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Approve of my rum selections |
Borky
Member
Joined: Jun 12, 2007
Posts: 7
From: Maryland
|  Posted: 2007-06-12 07:08 am Permalink
Hi, this is my first post here, I'm just getting into the whole tiki drink thing. I got Grog Log and have Intoxica on the way. Browsing through Grog Log though, I've made a list of rum to get based on what I could find at my local liquor stores. I've already bought most of it and plan on adding later on. Can someone tell me if these are ok selections? I don't know the least bit about rum, unfortunately. And I couldn't find much discussion about 'gold' rums around here.
White Puerto Rican - Cruzan or Brugal White (I know they aren't PR but I've heard good things)
Gold Puerto Rican - Bacardi Select (this is a bit dark, but will it still be ok or should I get another one?)
Gold Jamaican - Appleton V/X
Dark Jamaican - Myers
Demererra Rum - El Dorado of some sort
151 Demererra - El Dorado 151
Barbados Rum - Mount Gay
[ This Message was edited by: Borky 2007-06-12 07:09 ]
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Scottes
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 18, 2007
Posts: 490
From: A Little North Of Boston
| Posted: 2007-06-12 07:32 am Permalink
The Bacardi Select is one of the better Bacardis, from what I've heard, but that doesn't mean it's good. I have tendencies to go for Mount Gay Eclipse & Appleton for generic mixing. I'd wait for some specific drinks before getting another gold. But if you *must* have a gold Puerto Rican rum, it may be that Don Q is your only choice outside of Bacardi - which IMHO means it's the only choice. I'd rather test Appleton & Mount Gay and - if neither works to your tastes - then try Don Q.
For Demerera, Lemon Hart is the standard for drinks. El Dorado ain't shabby, but so many tiki drinks specifically call for Lemon Hart that I would get nothing else but Lemon Hart. However, the LH 151 is reputedly very difficult to find, so stick with what you have there, but search out for the 80-proof Lemon Hart.
Myers is a staple, but there are better, like Coruba. Good luck finding it though. Since you have the Myers don't throw it out, since it will work, but when it gets low start looking for a better dark. (Sometimes the Appleton Extra is a nice replacement, but it doesn't replace Myers in ALL drinks.)
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[ This Message was edited by: Scottes 2007-06-12 07:44 ]
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DJ HawaiianShirt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 04, 2006
Posts: 148
From: NoVA, DC
| Posted: 2007-06-12 08:10 am Permalink
How does Goslings dark stack up to its competitors? Where does it fit in?
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Rum Balls
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 828
From: Portland, OR
| Posted: 2007-06-12 08:39 am Permalink
Send me your rum, and the empty bottles I return will be the ones I approve! 
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tikiskip
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Nov 26, 2005
Posts: 2092 | Posted: 2007-06-12 09:28 am Permalink
I try all booze straight. Then on the rocks.
Next make a drink with it.
Try to follow the recipe at hand to the letter the first time.
Now tell me if YOU like it.
I like some booze others don't.
By testing this way you will know what to do
to fix a drink you like.
If you like a drink made different than the recipe
make a note on the recipe page it self So you
will know the changes to make next time.
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Borky
Member
Joined: Jun 12, 2007
Posts: 7
From: Maryland
| Posted: 2007-06-12 09:46 am Permalink
I'm trying to stay true to the original recipes so I want to get only regional rums at first that are appropriate. As the other guy mentioned, Puerto Rican rum is a bit limited in choices, but was I correct to use Bacardi select for 'Gold Puerto Rican' rum?
As far as Lemon Hart goes, I think it's going to be impossible to get around here, so El Dorado is my only choice.
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Scottes
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 18, 2007
Posts: 490
From: A Little North Of Boston
| Posted: 2007-06-12 12:09 pm Permalink
Bacardi and Don Q are really your only choices for Gold Puerto Rican rum (well, I know of a couple/few others, and they are atrocious).
In my opinion, the reason for using a Puerto Rican Gold rum is to get a decent rum flavor, not overly sweet, and not overly complex/floral/aromatic. That is, a basic rum with more body than a Puerto Rican white rum, more or less mid-line in flavor.
