got rum? - rumshop.net · got rum? tm november 2013 from ... now famous “the real mccoy”...

Got Rum? TM

NOVEMBER 2013 fROM thE gRass tO yOuR glass!

Rum EVENTS - ANgEl’S ShARE - Rum hiSToRy - bARTENdER’S coRNER -

PRohibiTioN SPEciAl - Rum libRARy - TobAcco & Rum

T he Real McCoy

got Rum? November 2013 - 2

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10

16


CONtENts NOVEMBER 2013

5 From The ediTor - Prohibi t ion

6-9 The Angel’s shAre - Rum Reviews

10-13 WilliAm mccoy - The Original Rumrunner

14-15 The rUm hisToriAn - The Origin of Rum, Part IV

16-17 The rUm UniVersiTy

18-19 BArTender’s corner - Essent ia l Cocktai l ’s Part V: The Rum Runner

20-21 rUm in hisTory

22-24 PAiring ToBAcco And rUm

25 rUm liBrAry - Making Fine Spir i ts

27 cooking WiTh rUm - Pumpkin Cheesake With Caramel Rum Sauce

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Got Rum? TM

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November 2013editor and Publ isher: lu [email protected]

execut ive edi tor : [email protected]

Tobacco and rum: phi l [email protected]

Angel ’s share: [email protected]

rum histor ian: [email protected]

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on The coVer: Bi l l mccoy aboard the Arethusa

inside coVer: i l legal cargo being loaded on the Arethusa

@ G o t _ R u mf a c e b o o k . c o m / G o t R u m


From The ediTor

Prohibition

T he dark chapter of Us history known as “Prohibi t ion” famously gave bir th to boot legging and rum running, but

i t a lso was crucial in the establ ishment of a now-glor i f ied craf t : micro brewing and dist i l l ing.

The fol lowing poem, f i rst publ ished by the cincinnat i enquirer i l lustrates th is point qui te humorously:

“Old Ben”

Each night, for more than 40 years,He drank a couple of good beers.

He never would exceed that number,He said that beer promoted slumber;

I t was a tonic, so he said,And to him i t was l iquid bread.

He said that whisky poisoned men,He was against i t , was Old Ben.So he went out and voted dry,

To ki l l the bourbon and the rye.He ki l led the whisky, but, oh, dear!He also found he’d k i l led his beer.He needed beer, and he was sad,For there was no beer to be had.

* * * * *Now in a cel l we hear him groan –For Old Ben tr ied to make his own.

in th is issue of “got rum?” we honor the memory of Bi l l mccoy, a renowned rum runner dur ing th is chal lenging phase of America’s history. We honor him not because of h is disregard for the law, but because of h is passion for dist i l led spir i ts and his understanding and appreciat ion for qual i ty. Ul t imately i t was this qual i ty-dr iven at t i tude of h is that fueled the meaning behind the now famous “The real mccoy” expression.

As we travel around the wor ld offer ing our consul t ing services and teaching our rum Universi ty courses, we of ten see splashes of th is “Bi l l mccoy spir i t ” among the people we talk to: bartenders who want to learn more so they can provide better service to their c l ients, craf t d ist i l lers who want to produce better rums so consumers have a higher appreciat ion for rum and consumers who want to better understand the di fference between low and high qual i ty dist i l lates.

Whi le prohibi t ion has certainly exhaled i ts last breath, i ts effects cont inue to th is day, f rom speakeasies to micro dist i l ler ies, a l l happy to pursue their passions without fear of shar ing old Ben’s fate in a cel l !

cheers,

luis Ayala, Editor and Publ isher http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant

do you want to learn more about rum but don’t want to wait until the next issue of “got rum?”? Then join the “rum lovers Unite!” group on linkedin for updates, previews, Q&A and exclusive material.


The Angel’s shAre

my name is Paul senf t - rum reviewer, Tast ing host , Judge and Wr i ter. my explorat ion of rums began by learning to c raf t T ik i cock ta i ls for f r iends. i quick ly learned that not a l l rums are created equal ly and that the uniqueness of the spi r i t can be as var ied as the locales they are f rom. This inspi red me to t ravel wi th my wi fe around the car ibbean, centra l Amer ica, and Uni ted states v is i t ing dist i l ler ies and learning about how each one creates thei r rums. i have also had the p leasure of learning f rom bar tenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts f rom around the wor ld; each one prov id ing thei r own unique point of v iew, adding another chapter to the modern stor y of rum.

The desi re to share th is informat ion led me to c reate w w w.RumJourney.com where i share my exper iences and rev iews in the hopes that i would inspi re others in thei r own explorat ions. i t is my wish in the pages of “got rum?” to be your host and prov ide you wi th my impressions of rums avai lab le in the wor ld market . hopeful ly my tast ing notes wi l l inspi re you to t r y the rums and make your own opin ions. The wor ld is fu l l of good rums and the journey is a lways best exper ienced wi th others. cheers!


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The real mccoy 5 year old rum

A s november ar r ives, i begin look ing back and ref lec t ing on the many rums re leased and enjoyed dur ing

the year. i have to say The real mccoy 5 year has been by far one of my favor i te back stor ies. Produced by real mccoy spir i ts in stonington, connect icut we are encouraged to revis i t the Prohibi t ion era of the Uni ted states. dur ing that t ime many “rum runners” or smugglers would increase their prof i ts by adding wood alcohol or some other quest ionable ingredients to their i l legal wares.

one enterpr is ing gent leman by the name of captain Bi l l mccoy t ravel led to Barbados, loaded his boat up wi th rum, and then sai led i t up to new york. There he dropped anchor three mi les of f -shore in internat ional waters where i t was legal for h im to sel l h is rum. locals would then sai l up and purchase what they needed for their speakeasy ’s and drug stores. Because Bi l l mccoy always sold legi t imate unal tered products, the phrase “The real mccoy” was coined in honor of h is spir i ts.

