December 2011 Rum Bum re-cap

The Rum Bums closed out 2011 with a four-round tasting of Clément Rhums. I had the pleasure of chatting with Rocky Yeh, the portfolio master that represents Clément, both before the tasting and as he made his way around the bar to enlighten us about Rhum Agricole.

Rocky Yeh in action

We kicked off the tasting with Clément VSOP. Clément ages the VSOP for an average of five years in a similar fashion as they would a cognac. It was dark, silky and sweet - a great rum for sipping. We followed the VSOP with a taste of the Premiere Canne. Served with a lime wedge for squeezing, the Premiere Canne was smooth and dry, which Rocky attributed to the high water and alcohol content in this barely-aged spirit.

If sipping rum is not your thing, I would recommend ordering a millionario (Cameron’s choice on the drink menu). This cocktail is a delightful mix of Clément VSOP, vermouth, orange bitters and an orange twist. The millionario was chilled and crisp - really refreshing!

We finished up the night with a taste of the Clément Creole Shrubb paired with a mini passion fruit cheesecake. The Creole Shrubb is a rum-based orange liquor that is über sweet for sipping. The La Isla crew got creative with this gem and instructed us to create a tiny well in the cheesecake to hold a small serving of the Creole Shrubb. It was a tropical fruit explosion!

Lee knocked the food pairings out of the park in December. He served up Puerto Rican-style ‘potstickers’ filled with pork, shrimp, shredded carrots, green onions and flamboyan (red pepper garlic sauce) alongside vegetable escabeche. This was a light plate that was a great lead in to the passion fruit cheesecake. One of the things that I love about Rum Bums is that we get to try small bites of dishes that are not always on the regular menu.

Thanks to Rocky for introducing us (or, at least, me) to Clément and to the La Isla crew for hosting another great evening of Rum Bums.

Rum Bums December 2011 ~ a taste of Rhum Clément from Martinique

“I love rum because it is one the most unique spirits around. It can be light and neutral like vodka or rich and woody like bourbon.” So says Rocky Yeh, a self-described bon vivant and lover of all spirits. Yeh will headline the upcoming Rum Bums gathering on Tuesday, December 27 at 9pm.

Yeh represents Rhum Clément, the leading producer of Rhum Agricole in Martinique. You may be wondering, ‘what is Rhum Agricole?’ - don’t worry, I have cliff notes. Rhum Agricole is the process of distilling rum from sugarcane juice (rather than molasses, which is a sugar by-product) that was first adopted by Homère Clément in Martinique in 1887.

In the late 1800’s, the French began to produce sugar from sugar beets. As a result, Caribbean sugar producers had to find a new stream of income as sugar prices plummeted. The French islands in the West Indies began distilling and fermenting fresh sugarcane juice in to rum.

Yeh says that Rhum Clément embodies both the history and culture of Martinique. “Un-aged Clément is pretty indicative of the Rhum Agricole style with its funkiness.” In addition, the rich notes and evolution of the aged spirit reflect its distinct interaction with the climate and premium wood.

The rums that we will be tasting on Tuesday sound delicious. The Clément Créole Shrubb is a rum-based orange liquor, while the Clément VSOP is described as an aged rum with a smooth, mellow flavor. As if that wasn’t enough, La Isla’s crew will be mixing a couple of rum-infused cocktails as well as serving up appetizers.

Please join us as we make our last toast of 2011!

Appleton Lovers!

Tomorrow, November 29th, marks the last Tuesday of the month, and we are proud to be offering samples of Appleton rums! Come early and get to know your fellow Rum Bums!

RUM OF THE MONTH

CHESTERFIELD BROWNE

    

 A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WE HAD THE HONOR AND PLEASURE OF HOSTING CHESTERFIELD BROWNE FOR OUR LATEST EDITION OF RUM BUMS.  HE CAME OUT TO TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY AND PROCESS OF MAKING MT. GAY RUM.  CHESTER IS THE INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR THE MT GAY COMPANY AND TRAVELS THE WORLD TO TEACH AND INFORM PEOPLE ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL SPIRIT.  HIS BIO IS AS FOLLOWS:

     Chesterfield Browne joined Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd 15 years ago as the bartender at the Mount Gay Rum Visitors’ Centre.  He has created many recipes which have left lasting impressions with his guests, including his own rum punch which has become known as the best tasting rum punch in Barbados.  In 1997 he was nominated in the Barbados Minister of Tourism Awards and won the coveted title of ‘Bartender of the Year’.  This outstanding achievement was accomplished again in 1998, making him the only bartender in Barbados to have ever won bartender of the year on two occasions.  Today, Chester is the International Brand Ambassador & Mixologist for Mount Gay Distilleries’ brand, Mount Gay Rum and travels throughout the world promoting this fine rum.  At home, he continues to represent the passion and pride of the people who work at Mount Gay Distilleries and adds a personal touch par excellence!

CHESTERFIELD BROWNE

     THIS MONTH WE ARE FEATURING MT. GAY XO AS THE RUM OF THE MONTH.  THIS IS AN EXCELLENT RUM FROM BARBADOS THAT IS COMFORTABLE REGARDLESS OF ITS COMPANY.  AND BY THAT I MEAN IT SITS JUST AS WELL IN A MIXED DRINK AS IT DOES AROUND SOME ICE OR JUST ALL BY ITSELF WHEN BEING DRANK NEAT.  IT IS AN 8-15 YEAR OLD BLEND THAT STANDS OUT FOR ITS FULL BODY AS WELL AS BALANCE WITH A NOSE AND PALATE THAT’S SPICY AND FRUITY ALL AT ONCE.  WE HAVE FOUND IT GOES REAL WELL ON A MANHATTAN IN CASE DRINKING RUM NEAT IS NOT YOUR THING.  :)

     IN ADDITION, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE RECIPE TO CHESTER’S RUM PUNCH AND ARE GOING TO BE OFFERING IT AS A DRINK AT THE RESTAURANT DURING THE SUMMER.  WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING IT BE A PART OF OUR DRINKS MENU, IN FACT SO EXCITED WE ARE GOING TO BE OFFERING IT IN PITCHERS AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALLY.  

MT. GAY RUMS

     Imagine this for a moment. You have all the time in the world, money is no object and you are just beginning to discover what rum is all about. You realize that there is more to rum than a mixer for simple cocktails. A lot more... You are experiencing a new itch for this wonderful spirit but you are not sure where to scratch. You would be wondering just what the history behind this concoction is and where to obtain further knowledge. Imagine then the thought of something that you may not normally be able to do. Call it a Rum Journey if you will. And for the sake of simplicity, this journey would be one without boundaries or limitations where you could pretty much go anywhere you would like and for as long as you cared to. 

    If this was a real scenario and we were to have everyone here ponder how to plan such a journey, the options would be pretty close to limitless. Rum is being produced in almost all the corners of the world and if you were to follow that path you would become a well seasoned traveler very quickly. Can you think of where you’d like to go? We could argue about all this to no end. I can’t tell you where to go because we all have different flavors when it comes to traveling. But I sure can tell you where you should start.

     Many places like to lay claim to their own little part of rum history and with good reason. There is a lot of great rum out there and there is so much to learn about it. However, only one place can lay claim to being the cradle of rum. The birthplace of rum is called Barbados. And the oldest brand in the world is called Mt. Gay. Today, we drink history.