I'm not sure if I'm explaining my thoughts correctly... Remember that Puerto Rican rums were noted for being clean, light rums with mellow tastes that did not detract from a simple cocktail. Column still distillation tend to produce such a light spirit. This lightness is the Puerto Rican style - as compared to Jamaican rums which tend to be heavier and more aromatic and have more tastes of the underlying molasses. Most of these heavier, more earthy tastes are brought on from pot still distillation or blends with pot distilled rums. Barbados rums tend to be in between, slightly sweet and aromatic.
Gold rums are the same, but aged, and with a fuller body and more rum taste. So a gold Puerto Rican will have more taste but not necessarily distinct molasses taste like Jamaican rum. Again, Barbados is somewhere in between. There's definitely some, but not a lot, of diference when going from classic Puerto Rican to Barbados to Jamaican - especially if you're just starting out.
You might find that the Mount Gay Eclipse works well for you in place of the Puerto Rican Gold. If you find that it's too much rum taste then you have a good reason to try a more classic Puerto Rican.
Tikiskip has some excellent advice - make the recipe as close as you can, and definitely as accurately as you can. Do you like it? If so, then it's a winner. If not, what don't you like, or what would you think would make it better? Then try something a little different.
Another piece of excellent advice from DinkBoy, aka Robert Hess: Don't try to stock your bar all at once. Instead, pick a drink or two, and buy what you need for those drinks. Nothing else. Next week pick another drink, and buy more ingredients. And so on and on. Eventually you will have a nicely stocked bar, and you'll have intimate knowledge with a number of drinks.
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/StockingTheBar.html
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/SelectingYourBrands.html
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/SpiritBrands.html
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MobileTikiBar
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Apr 11, 2006
Posts: 136
From: Orlando, FL
| Posted: 2007-06-12 2:28 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-06-12 12:09, Scottes wrote:
Bacardi and Don Q are really your only choices for Gold Puerto Rican rum (well, I know of a couple/few others, and they are atrocious).
In my opinion, the reason for using a Puerto Rican Gold rum is to get a decent rum flavor, not overly sweet, and not overly complex/floral/aromatic. That is, a basic rum with more body than a Puerto Rican white rum, more or less mid-line in flavor.
I'm not sure if I'm explaining my thoughts correctly... Remember that Puerto Rican rums were noted for being clean, light rums with mellow tastes that did not detract from a simple cocktail. Column still distillation tend to produce such a light spirit. This lightness is the Puerto Rican style - as compared to Jamaican rums which tend to be heavier and more aromatic and have more tastes of the underlying molasses. Most of these heavier, more earthy tastes are brought on from pot still distillation or blends with pot distilled rums. Barbados rums tend to be in between, slightly sweet and aromatic.
Gold rums are the same, but aged, and with a fuller body and more rum taste. So a gold Puerto Rican will have more taste but not necessarily distinct molasses taste like Jamaican rum. Again, Barbados is somewhere in between. There's definitely some, but not a lot, of diference when going from classic Puerto Rican to Barbados to Jamaican - especially if you're just starting out.
You might find that the Mount Gay Eclipse works well for you in place of the Puerto Rican Gold. If you find that it's too much rum taste then you have a good reason to try a more classic Puerto Rican.
Tikiskip has some excellent advice - make the recipe as close as you can, and definitely as accurately as you can. Do you like it? If so, then it's a winner. If not, what don't you like, or what would you think would make it better? Then try something a little different.
Another piece of excellent advice from DinkBoy, aka Robert Hess: Don't try to stock your bar all at once. Instead, pick a drink or two, and buy what you need for those drinks. Nothing else. Next week pick another drink, and buy more ingredients. And so on and on. Eventually you will have a nicely stocked bar, and you'll have intimate knowledge with a number of drinks.
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/StockingTheBar.html
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/SelectingYourBrands.html
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/SpiritBrands.html
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Excellent advice and great reading on your site! Using mt gay eclipse in place is an excellent suggestion. Coruba is a great dark, although myers's taste is its own, it'll really come down to what you prefer, as mentioned above.
My suggestion would be to follow the bar-stocking process above, but also, whenever you get to half of a bottle of a particular rum type, go pick up a new bottle of a different brand of the same type. You'll end up with a larger selection to choose from in the end.