Fast for ward to modern t imes and we f ind Bai ley Pr yor, the researcher and creat ive force behind a documentar y about the real mccoy for PBs. Whi le researching the l i fe of Bi l l mccoy , Pr yor dec ided to develop a rum in his honor. in his research through the use of photographs and other documentat ion, he t raced the prohibi t ion era rum back to what is now the Foursquare dist i l ler y in Barbados. he approached richard seale the master Blender and owner of Foursquare and created a par tnership to create th is rum. Using a combinat ion of copper pot and column st i l l rums they blended the rum to 80 proof. dist r ibut ion in the UsA is cur rent ly l imi ted to three states.


The Angel’s shAre

T his year wi tnessed the re lease of several new rums to the market p lace. mount gay Black Barrel is a smal l batch

rum that is b lended using double dist i l led pot st i l l rum and single dist i l led column st i l l rum. i t is aged for an unspeci f ied amount of t ime in heavi ly char red used Bourbon bar rels, then blended to 86 proof using Barbados coral f i l tered spr ing water.

appearance

The tal l bot t le has a long neck that descends into a f lask shaped bot t le. This is a var iant f rom the standard mount gay bot t le designs and i found i l iked i t . The long neck made i t easy to handle and i t popped of f the shel f in the store and behind the bar. The wood and cork cap is sealed with a long secur i t y st r ip.

The f ront label is also a depar ture f rom other mount gay designs. one thing i l iked is each bot t le is indiv idual ly numbered; mine is A Z 39740. The back label shares the histor y of the company and basic detai ls about the rum in t iny, wor th - the - read scr ipt .

The rum is much l ighter than i expected when you compare i t to mount gay Xo or 1703, maintaining a pure amber hue in the bot t le and glass. When i gave i t a l ight swir l , th in bands appeared with fast moving legs that dissipated quick ly.

A l l of these factors marr ied with the lack of an age statement makes me bel ieve we are deal ing with a fair ly immature blend of rums for this product .

mt. gay Black Barrelappearance/Presentat ion

The rum comes in a squat 750 ml, long necked bot t le. The beige label and bold font makes the rum easy to spot f rom across the room. The rum has a p leasant copper color that g leams l ike a shiny penny when the l ight cuts through i t .

Nose

sweet honey caramel r ises to meet my nose as i approach the glass. As the aroma set t les i f ind vani l la, dr ied orange peel, and oak round out the prof i le.

Palate

The entr y has a bi t more spark to i t than ant ic ipated accompanied by a warm bodied caramel f lavored mouth feel. As i cont inued to s ip i t , i p icked up on the balance and blend of the di f ferent t ypes of rums. The oak and orange peel create an interest ing backdrop that balances the sweetness of the vani l la and caramel notes which car r y the midl ine. As i t fades the oak real ly comes out to p lay and l ingers in a dr y f in ish.

Review

The f i rst rum dist i l ler y i ever v is i ted was the Foursquare dist i l ler y in Barbados. With i ts gorgeous landscape and diverse product l ines, i t fueled my explorat ion into the var iety of rums Barbados has to of fer. The real mccoy f i ts per fect ly in their por t fo l io r ight a longside rum 66, old Br igand, and r.l. seale. The immatur i t y of the spir i t makes i t a b i t rough to s ip neat , but i bel ieve you wi l l f ind i t f i ts wel l in any modern or c lassic prohibi t ion era cock tai l that cal ls for gold rum. i bel ieve they have honored the legacy of Bi l l mccoy and have set the bar high for the nex t two expressions enter ing the marketplace.


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The aroma has a pleasant vani l la note, fo l lowed by roasted almond, and f in ishes with l ight spicy char red oak notes.

Palate

i found the entr y interest ing. right up f ront the tannins f rom the char red oak l ight up the mouth. As they set t led to form the base note, i discovered a lush vani l la, roasted almond, caramel, fo l lowed by a hint of banana and dr ied f rui t . The f rui t notes car r y into the f in ish, mingl ing with the char for a toasty, s l ight ly ac idic f in ish.

Review

in my opinion, mount gay Black Barrel is a bold depar ture f rom the normal f lavors that i have exper ienced f rom the mount gay l ine. This rum has the signature banana note that is present in al l mount gay products, but has the oaky tannin r ich prof i le one might f ind in a Whisky or Bourbon. When using i t in a cock tai l , th ink about how the char notes wi l l p lay with the other components of your dr ink. i found going the route of a manhat tan var iant or rum sour was the best way to work with i t .

i found the char note created a pleasant smoky var iant of a cuba libre, but did not enjoy i t as much in a classic daiquir i as i t did not b lend wel l wi th the sweetness of the dr ink. The t r icky complexi ty of the rum is par t of the fun and wor th the chal lenge. Whi le compar isons with mount gay Black, which was br ief ly on the market , are inevi table, Black Barrel has long term stabi l i t y that the gimmick of the “Black ” label could not provide.

i look for ward to seeing what the company re leases nex t as i t cont inues to diversi f y i ts l ine.


One of the most pr ized books in the Ayala Rum Col lec t ion is an autographed copy of B i l l McCoy’s b iography “The Real McCoy,”

publ ished in New York by Doubleday, Doran & Company in 1931. The book was wr i t ten

by Mr. Freder ick F. Van de Water.

The author ’s respect towards B i l l McCoy, as wel l as his pass ion and elegance of

prose are evident in the foreword. We feel i t is appropr iate to inc lude i t here in i ts

ent i rety.

“Got Rum?” Publ ishers .

