Rum
There is no spirit more suited to pirates than rum. Not because it is closely associated with seafaring, nor because it is part of pop culture, but because rum is completely resistant to rules. The different styles of rum vary depending on where the rums come from, how they are distilled, and how they are aged (if at all). The only thing that connects different types of rum is the basic ingredient: sugar cane.The story of rum
Christopher Columbus brought sugar cane with him on his second trip to America in 1493, which was planted on the island of Hispaniola. The Spanish army subsequently spread the crop to several areas in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica and Cuba. It can therefore be said that Columbus was the father of rum.When sugar is produced from sugar cane, molasses is a by-product. The plantation owners discovered that instead of throwing the molasses away, they could distill it into rum. Like so many other types of spirits at the time, it was not at all what we know today. At the time, rum was bitter, sharp in taste and unpleasant in smell, but still achieved great popularity with the seafaring colonists and those at home.
However, it was not until the column still came to the Caribbean around 1848 that the production of rum was seriously industrialized. They were now able to mass-produce rum, thus meeting the great demand that was at home in the colonists' lands. Bacardi was founded in 1862 by Don Facundo Bacardi Massó, and the company has had a great influence on the spread of rum in the Western world. The product Bacardi made was smoother and cleaner than so many others, which made it quickly popular globally.
Rum, like tequila, benefited from the Prohibition era, when rum was shipped from the Caribbean and from there entered the illegal market. However, the popularity only lasted until the Great Depression started, when a large part of the distilleries had to close down.
The production of rum
Rum is made from fermented sugarcane juice or the surplus product from sugar refining, molasses. Which crop is chosen here has a great impact on the final product.The fermentation process can take anywhere from half a day to several days, depending on how strong a rum you want to end up with. Typically, the alcohol percentage you end up with is between 5 and 9 percent.
After fermentation, the liquid is distilled in either a pot still or a column still, depending on the type of rum you want. Typically, a dark rum will be distilled with a pot still, to retain as much flavor as possible in the product, and a light rum will be distilled with a column still.
Finally, the rum is poured directly into the bottle if it is a light rum, otherwise it is stored in oak casks to give additional flavor to the rum.
Classifications of rum
No rules, just rum. In contrast to the classifications with e.g. gin, rum doesn't have very many rules. Different countries have their own standards, which means that any spirit that comes from sugar cane can be called rum. Typically, however, rum can be divided into light, golden, spiced and dark.Light rum
Light rum (also called white rum) is fermented in steel barrels and is filtered. The rum will be clear in color (transparent), and have a light and slightly sweet taste. Due to its mild taste, it is very popular in cocktails, such as the Mojito.Golden rum
A golden rum is a middle ground between the light and the dark rum. It is aged in oak barrels, which gives it the golden color. Compared to light rum, golden rum is much more prominent in taste.Spiced rum
A spiced rum is a rum to which various spices have been added to flavor it. Most often, you will add the spices to a golden rum. A spiced rum will have a dark color, but the cheaper brands achieve the caramel color.Dark rum
Dark rum is made by aging a light rum in charred oak casks, which gives the rum a deep brown color and a rich taste. The storage of the rum can take place over several years.Overproof rum
Rum usually contains an alcohol percentage between 40 and 50, while overproof rum moves above 50%. An overproof rum can be used for flambéing in cooking, or for cocktails that require a strong spirit. Mai Tai is a cocktail that requires overproof rum.Cachaça
Cachaça (kah-SHA-sah) is slightly different from rum as it is produced from the juice of sugar cane and mainly originates from Brazil. Mostly it is poured directly into the bottle after distillation. Cachaça is especially known from the cocktail Caipirinha.
In addition to the above categories, the different countries also have their own special character, which is expressed in the rums they produce.
Spanish rum
A lighter style that is typically distilled from molasses. This style includes most rums made in Puerto Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador. The style emerged in the 19th century, when the invention of the column still saw an opportunity for a new rum. The new distiller made it possible to make a rum that has a high alcohol percentage and at the same time is freed from the aggressive flavor notes that can occur with a pot still.English rum
This style is often richer in flavor and more "funky". Like the Spanish style, the English style is primarily made with molasses. The style is typically found in former English colonies.Jamaican rum
Jamaican rum is quite different from the English and Spanish styles. The style has a unique funky complexity that comes from the distillation in pot stills. Due to both its strength and sharpness, Jamaican rum is rarely used as a base in cocktails, but rather as a supplement.French rum
Typically distilled from freshly pressed sugarcane juice and mostly produced in the French West Indies, where it is referred to as rhum agricole.