-adrian
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http://rumreviews.com
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Borky
Member
Joined: Jun 12, 2007
Posts: 7
From: Maryland
| Posted: 2007-06-12 5:59 pm Permalink
Any suggestions on what to do about rums I can't find anywhere? Such as Martinque rum for my Mai Tais. Should I just abandon the whole idea completely until I can travel to somewhere that has it or should I try different rums. Any replacements?
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Hakalugi
Site Administrator
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 2805
From: Redondo Beach, CA
| Posted: 2007-06-12 7:24 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-06-12 17:59, Borky wrote:
Any suggestions on what to do about rums I can't find anywhere? ... |
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Depending on what state you live in (BTW go back and edit the location in your profile), you may be able to order booze over the internet and have it delivered to your house.
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Borky
Member
Joined: Jun 12, 2007
Posts: 7
From: Maryland
| Posted: 2007-06-12 7:44 pm Permalink
Maryland, but I can also do my parent's house in NJ. I don't think either of those states allow it.
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Tikitatt
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Jun 08, 2004
Posts: 299 | Posted: 2007-06-12 9:40 pm Permalink
I've had my eye on this for a while and would like to know what everyone thinks of it. Also, what is the going rate to buy a bottle?
Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum
Mahalo,
Tikitatt
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mbanu
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 02, 2005
Posts: 84 | Posted: 2007-06-12 11:06 pm Permalink
White Puerto Rican - Cruzan or Brugal White (I know they aren't PR but I've heard good things)
The difference between cheap white rum and expensive white rum is usually how much time they age it before filtering. But most mixed drinks that call for white rum are designed around very young rum, 1 year or less. I'd suggest going cheaper.  Castillo White is a good one, made by Bacardi but without the Bacardi price.
Gold Puerto Rican - Bacardi Select (this is a bit dark, but will it still be ok or should I get another one?)
A good choice, nothing to complain about.
Gold Jamaican - Appleton V/X
Same as above.
Dark Jamaican - Myers
Dark Jamaican of the old sort isn't really made any more as far as I know. A while back the Jamaican distilleries raised the distillation proof on their rums to compete with the lighter more mixable Puerto Ricans. If you want a dark Jamaican, I'd suggest cutting Appleton V/X with a more pungent rum from another island, or maybe with some Demerara. If you can tolerate the taste of Pusser's Blue Label, I've found it to be a passable substitute for people who don't want to bother with rum blending.
Demererra Rum - El Dorado of some sort
151 Demererra - El Dorado 151
Barbados Rum - Mount Gay
No comments.
Good luck!
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Scottes
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 18, 2007
Posts: 490
From: A Little North Of Boston
| Posted: 2007-06-13 03:47 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-06-12 21:40, Tikitatt wrote:
I've had my eye on this for a while and would like to know what everyone thinks of it. Also, what is the going rate to buy a bottle?
Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum
Mahalo,
Tikitatt
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I love the stuff - it's in my top 3, along with Flor de CaƱa 21 and Ron Zacapa Centenario 23-year-old. I recent reviewed the Appleton and posted it to my blog - http://scottesrum.com/tag/all-rum-reviews/appleton-estate-21-year-old/
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Kona Chris
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 16, 2005
Posts: 237
From: Tucson, AZ
| Posted: 2007-06-13 04:01 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-06-12 08:10, DJ HawaiianShirt wrote:
How does Goslings dark stack up to its competitors? Where does it fit in?
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Gosling's Black Seal is awesome stuff. I personally like it much better than Coruba, and I like the Coruba better than Meyer's. I often will use it in a Mai Tai. Granted it isn't Jamaican rum, but it is really, really good. I found a deal on it in Las Vegas at one point for $9.99 a bottle. Unfortunately I only bought two bottles. I REALLY wish I had gotten at least 4.
I also really like the Pyrat XO Reserve, which is about $20 a bottle these days. As far as I am concerned there is no better rum for a Cuba Libre. I usally mix 2 jiggers pyrat, juice of one lime, 1/2 oz Orgeat, and a can of Coke Zero. Really refreshing and tasty!
As for the Lemon Hart 151, I was lucky enough to find both the 151 and the 80 proof also in Vegas, at Lee's Discount Liquors. It was around $20 for each, as both were the same price. I should have actually purchased both, but I ended up only getting the 151.
Chris
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[ This Message was edited by: Kona Chris 2007-06-13 04:03 ]
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