F ragments of Bi l l mccoy ’s histor y are embodied in the records of the depar tment of Just ice and the log books

of sundry revenue cut ters. These comments on the most dar ing and successful of rum runners are pardonably ac id and prejudiced. nothing is more of fensive to of f ic ia ldom than a re i terant , l ight-hear ted disregard. nothing is more maddening to the agents of const i tuted author i t y than der is ion.

For four l ive ly years, whi le he mocked the increasingly por tentous blockading f leet of the Volstead Act mobi l ized on the At lant ic seaboard, mccoy was a thorn in the twi tching f lesh of the Uni ted states government, a rank l ing and most persistent thorn. he was the founder of rum row of f new york and the t rade’s most dar ing and successful exponent . T ime and again his ships were located, t r iumphant ly captured. subsequent re l ieve always was br ief. he evaded those who had caught him and almost immediate ly was prodding e lsewhere.

he landed the f i rst sea-borne rum shipments in new england. he opened up st . Pier re at miquelon as a rum base. he drove cut ter captains to the br ink of apoplexy. he enraged prohibi t ion agents, dist racted the depar tment of Just ice, and t roubled the olympian calm of the state depar tment i tse l f, which eventual ly entered into a spec ial agreement wi th the Br i t ish government whereby he f inal ly was la id by the heels.

in the abstract , the s l ippery, i r reverent , swagger ingly resourceful mccoy was a scourge, a menace, a cont inual threat against the peace and digni t y of the Uni ted states, and a jeer ing foe of that swel l ing army which st rove to make the nat ion dr y. in the f lesh, even his b i t terest foes admit ted, he was the most genial and endear ingly candid of law breakers.

William McCoy the ORIGINAL RUM RUNNeRForeword to The Real McCoy, by Freder ic F. Van de Water

Wil l iam “Bi l l ” mccoy


other, less caust ic , records of mccoy ’s past may be gleaned in the Bahama group, those whi te scraps of f i rmament carelessly brushed f rom the creator ’s t rest leboard into the blue glare of the spanish main. nassau, the sun-steeped haunt successively of buccaneers, b lockade runners, and rum runners, is f i l led wi th yarns of h is achievement. here you wi l l f ind none of the hard, br ief animus of the government repor ts. in Bahamian reminiscences, Bi l l mccoy already is t ra i l ing c louds of legendary glor y.

of al l that hard, wi ld, unrestrained crew of rascals who infested nassau in the ear ly, disorganized era of the rum t rade, mccoy was the most personable, the most t rustwor thy. in a day when a man’s word was wor th no more than the breath that bore i t , when contracts were enforced by the lynx- l ike v ig i lance backed by f i rearms; when thef t , double -crossing, p i racy, even murder were f requent and usual ly unpunished, mccoy st rode his boyishly gr inning, zest fu l way, respected and honored by the under wor ld rabble through which he went , rueful ly admired even by the Uni ted states consul, loren A . lathrop, a veteran of the ser v ice who in of f ic ia l moments was his f i rm antagonist and, af ter hours, h is f r iend.

The l iquor mccoy ’s ships car r ied to rum row was always the best . debts he incur red, whether oral or wr i t ten, were paid on t ime and in fu l l . Fr iends whom he made, he kept . Persistent ly he st ruck at the law of h is countr y, but he held to his own not inconsiderable moral code.

To nassauvians, who prof i ted great ly dur ing his rum-running years, he has become a glamorous robin hood of the main. his erstwhi le assoc iates have epi tomized his square crookedness in a phrase that has become a par t of the nat ion’s s lang: “The real mccoy” – s igni f y ing al l that is best and most genuine. eventual ly dic t ionar ies may pick i t up, a verbal monument to one who played a hazardous game dar ingly and, af ter h is l ights, fa i r ly and honest ly.

i knew the s lang long before i met the man. several t imes in a st retch of years our t ra i ls crossed. in december of 1923 i went , at the behest of a magazine edi tor, to nassau to wr i te of rum running and rum piracy. The edi tor, i have s ince suspected, was prone to dramat ize mat ters, as al l good edi tors must . he dwelt at length on the hazards of the enterpr ise, counsel ing me to go as a tour ist and to reveal to no one the purpose of my

liquor “hams,” of s ix bot t les each

stowed in the hold of the Arethusa.


mission. so stout ly did i at tempt to por t ray the ro le he had imposed that wi th in twenty-four hours of my landing at nassau the ent i re is land had leaped to the conc lusion that i was a secret-ser v ice man. i t took much t ime and considerable l iquor to eradicate that unfor tunate f i rst impression.

mccoy and his cher ished schooner, born Arethusa and rechr istened Tomoka , at th is t ime was nor th on rum row, ser v ing the chr istmas t rade. From the Amer ican consul, the late loren A . lathrop, a grac ious and cul tured gent leman who wrote under the pseudonym “kenyon gambier ” much wor th -whi le f ic t ion; f rom rum runners, f rom schooner captains, f rom l iquor dealers, i heard of the “k ing of rum row.” so he was cal led. even in that day, legend was sol id i f y ing about him. one might as wel l ignore Wi ld Bi l l hickok in an account of the ear ly days of dodge city as to wr i te of nassau in i ts mad, bad pr ime and omit mccoy. he f igured largely in my ar t ic les.

A year or so later char les r. Pat terson, the mar ine ar t ist , d ined at my home.

“do you,” he asked me, “know a person named Bi l l mccoy?”

“only indirect ly,” i answered. “ Why?”

