Monday, June 30, 2008
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I've noticed over the past few months, as the number of readers of my blog have gone up, so have the number of emails and comments. I really enjoy this. I like hearing that someone enjoyed my review or is going to try a cocktail recipe I wrote about or that they agree that such and such rum is fantastic - or even that they disagree with me vehemently (although that hasn't happened yet). It's great to know that people are reading and (hopefully) enjoying the site, as well as (again, hopefully) finding it useful.
The most common question I find in my inbox every week though is one that I always feel a bit guilty about when I can't come up with an answer:
Dear Dood,
I loved your review of RumX. I tried it once about 2 years ago and thought it was great. Do you know where I can buy this rum near my hometown?
I continue to make offerings to my Dood Idol in my basement,
Loyal Fan
OK, maybe the part about the basement is an exaggeration of sorts...but the gist of the message is still true to the most common question I receive: where can you find these rums?
It's a hard question to answer at times. Taking just the United States as an example, each of the 50 states has their own rules about alcohol distribution and licensing, and different distributors don't work in all of the different states. Some states make it easy to bring booze in, others (I'm looking at you, Washington) are a bit more complicated and therefor don't always get the greatest variety.
My most common answer is to check various websites to see if the bigger online liquor retailers ship to your area. Of course, there's no guaranty that they do, and therein lies the rub. And,
while it's been attempted, there isn't a solid, comprehensive database of where to buy all of the fabulous rums and other spirits out there in the world. It's just a really difficult thing to maintain. How does one keep track of all of the available retailers and all of the spirits they have available? You can't!
For some, there is good news. If you live in California, I can tell you right away that just about anything I talk about on this site can be located either at
Hi Time Wines in Costa Mesa or at your local (or online)
Beverages & More. Both of these stores have a great selection (Hi Times is easily the better of the two though) AND will ship to anyone in California. If you live near Orange County, California, drive down to Costa Mesa and check out Hi Time. It's worth the visit.
If you are unfortunate enough to not live in the warm, smoggy, goodness that is the Golden State, however, your options change a bit. While BevMo will ship out of state, they can't ship distilled spirits to all states (*cough*Washington*cough*). Hi Time doesn't ship out of state at all.
There are, of course, alternatives. You can always check out
Internet Wines (which has a store located in Illinois), or any one of innumerable websites located in different states that ship to entirely different states. It's a maddening hodgepodge of rules and available stock.
And, of course, I even have a
few rums that you just can't buy here in the states at all - including my shiny new bottle of Appleton Estate Master Blender's Legacy.
Once you depart the US, well the rules and regulations and available stock all change all over again, and I simply do not have the mental faculties necessary to keep track of all that stuff. Plus I'd probably have to quit my job just to even consider TRYING to do that, and those few ads I post on my site do not quite make me enough money for that sort of venture (unless that venture can be funded on about $74 a year).
So, for those of you looking for that rare bottle that you just can't seem to find locally, I apologize, but I can't really help you out that much. What I typically recommend is that people visit the
Ministry of Rum Forums or the
forums at Refined Vices and post an inquiry there. I can't say for certain that anyone will be able to help you, but I've seen it work out before.
Happy hunting!!
Monday, June 16, 2008
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My how the months do fly by. It seems like I can't go a week without it being a month later these days. It seems it was only yesterday that I was writing my rum entry for Mixology Monday...but maybe that's just because I write about rum all the time. Nah, that can't be it.
This month's topic, hosted by the
Scofflaw's Den, pushes me a little further from my comfort-zone: bourbon. Yes, that United Statesian of United Statesian spirits, forged in Kentucky from the corn of the gods who sit upon Mount Sometallmountaininkentucky. Bourbon...it's what real men drink...when they're not drinking rum.
I scoured through my various recipe books for a decent recipe to try. I had a cold over the weekend, and on Sunday I really wanted to avoid leaving the house if possible, so any recipe candidate had to be something for which I already possessed all of the ingredients.
You'd think that, having a cold, I'd have a refrigerator full of fresh fruit juices to help fight off the dreaded rhinovirus. It's a fair assumption. It turned out to be wrong...I had finished off the last of my OJ early Sunday morning. No juice. This ruled out quite a few bourbon-based drinks that included rum, and let's be honest here, I can't write an entry that excludes rum. No Tropical Itch, no Mississippi Punch...and a lack of mint meant that there would be no Manilla Hotel Julep. I began to worry that I was in trouble (and yes, I'm picking up on a theme: my bar is never properly stocked with juices...ever. I need to work on that).
