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The Informed Drinker: In the Beginning, There Was Rum
There are some historical figures that you just can't get away from. Christopher Columbus is one of those people.
Raise your hand if you've ever enjoyed a Mojito, a Mai Tai, a Dacquiri or a warm cup of egg nog (real egg nog, folks). Did you know you have Columbus, in large part, to thank for those rum-spiked libations? In typical Euro-enterprising fashion, Columbus brought sugar cane cuttings to the Caribbean islands on his second major voyage. The tropical climate agreed with the crop, and shortly after, a sugar cane industry was born: hooray, sugar!
Now, flash forward two hundred years. The first rum distillations spring up in the Caribbean, fermenting native sugar cane and molasses into sipping alcohol. And boy, is that stuff terrible. Old World expats write home describing the liquor as "rank" and "hellish." Boo, rum!
Fortunately though, everyone gets their act together by the 1700s, thanks to refinement in the distillery process. Companies are now able to create rum that is drinkable, even delightful. One such company is Cruzan Rum, a St. Croix-based company producing rum since 1760. (You can find it here in Austin at 219 West.) Cruzan's brand educator, Andrea Bearbower, recently spoke with The Informed Drinker about rum's storied origins.
“Rum has one of the longest histories of all spirits,” says Bearbower. “Additionally, rum plays a huge role in the history of America. Columbus named the island now known as St. Croix 'Santa Cruz,' and today, locals on the island call themselves 'Crucians.”
This provides a clue to the pronunciation of Cruzan Rum, which sounds like 'crew-shun.'
“The Nelthropp family, who started this company, wanted to make a rum for and by the people,” says Bearbower. “So, they named it Cruzan Rum.”
Because The Informed Drinker and her readers are about to celebrate a nationally historical marker of a different sort, she asked Bearbower to recommend a rum cocktail for Thanksgiving. She then asked the next most logical questions: How should we enjoy rum on a tropical island, and also, after we've just watched The Shining?
What is your favorite rum drink to prepare on Thanksgiving?
“I must recommend my favorite that I serve at my own table year after year,” says Bearbower. “The beauty of this drink is that it can be served cold, or you can even serve it warm in a punch bowl, ladling it into cups.”
Single Barrel Cider
1 ½ parts Cruzan Single Barrel
1 part simple syrup
¾ parts fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 part fresh cider (the cloudy kind, the one you buy in the refrigerator section)
Fresh-grated cinnamon (or you could use nutmeg, even pumpkin spices)
Let's pretend we are spending our Thanksgiving with a Crucian, laying in a hammock on a remote, ridiculously gorgeous tropical island. What then?
“I must recommend the classic, good ol’ fashioned Daiquiri,” says Bearbower. “Especially when vacationing on the islands, people perceive a daiquiri to be every color of the rainbow, blue, green, red, frozen and insanely sweet - but the real key to a classic daquiri is freshness. Just shake all ingredients with ice, and pour into a cocktail glass.”
Daiquiri
1 ½ parts Cruzan Light
1 part simple syrup
¾ part fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Final question. You're lounging around after Thanksgiving, watching scary horror movies...like loved ones do. The Shining, originator of one of the most famous rum lines of all ("RED RUM"), comes on. What should we all drink to calm our terrified nerves?
“Here is one of my favorites,” says Bearbower. “It’s Cruzan’s take on a Dark and Stormy. It’s one of those drinks that is so interesting to taste and highlights the rum so well.”
1 ½ parts Cruzan Single Barrel
Top with fresh ginger beer
Squeeze of lime
Float on top Cruzan Black Strap
“There’s an interesting trick to this drink,” says Bearbower. “First, use a tall glass and fill with ice. Add the rum, top with ginger beer and squeeze of lime. Then the trick is to take a flat spoon and rest it just on top of the drink. Pour the Black Strap slowly on the spoon so it overfills on top of the drink. The Cruzan Black Strap rum will actually float on top!"