“he’s under indic tment here in new york,” Pat terson explained. he’s ordered a canvas f rom me –a pic ture of h is Tomoka running

away f rom the revenue cut ter Seneca. he asked i f i knew you and sent his regards.”

since then, mccoy has returned to his home in Flor ida and resumed his long inter rupted t rade of boat bui ld ing. he has been def in i te ly of the rum-running game. no consc ient ious reformat ion turned him f rom reprehensibi l i t y. his reason for ret i rement has been that the t rade has changed and that i t no longer is fun. A lso, by his own unique yet r ig id ethics, i t has become too dir t y, too whol ly crooked.

in th is age of consol idat ion the rum-running industr y has not become immune. What was once a mar ine combinat ion of tag and bl ind-man’s buf f, wi th the revenue cut ters forever “ i t ” and each indiv idual runner work ing for himsel f ; what was once a spor t as wel l as a lucrat ive enterpr ise has become Big Business wi th the smal l independent t radesman absorbed or f rozen out . The zest ful hazard has been el iminated. i t is a sordid br ibe -giv ing, graf t - tak ing racket , coordinated, systemat ized.

“ i don’ t want any par t of i t ,” mccoy says scornful ly. i bel ieve him. i know that a few weeks before th is was wr i t ten, representat ives of a “mob” that handles much of new york ’s sea-borne l iquor approached Bi l l , urging that he resume his o ld t rade and backing persuasion wi th f inanc ial promises that lef t a hack wr i ter dazed and a l i t t le dizzy.

cargo being loaded on the Arethusa.


“nope,” said mccoy. “ i ’m through. i t ’s a business now, and i ’m not that sor t of a business man.”

For some years we car r ied on a desul tor y cor respondence, and one day, whi le he as in new york, we met.

six feet two, wi th shoulders l ike a cargo hatch, s l im waist , a voice l ike a foghorn, lean tanned face, and steady eyes set in the network of wr ink les that long gazing over g l i t ter ing water etches, he sat in my suddenly dwar fed l iv ing room and ta lked of the days when l iquor was l iquor and rum row was a mar ine market running unbroken f rom montauk to the At lant ic ci ty, when each man worked for himsel f to outwi t revenue cut ters and to fend against p i racy and hi jack ing.

he lost h imsel f in his stor y. sur f boomed through his words, and out of the rush of h is speech, now and then, leaped a phrase poet ic and v iv id, s i red by his sheer zest for act ion and a deep love of the sea and of sai l .

he crowds f i f t y, c lean l imbed and muscular as he could have been at twenty- f ive. his

out look upon l i fe is as unscrupulously g leeful , thr i l l seeking, adventurous as though he were st i l l f i f teen. There are moments when you suspect that the essent ia l ego of h im is no more than that .

he was, wi thout quest ion, the most successful and notor ious of the o ld - t ime –as one counts advances and changes in the l iquor t raf f ic - rum runners. he was, l i teral ly, the father of rum row and the inventor of much rum-running technique. When he qui t the game, less than f ive years ago, he had landed or discharged f rom his schooners into l ighters and motor boats for the re l ief of parched Amer ica a total of 175,000 cases of l iquor, chief ly scotch and r ye. Pract ical ly a l l of th is was cut four t imes by purchasers –di luted and for t i f ied by grain alcohol - before i t was sold. Thus, mccoy actual ly furnished 700,000 cases to s lake Amer ica’s th i rst .

he has been the t rusted f r iend of some of the most outrageous crooks manhat tan harbors. he was a leader in nassau when that usual ly p lac id t ropic c i t y was a combinat ion of a cow town on pay day and a new gold camp, wi th addi t ional spectacular and v io lent features thrown in for good measure. he has known the best of people and the worst , has been indic ted over and over, jumped bai l , paid f ines, been mulc ted by lawyers, f i red upon by revenue cut ters.

out of a l l th is and more he has emerged, for a l l that he has done, for a l l that has happened to him, st i l l wi th the hear t of a mischievous, author i t y-scorning, rather gal lant smal l boy. he handled mi l l ions in cash and to -day is comparat ively poor, but he ta lks more of the thr i l ls he enjoyed than the money he had.

From the ta lk wi th Bi l l mccoy and many subsequent conversat ions, th is book has grown. i t is h is book rather than mine. i am not his ghost , but only his more or less unsat isfactor y interpreter. even in pr int , i t remains as c losely as possib le his stor y. The hand is the hand of h is repor ter, but the voice is the voice of Wi l l iam mccoy – the real mccoy.

Freder ic F. Van de Wateryork town, Va. 1930

The Arethusa under sai l . “Coming in l ike an eager g i r l through the sunset l ight .”


marco Pier ini - rum histor ian

m y name is marco Pier in i , i was born 59 years ago in a smal l town in Tuscany (i ta ly) where i st i l l l ive. A long t ime ago i got a degree in

Phi losophy in Florence, i ta ly and i studied Pol i t ica l sc ience in madr id, spain. But my real passion has a lways been histor y. Through histor y i have always t r ied to understand the wor ld and humans. l i fe brought me to work in tour ism, event organizat ion and vocat ional t ra in ing. i own and run a smal l tour ist business in my seaside town. A few years ago i d iscovered rum and i t was love at f i rs t s ight . now, wi th my young business par tner Francesco ruf in i , i run a bar on the beach, la casa del rum (The house of rum) and we dist r ibute Premium rums across Tuscany.

most impor tant ly, i have returned back to my in i t ia l passion: histor y. only th is t ime, i t invo lves the histor y of rum.

Because rum is not only a great sp i r i t , i t ’s produced in scores of countr ies, by thousands of companies, wi th an ex t raordinar y var iety of product ion processes, of f lavours and spices. i t has a ter r ib le and fasc inat ing h istor y, made of s laves and p i rates, imper ia l f leets and revolut ions and a long etcetera. And i t has a compl icated, interest ing present too, made of po l i t ica l and commerc ia l wars, of b ig mul t inat ionals that dominate the market , but a lso of many smal l and medium-sized enterpr ises that res ist t r iv ia l izat ion. i t is a wor ld which deser ves to be known wel l so that i t can be apprec iated as i t deser ves.

