📔 FREE > DOWNLOAD MY RUM EBOOK; stevethebarman.com/ebook (NEW MAY 2023) 📔

yup. i'm a beginner in tiki myself. Watching this episode closely. I am tempted to just use Plantation rums, as they seem to cover all bases.

I'm American. I have a British friend who used to work for British Airways. He and his wife used to visit me in Tucson AZ almost every winter. Before all the Unpleasantness, they were allowed each to bring in one quart [liter, Imp Qt] of spirits per person. So I was often resupplied with a favorite, Lamb's Navy Rum. A dark rum, often overproof, with Demerrara notes. Alas, Capt Morgan usurped their shelf space at the BA Heathrow duty free shops -- around the same time my friend retired -- losing his first class flight privileges. Lamb's Navy is not available in the US. Canada may get it, but I have no trade routes North. Not as fond of Pusser's. I have a new favorite that's not too expensive lately -- Old Brigand Black Label Barbados Superior Rum. [40 ABV] Possibly Doorley's is connected, unless they only share the same Bajan glass bottle supplier. IDK. As for spiced rums, I do like Pyrat. [Especially the onion bottle, which is handy.] Bacardi has dropped out of the 151 race. They were the icon, but the irate and litiginous parents of dodo-brained coeds, who burned the cuteness off their faces with stupid flaming drinks killed the brew. I may have half a jug of B-151, but it's mixed in with the last of Old Matusalem 151. I use that sparingly in Zombies. I also have some Key Largo 151 gold -- a liquor store bargain that at least has the high proof. Now searching for a good white rum. I liked Barbancourt Rhum Blanc [Haitian agricole], and Wray & Nephew Overproof Jamaican White, and Havana Club blanco, but they all dwindled. I blended the remains of those three in an empty onion bottle and came up with a startling white lightning for the lower half of a MaiTai. However that is now running out. I tried serving the Crew a MaiTai with 51 Cachaca as the white spirit. I had a mutiny. I'm now back to Bacardi Silver. My MaiTai [close to Vic's formula '44] Juice of 1 Lime [1 oz] Giffaud's Orgeat 1/2 oz Gran Marnier 1/2 oz Old Brigand Bajan Black 1-1/2 oz White Rum 1-1/2 oz Crushed Ice 8 oz Cheers

And ALWAYS have a bottle of John D. Taylor’s, Velvet Falernum ! Hard to find out here on Long Island. I buy 3 at a time!

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Oh, I've always got plenty of Falernum. I've just never restocked JD Taylors as the 3 others I have i prefer. But i appreciate that you US guys may struggle to get the 3 others we do. And i also appreciate Bitter Truth is a VERY different Falernum to JD Taylors. But adds a BANGING Ginger aspect to a drink.

Hamilton 86 proof Demerara is the best DDL mixing rum you can use IMO in the US that you can get. Second to El Dorado 8. Would love to try the Skippers and Woods labels you have in the UK though

Great stuff. Best rum channel I've found! I'm from the NE USA, so I have some thoughts. For the white/lightly aged category, I would say Plantation 3 star is the perfect entry point, but I lean towards Real McCoy 3 as preferred. I hear Hamilton 87 white stache is also really great here. Hamilton 86 would be my current preferred demerara. I know you said that you guys can't get it Across the Pond, but if you get the chance, it's great. I'd say it's hard to beat Smith and Cross for funky rum as an all around versatile Jamaican. I'd personally put Wray and Nephew here, and maybe even Probitas, for anyone who just wants some funk but without too much banana and with a wider profile. Denizen is fantastic for beginners. Especially if you can get the pair. Again, I get it isn't available there, but great choice for us Americans. I Your love for OFTD is perfectly fair! But I would tend to say Hamilton or Lemon Hart 151 would be my picks for beginners in the overproof/151 category. OFTD is just... It's own thing. Love that stuff, but it's a but if an alternate for this purpose. I'd rather go with the Pussers Gunpowder, here ... IMHO it's just a bit closer to the classic flavor profile and that's better when starting out before subbing in an audible. And I'm not sure about Worthy Park 109... Love that bottle with all my heart, but putting next to Hamilton or LH 151 and it's just noticably more Jamaican in character (part of why I love it), which I'm not sure is ideal in that category. If it's any consolation, I can't find English Harbour over here, despite much searching. Anyway, those are my novice thoughts at about 18 months into my own rum journey. I could be way off base, but thought I'd share. A quick digression to pine on about OFTD, ever notice that all you need to do is let the slightest trickle hit your tongue and you can feel a literal explosion of flavor and warming tingles ripple across the whole palate. This was a game changer of a bottle for me, especially as part of the Ultimate Mai Tai blend.

@StevetheBarmanUK

Ай бұрын

Thanks for this, super interesting. Just a point on other Rum Channels. Make sure you check out Arminder at Rum Revival. and Derek at Make and Drink. And now Lance at Lone Caner. all 3 of these guys REALLY know their stuff... and US based. Except Lance which is Canada.

