On the trail for decent rum Charlie and I decided to venture to Revolucion de Cuba for their first rum tasting. They are planning to host a number of rum club nights over the coming months and the first to showcase their amazing product was El Dorado.
Alec from Love Drinks presented us with a daiquiri before talking passionately about El Dorado rum. It is over 300 years old and made in Guyana, South America where the land is fertile and lush. This fertile land means amazing sugar cane can be grown here leading to even better rum. My favourite fact of the night is that the co2 trapped at fermentation creates bubbles which are then used to make a popular cola fizzy. I have now converted to this brand of cola in the hope that some of the yummy rum goodness will have sneaked in.
The first rum of the evening was a 3 year old which is aged in once used Jack Daniels barrels and charcoal filtered to remove any colour. This white rum is better known for mixing into cocktails but is really drinkable neat thanks to white chocolate flavours. There are also citrus notes of lemon and lime left on the palate. I could quite happily have this drizzled over good quality ice cream.
This was then mixed for us into a coconut daiquiri. I even did a bit of shaking myself; you would think all this cocktail drinking would mean I could shake a damn good cocktail. Unfortunately my technique leaves a lot to be desired, I think I need lessons if anyone is offering to help? Don’t be fooled into thinking this was a sickly sweet and creamy cocktail, oh no, it packed a punch with the white chocolate flavours of the rum giving it a lovely roundness.
The next rum we tasted was the 5 year old. This is a blend of 5 year old and 9 year old rums with dark chocolate qualities and a lovely spiciness that tasted like those in a Christmas cake. At this point Alec explained how El Dorado use the last remaining wooden stills on the planet to make their rum. The photos passed around showing the process were fascinating!
This rum was mixed into a Ting-ito which has lime, bitters, rum and Ting. A fantastic balance between a mojito and a mai tai this is sweet and fruity. It goes down far too easily and this is certainly a drink that I could drink all night.
Next up was the 12 year old rum. At this point Alec doffed a virtual military cap to the British Navy and explained how the shape of the bottles made the rum easier to handle and stopped it rolling around on board the ship. This rum tasted similar to the 5 year old for more with a slighter more intense chocolate kick. This was stirred up into an old fashioned called El Matador that was created by our bartender for the evening Marcin. It turns out he won a national competition with El Dorado and his creation is now available on the Revolucion De Cuba menu. Charlie showed her stirring skills this time with sugar, bitters, orange and rum with the added ingredient of amaretto to bring out the sweetness in the rum. Not being an old fashioned fan I was amazed how easy to drink this cocktail was. A much bigger fan of something long, this really is a tasty option and I think the addition of amaretto helped its case where I was concerned.
The last rum of the evening for us to try was the 15 year old. The most awarded rum has an ABV of 43% with a dry and spicy tone. The orange bitters attack the back of your mouth, in a good way, with the after taste being slightly liquorice based. This was a bit much for me but perfect for those of you who prefer something boozier.
A brilliant tour of Guyana and El Dorado was had by all and I, for one, can’t wait for the next Rum Club. You can come along too! The next event is Tuesday 20th August with Angostura. Contact Revolucion De Cuba for more details and I’ll see you at the bar.
*As always, thanks to Charlie for some of these photos!
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