RUM has suffered a fate not unlike Tequila - It is a one trick pony in many minds. Pity, because it's depth, breadth and complexity make it the only spirit that drinks legitimately all year round [though gin comes a close second]. Rum is so drinkable in fact, that you barely need recipes - rum + any fruit juice + a little lime/lemon = a long day's journey into night! But by the same token, this flexibility causes many to ignore it for serious drink mixing, when in fact it can do everything whiskey promises but makes it all feel like a tribal rite of passage.

The attached spread of drinks is mildly misleading in that I mostly poo-poo white rum and yet most of the drinks shown are for white. [By now you must have come to expect this annoying inconsistency.] But the hope is it will reveal 3 things: 1- white rum isn't much fun, 2 - white rhum can be very fun, and 3 - the darker rums are simply sinfully fun.

So the first section of drinks should establish that there is virtually no rum drink that does not involve lime, though Meyer's lemons make a very nice variation. And if you want to be completely avant garde, then use one of the Japanese trio of yuzu, kabosu, or sudachi, in place of the lime. Truly elegant!

Two rum drinks have vied with the martini for white supremacy [that doesn't sound good at all!] - the Bacardi Cocktail and the Daquiri. Oddly they are nearly identical and I think and equally unpalatable. Almost. The Bacardi is simply never called for any more and the Daquiri survives on in sweet fruity in-bred decendants. Too bad. For a serious discussion on the Daquiri, go to the Rocks Drinks link which masquerades as "Margarita" on the previous page.

BUT - now go back and make some of these with ambre rum. In particular I recommend the Bacardi National [National is the Cuban hotel that first offered it]. The heftier rum and the apricot make for a truly delightful experience. In fact remember that combo - something about sugar cane and apricot that are meant for each other. [I have a hard time at this point resisting jumping ahead to the Periodista in the dark rum section that truly indulges this pairing - however while I have obligations here I won't object if you jump ahead.]

The next 2 sections again can be upgraded to ambre rums, but are designed to reveal how well rum plays with others. Note: you will soon come to be Rum Drinker A - likes rum and citrus, or Rum Drinker B - likes rum and fruit. Doesn't much matter. In fact, once you have found a combo you like you can simply pour it in a tall glass add a carbonated water of your choice and have a deck drink.

But the real showcase for rum is the Mai Tai. Trust me, it may sound familiar but you've never had it. Only the Singapore Sling has survived more abuse. First, all stories about the Mai Tai are well intended, maybe, but wrong. The Daquiri also suffers this fate. Second, a key ingredient has not really been available for a long time which is now back in play, Falernum. So

DON'S MAI TAI
1.5 oz    Jamaican rum
1 oz       white rum
.25 oz    falernum
.5           triple sec
.75         lime juice
1 oz       grapefruit juice, pink
splash   pernod
2 tbsp   water

Shaken lightly to mix. No umbrella. I have this drink here instead of in the Rocks section because I prefer it as a cocktail, without ice, though it is almost exactly for rum what Blood and Sand is for Scotch , which I have in the Rocks section. So kill me. But the other element for me is that rum is really about how to use fruit.

Also on ice the flavors layer out more than in the Blood and Sand because of the lime that is here but not there. Try it both ways and see for yourself. The key here is to moderate the Pernod and the falernum. They bring a musky element to the game, that in combination with the grapefruit juice, creates one of the most sophisticated flavor profiles in all drink-dom - that doesn't involve pain. Also play with the Jamaican-light rum ratio to personal tastes. This drink should never be heavy.

Final note: here more than any other category you find the presence of grenadine, an historical thing. There are a 1000 better ways to take the edge off a spirit. And virtually no decent grenadine exists. So hunt for a syrup of your liking - there are many out there. And not to say that making your own isn't as simple as: 2 parts sugar + 1 part water simmered with fruit rinds - juice concentrates - almost anything until liquified, won't be the 'piece de resistance' of your bar.