@logicalparadox2897

Ай бұрын

@@StevetheBarmanUK Found Make and Drink and Rum Revival right around the time I found this channel. Will have to check our Lone Caner... thanks!

@StevetheBarmanUK

Ай бұрын

Bear with Lance. He's new to Video. And started on Social hence upright videos. HOWEVER, if you are new to Rum, trust me...and Derek and Arminder will back me up, Lance IS the be all and end all when it comes to proper rum and reviews. There is no one more merticulous and thorough, and his palate is insane. His Blog is a massive library of thoughts and tastings....and Knowledge, dating back YEARS. So he's not new to Rum...just video. Compared to him, my Blue Channel is literally day 10 beginner level and he's the ancient master! EDIT... i will add though, we have different perspectives. I'm all about What Rums bring to Cocktails and Mixed Drinks. Lance is very much a neat Sipper.

For unaged ("lightly aged") "daquiri rum", I am a fan of Probitas and Real McCoy 3 Year.

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I do need to revisit Veritas (UK... Probitas in US). I don't think i appreciated it fully back in 2021.

interesting vid, good to see your top ones for each category, a lot not in my collection but definitely a couple i want to add at least. Thinking Skipper and Plantation's OFTD and 3 star need to make the selection as i love 3 star, sampled it in my local.

How would you benchmark the Plantation 3stars against the Green Island rum?

So many great choices I want to try. Since I'm usually making cocktails for friends who are not familiar with rum and because I like it, I am a fan of Plantation 3 Stars for Daiquiris & Piña Coladas. For my dark rum drinks like Mai Tais, Painkillers and Jungle Birds etc, I usually mix Pusser's Gunpowder Proof and Appleton Estate 12 50:50 and it's great.

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

PGP and A12 would be a great combo. So many layers there. It's a route I haven't gone down properly yet in videos. Blends. I touched on it briefly. BUT. I want to focus on that later in the year. Like I'm just starting to get into Daiquiri Blends. Like 40ml of Cuban + 10ml of something a bit funkier! Superb!

@lrvogt1257

Жыл бұрын

@@StevetheBarmanUK : I came to it by first trying Kevin Crossman's blend, making some substitutions and then simplifying. I don't have a lot of shelf space. I look forward to your blends episodes. Cheers.

@lrvogt1257

Жыл бұрын

@@StevetheBarmanUK : Speaking of blends... Last night made a Daiquiri with 1.5 Plantation 3 Stars and .5 Plantation Xaymaca 1 lime juice, .5 demerara syrup I'm not a fan of Xaymaca on it's own but as a flavor enhancement it was great.

Hi Steve, This is exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you so much for sharing this! QUESTION: Where would something like the Doorlys 12 fit in do you think? Or would you just use that for sipping?

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

I mean it's a great Rum. And if you can afford to use it in Cocktails. DO IT. but at £50/$60 here in the UK, nah... you ain't getting too many people using it like that. Sipping deffo.

@myatix1

Жыл бұрын

@@StevetheBarmanUK wow… it’s a very different price here (Denmark)! It’s £36 a bottle!

Great video! We need to make more Tiki cocktails! Ours just don't turn out as good as yours😂

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Ha, In all fairness it only takes practise! But, (not that I'm much better), I have been making Cocktails for 27/28 years! My downfall is, I've just become too lazy so have got LOADS of bad habits! Just get a Shaker. Make sure you have plenty of Ice. Add a Syrup/Puree/Liqueur every month, you'll soon build up a collection! Master the Daiquiri first though. Daqs change your whole Rum game!

Poor Kingston 62….. lol. Of your choices, only ED and 3 star are available. (For light aged rum) Both fantastic choices Edit. Glad to see you coming around to xaymaca. Can’t wait until my province gets more in

Great video! Very informative. I was wondering if you ever tried the European version of Coruba (Coruba NPU or the overproof version). Any thoughts on that?

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Hey, no i haven't. We simply don't get it in the UK. Well not unless I pay stupid more to import it myself. So I've never tried it.

Hi Steve. Russ from Texas. Great advise as usual. I'm surprised Lemon-Hart was not amongst the list anywhere as they are pretty affordable here and make a good demerara 151 as well. Perhaps it's not available in the UK?

@gabrielstewart223

Жыл бұрын

Lemon Hart not available in the UK, but the consensus here in the states is that Lemon Hart has declined in quality and the Hamilton 151 is a superior product! Available here in Texas at Total Wine and Spec’s.

@russellcraig5557

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Gabriel, I'm in Tyler TX and although the Fat Dog stores are Spec's, they don't stock Hamilton anywhere in East TX. I'll have to order it on line.

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Yup, as Gabriel said, no Lemon Hart here. And I was actually lead to believe that it was really hard to get in the US now too. Espesh the 151. Wasn't it the whole reason Ed Hamilton brought out the Hamilton 151?!

