When you want something a little smoother

[Edward Hamilton]

Darker rums lend themselves to mixing ingredients like vermouth, creams and even the occasional splash of Chartruese.

[Florida Drinker]

Some dark rums, like Venezuela's Santa Teresa and Barbado's Cockspur, are best neat...but very fine when mixed with ginger ale, citrus soda [Squirt] and of course, if you must, a cola.

[Woodguy]

I am looking for some good rum cocktails that do not call for Coke. My favorate is Cruzan Single barrel estate on the rocks. I like cocktails that not too sweet and bring out the rum favor.

Does anyone have a good rum punch recipe. Several years ago we in Barbados and had a rum punch that was very good. It put a few of dives up into rigging after about 3 cups.

[Scottes]

I like to drink a lot of the sipping rums with a squirt of lime juice and ginger ale. Simple, quick, and does not destroy the rum's flavors. Not all sipping rums will suit this, but I like most of the "near-sipping quality" rums work, as long as they don't have too much of a wood/oak flavor. (Then again I don't care for the stronger tastes of wood and oak, so maybe it's me.)

[junkhauler]

El Dorado 15yr. is the winner in book these days. I enjoy it neat, and its price is not prohibitive. I have yet to try the 21yr, which is next on my list. The 25yr's price tag of $266 a bottle makes it a bit out of my reach.
For recipes, I refer to Beachbum Berry's books.

[Edward Hamilton]

I like El Dorado rums, but don't get hung up on the age of your rum. I prefer the 15 to the last bottle of their 21 that I tasted, but I'm told the blend has changed and that it is better. I also like their 12 year old, since they reblended it, now it is much fuller in body.

As for the 25, the price is a little much and as much as I like the 15 yo, I don't drink a lot of it at any one time. But it is certainly a rum which I don't want to rum out of.

[Vienemo]

I agree that age can have an effect on price...but not nessesarily taste. I have found that Burmudez Aniversario to be that perfect blend of taste per dollar. As for mixing...I rim the glass with lime...just enough to tang each sip as opposed to squeezing in to the rum itself.

Majestic Mike

[eruby]

Does anyone have a good rum punch recipe. Several years ago we in Barbados and had a rum punch that was very good. It put a few of dives up into rigging after about 3 cups.The following is a recipe I've used from cooking.com which is pretty easy and I think quite good. The recipe is for 10 servings. I substitute juice for the sorbet and use all dark rum or maybe 1/2 light and 1/2 dark.

Thank you,

Eric

3 cups water

1 pint passion fruit sorbet, melted

One 12-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

One 12-ounce can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

1 1/4 cups white rum

3/4 cup golden rum

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grenadine

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Ice

[CaboBill]

I am looking for some good rum cocktails that do not call for Coke. My favorate is Cruzan Single barrel estate on the rocks. I like cocktails that not too sweet and bring out the rum favor.

Does anyone have a good rum punch recipe. Several years ago we in Barbados and had a rum punch that was very good. It put a few of dives up into rigging after about 3 cups.

A drink that a good friend of mine introduced me to a drink from his days of living in the islands. Mt. Gay rum and tonic water with a fresh Key Lime squeezed in. This is one of the most refreshing drinks of all time IMO. If I am out of Mt. Gay, I will substitute Capt. Morgan or Cruzan 2 yr. old. Enjoy!

[Oona]

I am looking for some good rum cocktails that do not call for Coke. My favorate is Cruzan Single barrel estate on the rocks. I like cocktails that not too sweet and bring out the rum favor.

Does anyone have a good rum punch recipe. Several years ago we in Barbados and had a rum punch that was very good. It put a few of dives up into rigging after about 3 cups.

One of my faves....make a batch of lemonade, real lemonade, lemon-sugar-water lemonade. put in a bit of the old faithful Myers's, a zing of Angostora's, shake it hard with ice, pour it over fresh ice. It isn't very pretty to look at, but it's Holy-Moses-smell-the-roses good.

[schnerg]

re. Rum Punch, Bermuda Rum Swizzle is a classic beverage here on this island. Everybody has their own recipe/techniques, but here is mine (i usually make in 5 gallon quantities). It's not something you'd want to pour a lot of expensive rum into, but makes a great hot weather drink.

Fill a pitcher/jug/clean plastic garbage pail (seriously) 1/4 full with ice.
Add:

1 part 'gold' rum (i like cockspur)
1 part 'white' rum
1/2 part gosling's black seal rum

1 part unsweetened orange juice
1 part pineapple juice
1/2 part unsweetened grapefruit juice

stir and slowly stir in grenadine syrup. You can use quite a bit of this, more than you'd think was appropriate. The drink should be orange-red to orange-brown depending on your taste and the color of the gold rum you used.

Alternatively, you can use Falernum syrup. Personally I use Grenadine so that's what I recommend. You can also add fresh citrus slices to the pitcher if you want. You can also mix and match how the proportions of each rum. Most people do not use grapefruit juice, but again, that's my recipe so here it is.

You can bottle and store in the fridge for months, it seems to get more potent the longer it's in there, although I don't know if that's fact or fiction!

[Edward Hamilton]

When making punches ahead of time, I mix all of the non-alcoholic ingredients and then refrigerate them if necessary, then add the alcohol no more than a few hours before the punch will be drunk. Fruit juices, especially fresh juices, change considerably, oxidize, when their left sitting around. This is only one of the reasons that their are very few commercially bottled rums flavored with real fruit.

[robercw]

One of my faves....make a batch of lemonade

I tend to use lemonade and rum quite a bit myself. Throw in a splash of cherry syrup or grenadine and you've got a nice refreshing summer drink.