A l l th is i t r y to cover in my i ta l ian b log on rum:w w w.i lsecolodelrum.i t

The origin oF rUm - A QUesTPArT FoUr: WhAT, Who, Where,

When?Before going on, let ’s def ine prec isely our f ie ld of enquir y. We are t r y ing to understand who star ted commerc ial product ion of rum on a large scale. Where i t star ted, and when. i ’ l l say that again, for the sake of c lar i t y: commerc ial product ion on a large scale.

We are not look ing for iso lated exper iments, chance events, home-made dist i l lat ion which never crossed the local boundar ies and then came to nothing.

We are t r y ing to establ ish who star ted the journey of rum, that journey which has cont inued uninter rupted unt i l today.

i t is not easy. For reasons of nat ional and corporate prest ige, many c laim the r ight of pr imogeni ture of rum, of ten basing themselves on sentences taken, out of contex t , f rom anc ient documents, sources which are of ten dubious and di f f icul t to ver i f y.

on top of that , ver y of ten, rum ( i .e., the resul t of dist i l lat ion of sugarcane by-products) is mistaken for var ious alcohol ic beverages made

thE RuM hIstORIaN



f rom the mere fermentat ion of those same by-products. At the most , the lat ter can be considered ancestors of rum.

Fermentat ion exists in nature, i t is a natural, spontaneous process which has been per fected by men for their own ends. i t is a comparat ively easy process. When Amer ica was discovered, in europe, Asia and Afr ica fermented beverages, wine, beer, etc., had been widespread for mi l lennia.

dist i l lat ion, on the contrar y, does not ex ist in nature, i t is an ent i re ly ar t i f ic ia l process, devised and real ized by man. And i t is ex t remely di f f icul t .

The stor y of dist i l lat ion star ts wi th the Arab sc ient ists and alchemists of the iX centur y, who used i t for studies and research of var ious k inds, but mainly for making per fumes and alcohol for medic inal use. in the Xii centur y, i t reaches i ta ly where i t is used to dist i l l wine, thus creat ing a new, wonder ful beverage cal led in lat in aqua v i tae, f rom which der ive the i ta l ian acquavi te and the French eau de v ie, i .e. water of l i fe.

“est consolat io ul t ima corpor is humani ” ( “last solace of the human body”), raimond lul l wi l l later wr i te. i t spreads then al l over europe, but in l imi ted quant i t ies, qui te expensive, intended mainly for doctors and pharmacists. over the centur ies, here and there people star t to produce dist i l led beverages, but a real, large scale product ion dest ined for the dr inkers’ p leasure consumpt ion star ts in europe only at the beginning of the X Vii centur y. And there is no reason to th ink that in the car ibbean i t had star ted any ear l ier.

sugar product ion is widespread on hispanio la as ear ly as 1520. shor t ly af ter wards Brazi l becomes a great producer of sugar, then other countr ies fo l lowed. From the ver y beginning, s laves drank an alcohol ic beverage made f rom the fermentat ion of the by-products of sugar. Therefore, more than a centur y has e lapsed between the beginning of sugar product ion in the new Wor ld and the emergence of rum. i t is prec isely in th is centur y that the dec is ive passage f rom simple fermentat ion to dist i l lat ion has taken place.

We have therefore establ ished the What of our quest . in order to t r y and f ind out the Who, Where and When we have to turn back to ligon’s book. But i t ’s enough for now. goodbye ‘ t i l l the nex t instal lment .

December 2013 schedule

T he last three rum Univers i t y courses of 2013 wi l l be taught in december in round rock, Texas, UsA. don’ t miss th is oppor tuni t y to exper ience the courses in a

ViP set t ing, hosted by Univers i t y founders luis and margaret Ayala at their residence.

in addi t ion to a l l the mater ia l and t ra in ing in the standard courses, at tendees wi l l be t reated to spec ial tast ings of rare rums, a c igar pair ing and the legendar y hospi ta l i t y of the Ayalas.

space for these ViP courses is ver y l imi ted and pr ior i t y wi l l be given to dsP l icense holders (for Us-based at tendees), fo l lowed by domest ic and internat ional technical industr y members and f inal ly non- technical industr y members. ViP courses inc lude ground t ranspor tat ion (between airpor t , hote l and the Ayala’s), hote l accomodat ions and most meals. these classes are NOt open to the general public .

We encourage members of the general publ ic interested in learning more about rum to enro l l in the fo l lowing courses:

• the Classif icat ions of Rum• Rum appreciat ion in the 21st Centur y and

• advanced Rum tasting techniquesFor more informat ion about th is and other courses, p lease v is i t the rum Univers i t y Websi te at : www.rumUnivers i t y.com.

Upon complet ion of the course, each student wi l l receive an of f ic ia l d ip loma f rom The rum Univers i t y. A l l rum Univers i t y courses are avai lable as publ ic and as pr ivate t ra in ing in both spanish and engl ish.

The rum Universi ty is a registered Trademark of rum runner Press, inc. (a U.s.A . based corporat ion) in both the U.s.A . and

in the ent ire european Union.

The use of the rum Universi ty name without the approval of the t rademark holder wi l l be legal ly prosecuted.

™

About your instructor :For over twenty years,

luis Ayala has re lent less ly pursued the establ ishment

and adopt ion of qual i t y standards in the product ion and market ing of rum. his

ef for ts have taken him f rom being a ce lebrated author and organizer of

internat ional rum fest ivals to being one of the dr iv ing forces behind the r ise of

some of the most presig ious rum dist i l ler ies and pr ivate

labels.

he is as comfor table shar ing his rum knowledge in f ront

of univers i t y students or corporate execut ives as he

is work ing in the laborator ies and dist i l ler ies wi th chemists

and engineers.