@russellcraig5557

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the reply Steve! I'm sure you're right. It makes sense as only one store I've gone to out of a dozen or more carry the Lemon Hart brand, including the 151 for about $24 US.

@russellcraig5557

Жыл бұрын

Steve, on another note. I have really been getting into the Jamaican rum experience after six months or so of watching the top 5 or 6 KZread rum/tiki guys (you're my favorite). I just saw show up at one of my dozen or so liquor stores I visit every month (I live in Tyler which is in Smith County in East TX and believe it or not, it is still a "DRY" county😥) two bottles of which I had never seen or heard of before. Navy Island XO reserve 40% with green label and Navy strength 57% with blue label Jamaican rum. Naturally, I said to myself "Oh, Hello! And had to buy both, in the 30ish to 40ish US$. Oh my goodness, I love them both!!! Talk about the funk level!! (Thanks to you for explaining it in one of your videos) Why isn't anyone talking about this? I looked on KZread for reviews and comparisons, and almost all I've been able to find is in languages like Scandinavian and such. I did find it was being sold from a UK sight as the price was in BP. Any thoughts on this? Thanks, and sorry for such a long message😅 Russell

Oh wow I didn't know the UK didn't get Hamilton. I'll send you a Hamilton if you send me a Ron Cubay haha, does the UK get Lemon Hart 151 as well? Great vid as usual Steve

@gabrielstewart223

Жыл бұрын

Hamilton imports the rum in bulk then bottles it here in the states, in Upstate New York I believe. Probably wouldn’t make sense price wise to export again.

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, and don't forget bottle sizes. What many people don't comprehend in the UK, we're very much 70cl bottles (or the occasional litres). So if a brand wants to import to the UK they pretty much have to invest in double the amount of bottles to allow for 75cl in the US and 70cl in the UK. AND maybe evening a different bottling line. Although that'll change soon as the US is allowing 70cls. So you'll start to find some brands downsizing to 70cl in the US, purely so they can minimise costs, but also tap in to one of the largest Markets in the world! Unless you're a big big brand, you can't afford to do both Bottle sizes.

Hello good sir can you please do a video on the Bacardi Ocho rye please?

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Not sure thats a UK Product. Haven't seen it here yet. Like we're also not getting the Bacardi Cask Series (Sherry)...yet.

Where does gold rum fit in? If something calls for gold rum, can you use Demerara rum instead?

@StevetheBarmanUK

9 ай бұрын

Thats such a tough question. With no right answer. The Truth is, the phrase Gold Rum shouldn't even exist. Like White Rum. Its non-descriptive and means nothing when it comes to Rum. It's like asking specifically for a Blue Car! If you're a Ford fan and you then get a Blue Fiat instead...you'd be miffed! But you asked for a Blue Car! You got what you wanted. The only way I can answer it; just watch my Cocktail Breakdown shows. You'll see exactly what I'm talking about then! kzread.info/dash/bejne/eqRsm86Yhcmnhdo.html

@TheMooseOnTheLeft

9 ай бұрын

Not a Demerara. Gold rum would typically refer to a lightly aged column still rum, like Don Q Gold or Bacardi Gold. Like Steve said, gold rum is a very vague category, but more commonly it refers to Puerto Rican and Cuban light-med age rums (though, for example, Hamilton produces a gold Jamaican rum)

@lars2894

8 ай бұрын

Unless you're a professional bartender trying to get a specific end result color for a cocktail, color does not matter. It also has nothing to do with taste, because they're allowed to add color with dyes/coloring or remove it altogether through a process called charcoal filtering. Regardless of gold or white, rums belong in 5 categories - Column Still, Pot Still, Rhum Agricole, Blended, or Spiced. Before that comes the age moniker - Young (usually 1-7 years) or Old (7+ years), and after that follows the ABV moniker - Standard (40-50%), Navy / Gunpowder (50-60%), OverProof (~70%), Cask Strengh / Barrel Proof, and Full Proof. ONLY time the color DOES matter is when a recipe calls for "Dark" (or Black) rum. That's the 6th category of rum that is defined by its jett black color and unique taste, and used in lots of Tiki cocktails. Steve has a good video explaining what rums belong here. When a recipe says _"gold rum"_ , what it typically means is _"Young Column Still (spanish style) category of rum bottled at standard ABV (40-50)% that is light brown in appearance"_ , eg. Flor De Cana 4, Bacardi Gold 4 Year. Hope this helps.

Is the discord group still happening? :)

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

Afraid not. It got too Geeky, and not enough emphasis on the niche I actually focus on... Beginner/Entry and Under £50/$60/€60... so i closed it in April.

1:44 just for you G 😉😝

@KernowNik

Жыл бұрын

😂 🚩🐂

@StevetheBarmanUK

Жыл бұрын

It's too easy to pull some peoples triggers...