of the revolution' taking on the rum market is Don Papa Small Batch Rum (£40, 70cl, 40% abv, www.harveynichols.com) which is inspired by Papa Isio, one of the leading figures of the Philippine revolution. Distilled on the Island of Negros, known locally as Sugarlandia, the quality of the sugar cane, the seven years in American oak and the skill of the blender has awarded this Filipino rum a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Beautifully flavoured with obvious vanilla and candied fruits, there's a real richness on the fruity, smooth mouthfeel and can again be enjoyed neat on the rocks or in a hand-crafted cocktail.
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