Establ i shed in 2004 by Rum Runner Press , Inc .


the ar t of Rum Making (2-Day Course)

lesson 1 - int roduct ion to Fermentat ionlesson 2 - yeast selec t ion, storage and Propagat ionlesson 3 - Prevent ing and resolv ing Fermentat ion Problemslesson 4 - int roduct ion to d ist i l lat ionlesson 5 - d ist i l l ing wi th the goal in mindlesson 6 - d ist i l lates Pr imer : heads, hear t and Tai lslesson 7 - int roduct ion to Aginglesson 8 - Achiev ing consistencylesson 9 - rum lab: Using the Tools of the Tradelesson 10 - sel l ing rum in the UsAlesson 11 - sel l ing rum outs ide the UsA

When: december 2nd and 3rd (ViP only)Where: round rock, Texas, UsAcost (Usd): regular $1,650, ViP $2,500Pre - requis i te: indust r y members

history and science of the Barrel (1-Day Course)

lesson 1 - The Ar t of cooperagelesson 2 - Why oak?lesson 3 - Physical Proper t ies of oaklesson 4 - chemical Proper t ies of oaklesson 5 - Understanding Tanninslesson 6 - cur ing the Woodlesson 7 - components of the oak Bar re llesson 8 - Toast ing and char r inglesson 9 - Transformat ion of the rum ins ide the Bar re llesson 10 - oak A l ternat ives, Unacceptable shor tcutslesson 11 - soleras, s ingle Bar re ls, spec ia l t y caskslesson 12 - choosing the Per fec t Bar re l for your rum

When: december 4th (ViP only)Where: round rock, Texas, UsAcost (Usd) regular $1,000, ViP $1,600Pre - requis i te: indust r y members

the ar t of Rum Blending (2-Day Course)

lesson 1 - int roduct ion to B lendinglesson 2 - int roduct ion to rum sty leslesson 3 - int roduct ion to Aginglesson 4 - nosing Techniques for d ist i l lers and Blenderslesson 5 - rum lab: Using the Tools of the Tradelesson 6 - recogniz ing Bar re lslesson 7 - Understanding Addi t iveslesson 8 - B lending a Whi te rumlesson 9 - B lending a young rumlesson 10 - B lending an old rumlesson 11 - B lending a spiced rumlesson 12 - B lending a Frui t -Flavored rum

When: december 5th and 6th (ViP only)Where: round rock, Texas, UsAcost (Usd): regular $1,650, ViP $2,500Pre - requis i te: the ar t of Rum Making and histor y and science of the Barrel


Bar tender ’s Cornerby Dr. Ron A . Ñejo

Chasing the Rum Runner

i n order for a cock tai l to sur vive the test of t ime, i t must f i rst reach a high level of acceptance among the consumers who f requent i ts place

of bir th. The cock tai l is then spread to other water ing holes as ei ther consumers who have observed i ts manufacture direct new bar tenders as they re -create i t , or as the or iginal bar tenders change jobs and take the rec ipes with them. As ei ther of the above scenar ios take place, the rec ipes are commit ted to paper and the f i rst step towards mixology immor tal i t y is achieved.

Trac ing the or igin of a cock tai l involves the opposite: one must begin by f inding wr i t ten references, something done quite easi ly in this era of the internet . Then the search moves on to cock tai l and cul inary books, always t r y ing to f ind the ear l iest publ ished reference to the cock tai l .

rum runners have always fasc inated me, not only because i enjoy their rum-r ich and refreshing taste, but because of the amount of lore sur rounding their invent ion. many internet references c laim that the rum runner was invented somet ime in the late 1950’s at the hol iday is le Tik i Bar in is lamorada, Flor ida. According to the same sources, the bar tender was faced with the chal lenge of creat ing a new rum cock tai l to quick ly dispose of large volumes of rum and other l iquors pr ior to the ar r ival of new inventory. The main problem with this stor y is that the establ ishment in quest ion did not even exist back then! According to their website, the hol iday is le Tik i Bar star ted serving dr inks to customers in 1969 under the name of The Hapi Hula Hut . The of f ic ial stor y f rom the bar goes on to say that i t was not unt i l 1972 when the hotel owner chal lenged “Tik i John,” the bar manager, to make a cock tai l using the excess inventory f rom the storeroom and thus the rum runner was born.

my research has led me to the conclusion that the f i rst theory (or igin in the 1950’s) is completely unsubstant iated. As for the second theory, i can’ t f ind any bar tending books f rom the ear ly 1970’s that inc lude a cock tai l by this name. Trader Vic’s Rum Cookery and Dr inkery as wel l as his Bar tender ’s Guide, publ ished in 1972 and 1974 respect ively, do not ment ion this dr ink. is i t possible that , just l ike Bi l l mccoy evaded capture by the revenue cut ters dur ing his rum running days aboard the Arethusa, that the rum runner cock tai l evaded being captured in pr int unt i l much later?

And thus my fasc inat ion with the rum runner cont inues. Perhaps one day i wi l l know for cer tain how this impor tant member of modern rum mixology came to be, but unt i l then i remain happy to serve and enjoy i t .

cheers!


Dr. Ron is a seasoned bar tender devoted to explor ing the many facets of rum. I t has been said that he has rum running through his veins! He is used to ser ving up f ine spir i ts and words of wisdom to al l those lucky enough to f ind an open seat at his bar. For tunately for us, Dr. Ron has agreed to be a regular contr ibutor to “Got Rum?” magazine. He happi ly

answers quest ions on topics ranging from mixology to relat ionships and et iquet te.