I turned to the Internet for more suggestions and finally found something for which I had every ingredient:
The Sherman Cocktail
1.5 oz Bourbon
.5 oz Port
.5 oz Jamaican Rum
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters
Add to mixing glass over ice and stir. Strain into cocktail glass and serve.
Seemed simple enough, and it met my 2 requirements of requiring rum and no ingredients not already in my possession. We had a winner, and I went to work at mixing and pouring and tippling.
The drink wasn't bad at all. All of the elements were there...the bourbon and rum played every nicely together, and the richness of the port (I used a Sandeman Tawny) came through at the end of the drink, smoothing out the edges of the bourbon (Maker's Mark in this case). While I sipped, I chatted away with a few friends about the drink and what I liked about it.
Then an idea gripped me. There was something that this drink could use...another ingredient that could take this drink from "pretty good" to "pretty friggin awesome" if it were done right. I've mentioned on this blog several times that I'm an insufferable tinkerer...you can't give me anything that is modifiable and actually hope that I won't then modify it.
I finished off my first Sherman, and then strolled into the kitchen and opened the liqueur cabinet (no, that's not a typo...I have a cabinet just for liqueurs, right next to the non-rum liquor cabinet). On the top shelf sat that which I sought: Clement Creole Shrub. Some of you may remember this liqueur as Jay's choice for "Best For Sipping Neat" in his
exhaustive search for the best orange liqueurs. It's a personal favorite of mine...and the orange flavor seemed like it would be a terrific compliment to the rest of the drink.
I once again added ice and various spirits to my cocktail shaker, this time including a half-ounce of the Creole Shrub, and then poured myself a drink.
It was good...but it wasn't right. The shrub has such a strong flavor to it that the half-ounce turned out to be too much. I set the drink aside and mixed again, this time going with only a quarter-ounce of the shrub. This time, we hit paydirt. The drink was smooth and rich. Not a dry drink by any stretch of the imagination, but the stronger orange notes seemed to smooth out the edges of the bourbon and rum, while still blending cleanly with the rich port flavor. This is a drink that I can easily see becoming part of my regular imbibement rotation.
Now I just need a name...
Saturday, June 14, 2008
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I'm not sure when exactly it happened, because I know I tested the new layout here in Internet Explorer before publishing it a month or so ago, but many thanks to Dan from Temptryst for pointing out to me that the layout of the blog has been...um...wonky in IE for a while now. I use
Firefox as my browser of choice, so I hadn't noticed.
I've got it somewhat sorted, but I know it's still not 100% correct yet (I'm thinking the RumDood logo should probably actually be visible in that big blue space on the top-right). I'm still working on it...and if I find the people at Microsoft who worked on CSS rendering and decided that there was no reason to render the same as - oh - EVERYBODY ELSE, let's just say I shan't be buying that person a drink.
Anyway, thanks for everyone's patience....I know you must have been exercising a good deal of it, cause 60% of you are using IE to visit the site, and no one had reported the problem. Here at RumDood.com, we're (read: I) dedicated to providing you with the highest level of service...or something. So I'll have it fixed soon, I swear.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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Just a short, quick note today.
I'll be in Las Vegas for the weekend of the 21st of June for a party at a friend's house. I like parties. I like hanging out with bunches of people, chattering, dancing, and - of course - having a cocktail or two.
For this particular party (a birthday party of sorts), I figured I'd do something special. Seeing that the guest list would be rather heavy with people of the female persuasion, and knowing that our hostess is a fan of flavored rums, AND being inspired by the explosion of fresh, beautiful berries and other fruits in my produce aisles, I came to the conclusion that some infusing needed to happen.
After much debating of pineapple or strawberry (neither of which I have ever used for infusing before), I decided, "Why not do both?"
So last night I blended some Matusalem Platino and J. Wray & Nephew Overproof in one of my fancy jars, sliced up an innocent pineapple, and deposited the chunks in the jar until they wouldn't fit anymore. I then added a tablespoon of Demerara sugar because I've decided that every RumDood infusion should have Demerara sugar because Demerara sugar is proof that God loves us. That and it's just fun to say "Demerara". Go ahead and try it for yourself. See what I mean?
The pineapple experiment sealed in its container, I then filled a second jar with Flor de Cana White and again blended with the JW&N Overproof. I use the overproof to bring up the total ABV of the rum, creating a larger chemical surface area for drawing out the flavors of my infusing agents. Sounds impressive doesn't it? Makes me sound 3 different kinds of smart. I'm not, I'm really just regurgitating what people who actually do this for a living have told me.
