#overproof rum

Privateer International Distillers Drawer When in Rum Overproof Rum

Privateer International Distillers Drawer When in Rum Overproof Rum. Thanks to increased distribution in Europe and very generous samples from rum fans around the world, I’m beginning to build up a nice set of Privateer Rum reviews. In this instance huge thanks to the person who sent me this particular sample of Overproof Rum. Very much appreciated. I often think I should thank people personally…

Rum Fire Velvet Jamaican White Overproof Rum

Rum Fire Velvet Jamaican White Overproof Rum. There are a lot of words and phrases I have used over they years when reviewing White Overproof rum from Jamaica. Velvet is certainly not one I have ever thought to use before, if I am being honest.

Rum Fire Velvet is produced at Hampden Estate. There has been a bit of confusion over this bottling for the European market and the Rum Fire (minus the…

 Jamaican Sundown

30ml white rum (Havana Club 3 Year)

15ml overproof rum (Wray & Nephew)

60ml orange juice

45ml pineapple juice

15ml grenadine (Fruiss)

Carefully pour grenadine into base of a highball and fill with ice. Dry shake rum and juice to mix and pour gently over the top. Garnish with an orange slice, maraschino cherries and a cocktail umbrella.

I tend to prefer classic cocktails, which means they’re usually strong, dry or bitter, and often brown. Garnish tends to be minimal; a lemon twist, cherry or a leaf. Minnie is not such a fan of these cocktails, and put in a request for something ‘fun’; to which I responded ‘like a Tequila Sunrise?’

This being met with enthusiasm plus my reluctance to actually use my nice tequila in a drink I was sure was going to taste mainly of orange juice and grenadine, I opted to come up with a rum-based riff. Working from the IBA recipe (45ml tequila/90ml orange juice/15ml grenadine) I split the tequila between white rum and overproof and swapped out a third of the orange juice for pineapple. 

The result wasn’t bad, though not as good as I was hoping. I ended up using an extra half ounce of pineapple juice on a whim and which I’d reversed the juice split - the taste presences were good but the mouthfeel was thinner than expecting. I have to confess I actually prefer store-bought orange juice in some cases - it tends to be more viscous than fresh-squeezed and you can get some excellent varieties (Lidl used to do the best orange juice I’ve for an incredibly reasonable price).

Still, it was fun to make, fun to drink, and it had a little pink umbrella in it.

Original recipe © Benjamin Talbot, 2018. 

Jungle Bird

40ml black rum (Gosling’s Black Seal)

5ml overproof rum (Wray & Nephew)

22.5ml Campari

10ml demerara syrup (Trois Riviéres)

15ml lime juice

45ml pineapple juice

Shake over ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with three pineapple leaves, a lime wheel and a maraschino cherry.

This was, I think, the first tiki drink I made, and while I have no notes on it from then I can see why - it’s complex; without obscure or niche ingredients. At the time I had a limited selection of rum and made it only with Gosling’s, and while that was a perfectly fine drink the Jungle Bird really does shine with something funkier. The original recipe calls for a blackstrap rum, made with blackstrap molasses. These reportedly have a deep molasses flavour and a unique funk to them which I wouldn’t know about; as they’re hard to come by in the UK. I tried to replicate it here with a mix of Gosling’s and the little bottle of Wray & Nephew I picked up on NYE. 

It worked well fairly well: on sipping, the banana-y flavour of the W&N gives way to pineapple with the Campari deepening the flavour and adding the gentle bitterness which makes me love this drink. I have a feeling you could leave out the syrup, but I like demerara here as it helps keep the colour a bit darker and provides a deeper sweetness which I lack in my rums. I still feel as though I could make a better Jungle Bird though - hopefully I can source a proper bottle of blackstrap from somewhere.

Usually served in a tumbler, this snifter was another gift from our neighbour(s), who also suggested that I use it to do a smoked cocktail, an idea which I think is fantastic!

Recipe adapted from Aviary Bar, Kuala Lumpur Hilton, 1978.

Habitation Velier Forsyths WP 502

Another release from Habitation Velier.  This time we are seeing Velier partnering up with Worthy Park Estate in Jamaica for this release.

First up I will help with the title for this rum.  Fortunately as well as providing us with a rather confusing and slightly obscure title, Velier have also provided us with extensive notes on the production and origin of this rum.

This is an unaged White Rum…

Rum of the Month August 2015

As it is supposed to be British Summer Time, I thought I would make this months Rum of the Month a summer rum.  So I decided to go with this fantastic Overproof mixer.

As you can see Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum is traditionally drank on Jamaica with Ting.  A Jamaican grapefruit soda and plenty of ice.  This a potent Overproof mixing rum but nonetheless a very good one.  To read the…

5 Minutes of Rum episode 40 is available. Hamilton 151 Overproof, Sippin’ Safari, the ’34 Zombie, and the Shockwave.