Essential Rum Cocktails - Par t V

Essential Rum Cocktail #5: Rum RunnerIngredients:

2 c. ice1 oz. Pineapple Juice1 oz. orange Juice1 oz. Blackber r y liqueur1 oz. Banana liqueur1 oz. light rum1 oz. dark rum or Aged rumsplash grenadine151-Proof rum to f loat on top

Instruct ions:

Fi l l your b lender wi th the ice, add al l of the l iquid ingredients and blend unt i l smooth. Pour into a hur r icane glass, add the 151 f loater and garnish wi th an orange s l ice. can be used in p lace of mimosas for a sunday Brunch, s imply ser ve in champagne f lutes and enjoy!



1504

1636 1718

1641

RuM IN hIstORy



E v e r w o n d e re d w h a t h a p p e n e d i n t h e m o n t h o f NOVEMBER

t h ro u g h o u t h i s to r y?

1966 1981



PaIRINg tOBaCCO & RuM

the Navy tradit ion

T hroughout count less years, rum has been t ied to seafar ing in general and to stor ies of p i rates and corsairs in

par t icular, a l l indel ib ly intermingled wi th rum. For th is reason i dec ided to put together th is c igar pair ing, to celebrate the launch of mount gay in chi le. The mount gay dist i l ler y is the o ldest cont inuously produc ing rum dist i l ler y in the wor ld, operat ing s ince 1703. Barbados was a leading rum producer in the car ibbean dur ing the 17th and 18th centur ies; the is land’s locat ion and the dominat ing t rade winds in the area, made i t par t icular ly hard to sai l there. sai lors who did achieve the task, would prove i t by tak ing back wi th them a bar re l of mount gay rum, something easi ly done then, but considerably more di f f icul t to do today due to internat ional customs and taxes.

The launch of mount gay in chi le took p lace along the coast l ine of A lgar robo, at the cofradía náut ica del Pac i f ico, as par t of the mount gay regata, a t radi t ion wi th long standing that uni tes these two histor ical e lements: rum and sai l ing.

For th is s igni f icant occasion, i se lected the ex tra old rum with a st rength of 43%, which is a sk i l l fu l b lend of rums of di f ferent ages, each one of which contr ibutes towards the f inal b lend wi th i ts uniqueness of character. The rum’s br i l l iant amber color g ives us a hint


m y name is Phi l ip i l i Barake, sommel ier by t rade. As a resul t of work ing wi th se lec ted

restaurants and wine producers in chi le, i s tar ted developing a passion for d ist i l led spi r i ts and c igars. As par t of my most recent job, i had the oppor tuni t y to v is i t many centra l Amer ican countr ies, as wel l as, rum dist i l ler ies and tobacco growers.

But my passion for sp i r i ts and c igars did not end there; in 2010 i had the honor of represent ing chi le at the internat ional cigar sommel ier compet i t ion, where i won f i rst p lace, becoming the f i rst south Amer ican to ever achieve that feat .

now i face the chal lenge of impressing the readers of “got rum?” wi th what is perhaps the toughest task for a sommel ier : d iscussing pai r ings whi le being wel l aware that there are as many indiv idual preferences as there are rums and c igars in the wor ld.

i be l ieve a pai r ing is an exper ience that should not be l imi ted to only two products; i t is something that can be incorporated into our l ives. i hope to help our readers discover and apprec iate the p leasure of t r y ing new th ings (or exper ienc ing known th ings in new ways).

2013


as to the amount of t ime spent in the bar re l , something that is quick ly conf i rmed dur ing the o l fac tor y analysis, showcasing a ver y inv i t ing, long- last ing dr y-oak component which ef for t lessly combines wi th the rum to produce ver y enjoyable sweet caramel notes. This is an excel lent rum to pair wi th a c igar.

To match the qual i t y of the rum, i had to f ind an equal ly formidable c igar. i se lected Per fecx ion X f rom the Ar turo Fuentes opus X l ine f rom the dominican republ ic . This is a c igar wi th a 48 r ing gauge and 6 ¼” in length. This “puro” is a master fu l b lend of tobacco leaves al l f rom the dominican republ ic (most of the c igars made on the is land are b lends of tobaccos f rom many countr ies). i t a lso has a spec ial wrapper produced espec ial ly and exc lusively for th is product l ine. i t features aromas of f resh and aged tobacco, intermingled wi th high qual i t y cocoa notes, c rowned by the c lassical and unmistakable opus X band and encased in cedar l iner to maintain i ts qual i t y.

When i t was t ime to l ight the c igar, i d id so ver y pragmat ical ly, wi th a cataly t ic l ighter, being careful not to over burn i t as to avoid the format ion of undesirable aromas. i have enjoyed al l the c igars in th is l ine and Per fecx ion X was not an except ion.

dur ing the f i rst couple of minutes i t showcased ver y subt le tobacco notes mixed wi th cof fee beans and hints of caramel. obviously these notes are magni f ied by the rum as you s ip i t , something that is qui te enjoyable, espec ial ly the oak notes f rom the rum. The mouth f in ish at th is point is medium and ver y harmonious for both the c igar and the rum.

Photograph by marco lealPhotograph by @cigar i l i


As i approached the second th i rd of the c igar, something ver y fami l iar star ted to happen, something i had exper ienced wi th the other c igars f rom the opus X l ine: the c igar ’s body star ted to become more pronounced and bold, i exper ienced a thoroughly developed tobacco (refer r ing to the cur ing and fermentat ive processed undergone dur ing i ts aging). This is a c lever ly designed and craf ted c igar and the r ing gauge al lows for an excel lent draw.