The new blend in the jar, I sliced up a handful of strawberries. I tried to slice them so that they were fairly thin, thereby creating more fruity surface area again, so that I will be able to (hopefully) draw out more of the berries' sweet flavor into the rum. Again I added a tablespoon of Demerara sugar. I'm not really too concerned about this being too sweet...I know it's going to be used in cocktails and I think my target audience in this case will not be looking for dryness as an attribute.
I sealed up the second jar and sat it next to the pineapple jar. Now we get to play the waiting game. Based on my research (mostly reading Infusions of Grandueur), I think that 10 days each should work perfectly...which is doubly perfect since that will take me to the day I leave for Vegas.
I'll be sure to let everyone know how they turn out.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
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A few years ago, I was a rum neophyte. I was a babe in the rummy wilderness, knowing only that I had tasted good rum, and I wanted to taste more. My collection? What collection? I probably had about 3 or 4 bottles of rum...mostly consisting of 2 or 3 bottles from St. Lucia and probably a bottle of Captain Morgan.
Then one day a new bottle entered the fold. A gift was brought unto my household in the form of a squat little bottle from Venezuela, hidden inside of a leather sack. The rum, of course, was Ron Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva. Yes, all of that is the name of the rum. I'm not kidding. But, since you know me, I'm sure he'll be cool with you just calling him Ron Pampero.
Come to think of it, that would be a great name for a TV character or something. This summer Brad Pitt is: RON PAMPERO!
*cue explosions*
The rum was first introduced in 1963 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pampero. The rum is aged in oak casks, but the bottle posseses no age statement, and the
website for Pampero (which is actually run for them by Diageo) is essentially worthless when it comes to any real information on the rum. I kid you not when I say that I spent a significant amount of time digging through the dark recesses of the internet, braving the dark and dusty tubes that move information about, to figure out that the rum is a blend of rums aged from 2 years to 8 years. Many thanks to
Cigar Aficionado for having that info when no one else seemed to.
Appearances
The Pampero is a dark, mahogany color. It's a rich-looking rum...very inviting and it just looks like it will be warm and welcoming. The glass gets its required swirling and a nice sturdy rim appears and quickly gives rise to very strong, nice looking legs.
Nose
Moving right along, I brought the glass up and inhaled deeply of the rumly perfume. The nose is full and rich. Notes of cocoa are dominant at the front, with just a touch of vanilla. More nosing around and you can find hints of toffee and even a very slight hint of leather - and no I didn't just drop the bottle's sack into my glass. At least I don't remember doing so. I generally don't start making Leather & Rums until the bar is at a higher elevation than my head.
Palate
Through the lips and over the gums, watch out palate, here it comes. The spirit is light and warm on the tongue. It is smooth on the entry and finish. There's almost no burn until it reaches your chest and gives it that lovely rummy warmth.
The cocoa that I found in the nose is the first flavor to hit my tongue. It's strong and rich, without being too sweet. There's a little vanilla riding on top of this, as well as a hint of leather and a slight woodiness imparted by the oak barrels used for aging. The finish is buttery - slightly oily - with some smokey notes at the back.
The Long & The Short Of It
All in all, this is a rather simple-tasting rum. I know I've mentioned quite a few flavors...but it really took some searching for those to come through. The rum is predominantly cocoa, vanilla, and oak. There just doesn't seem to be a great deal of complexity to this rum...which seemed a little disappointing. Not disappointing because the rum isn't good. It is. It's very good rum. There's nothing wrong with simplicity. The disappointment stemmed more from this being one of the first truly good rums I had ever had, and now revisiting it with a slightly more evolved (i.e. snobby) palate yielded slightly less effusive results.
Man that sounds like I didn't like it. I DID! It's a great rum. It's incredibly sippable neat, or with an ice cube (I prefer neat), and it plays VERY well with others - allowing you to use it to make fantastic cocktails. If you want a simple cocktail to try with the Aniversario, try 2 oz of the Demon Rum in an Old Fashioned glass with ice and top off with real Jamaican ginger ale/beer and a small squeeze of lime juice. For a little extra pop, add a dash of bitters. It's fantastically refreshing and easy to power through a number of them until you suddenly find yourself surrounded by empty ginger beer bottles and an empty bottle of Pampero.
Dood's Rating: 4 Bottles of Rum Out of 5
* Photo of rum used courtesy of Refined Vices
For another perspective on Ron Pampero Aniversario, be sure to check out
Silvio's review at Refined Vices
Dood's Other Rum Reviews