Whi le the tobacco mesmer ized me, the rum also p layed i ts ro le wi thout hesi tat ion: the in i t ia l notes of dr y oak wi th caramel t ransformed into sweeter aromas of dr y f ru i ts such as f igs and rais ins. These aromas are developed fur ther by the c igar pair ing, cer ta in ly they would not be as enjoyable i f i tasted the rum alone.

i toast to a l l the sai l ing t radi t ions and to a l l rum dr inkers around the wor ld. The histor y of rum and the oceans are, wi thout a doubt , wr i t ten on the same paper, wi th the same ink. A stor y that speaks of the discover y of the Amer icas, embel l ished by sparks of braver y and sk i l l such as those f rom Admiral nelson and the dai ly rum rat ions of the sai lors. i t is impossib le to ta lk about the histor y of rum and sai l ing and not ment ion mount gay, i am happy for i ts ar r ival in chi le.

i hope you can car r y out th is excel lent pair ing in the comfor t of your own homes.

Phi l ip i l i Barakecigar sommel ierPhi l [email protected]

Photograph by marco leal

RuM lIBRaRy

i was very happy to have the oppor tuni ty to review this book. From i ts s ize and appearance, one would be forgiven

for ini t ia l ly think ing of i t as “ just another moonshining guide.” The t ruth, however, is that the book is a c lever compi lat ion of anecdotes, sc ient i f ic formulas and step -by-step instruct ions for every thing f rom manufactur ing equipment through fermentat ion to dist i l l ing and aging spir i ts.

The book begins with the basics of dist i l lat ion, i t then moves on to low cost (under Usd $30) dist i l lat ion equipment opt ions and then proceeds with a very hands-on, step -by-step guide to ferment ing and dist i l l ing an ini t ia l batch,

inc luding pragmat ic instruct ions on how to make the cuts (separat ing the “heads” and “ tai ls”).

As you cont inue to read through the book, you are guided by the author through addit ional al ternat ives for low cost st i l ls, this t ime in the 5 -gal lon range. The rest of the book is devoted to explor ing and explaining di f ferent wash rec ipes, fo l lowed by a br ief overview of aging and aging al ternat ives.

The book c loses with an overview of essent ial laboratory and product ion tools /measur ing devices and their proper use.

Whi le i t is t rue that none of the informat ion presented in the book is new, what i real ly enjoyed about i t was the engagingly-simple approach taken by the author to demyst i f y alcohol product ion. once you’ve picked i t up, the book is very hard to put down.

i recommend making Fine spir i ts as a good introduct ion to the spir i ts industr y for those interested in pursuing a career in i t , e i ther as employees or as owners.

For more informat ion about this and other great books, please vis i t the Amphora society ’s website at:

www.amphora-society.com

Please let me know i f there is a book you want us to review in a future edi t ion of “Got Rum?”. We are always looking for new and exc i t ing mater ia l !

-Margaret Ayala


COOkINg WIth RuM

PumpkinCheesecakewith CaramelRum SauceCrust • 2 cups crushed teddy bear-shaped

c innamon graham snacks (f rom 10 -oz box)

• 1/4 cup but ter or margar ine, mel ted

fil l ing

• 4 packages (8 oz each) c ream cheese, sof tened

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar • 4 eggs • 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin p ie mix) • 2 teaspoons pumpkin p ie spice • 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

spiced Caramel-Rum sauce • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar • 1/3 cup l ight or dark corn syrup • 2 tablespoons but ter or margar ine • 1/3 cup whipping cream • 1 tablespoon of sp iced rum

garnish • sweetened whipped cream, i f desi red

Direct ions1. heat oven to 300°F. spray 9 - inch spr ingform pan wi th cook ing spray. Wrap fo i l around pan to catch

dr ips. in smal l bowl, mix c rust ingredients. Press mix ture in bot tom and 1 inch up s ide of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or unt i l set . cool 5 minutes. To minimize crack ing, p lace shal low pan hal f fu l l of hot water on lower oven rack.

2. in large bowl, beat c ream cheese and granulated sugar wi th e lec t r ic mixer on medium speed unt i l l ight and f lu f f y. Beat in eggs, one at a t ime, just unt i l b lended. spoon 3 cups of the mix ture onto c rust ; spread evenly. To remaining cream cheese mix ture, add pumpkin, pumpkin p ie spice and cardamom; mix wi th wire whisk unt i l smooth. spoon over mix ture in pan.

3. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes or unt i l edge of cheesecake is set at least 2 inches f rom edge of pan but center of cheesecake st i l l j igg les s l ight ly when moved. run smal l metal spatula around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Turn oven of f ; open oven door at least 4 inches. let cheesecake remain in oven 30 minutes. cool in pan on cool ing rack 30 minutes. cover loosely; ref r igerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

4. in smal l saucepan, heat brown sugar, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons but ter to boi l ing over medium- low heat , st i r r ing constant ly. Boi l 5 minutes, st i r r ing occasional ly. st i r in whipping cream; heat to boi l ing. remove f rom heat ; st i r in rum. cool unt i l warm.

5. Just before ser v ing, run smal l metal spatula around edge of pan; carefu l ly remove s ide of pan. Top indiv idual s l ices wi th warm sauce and a dol lop of whipped cream. cover and ref r igerate any remaining cheesecake.

Featured rec ipe f rom Bet t y crocker (w w w.bet t yc rocker.com)

eXPerT TiPs:

• cinnamon graham cracker c rumbs can be subst i tuted for the teddy bear-shaped graham

crackers.

• To save t ime, use purchased caramel topping instead of making the caramel sauce. Warm the

topping and st i r in the rum.

• To easi ly c rush the crackers, use a food processor or p lace them in a p last ic bag and

crush wi th a ro l l ing p in.



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