Everything you need to know about Rum

Date: 19th October, 2010

Manila Restaurant and Wine Bar discusses Tequila and Rum

For many, the previous sentence is enough for them to try drinking the seaman’s favorite alcoholic drink. But for the curious, there is a lot to discover and learn.

Rum is made from sugar cane. The plant is crushed and squeezed in order to milk its juices. Afterwards the sugarcane juice is fermented and aged in barrels. Another way is to boil the sugarcane juice first in order to create molasses. Fermented molasses and water can also be used to make rum. Most rum is made from molasses.

The fermentation of rum may use either cultured yeasts or wild airborne yeasts. For light rums, fermentation lasts for a day. Heavier rums ferment for several weeks. Rum is aged for at least a year and then blended to make sure that the flavor is consistent.

There are several classifications of rum. White rums refer to rums that are light-bodied, clear and have a subtle flavor. Golden or Amber rums spent several years aging. They are medium-bodied and have a smooth palate. Dark rums are rich, full-bodied, caramel-dominated rums. Spiced rums can be any of the previous rums that have added spices or fruit flavorings. Añejo and Age-Dated rums come from different vintages of rums in order to ensure a consistent flavor.

Rum has an ancient history. Sugarcane originated in Southeast Asia. Chinese traders spread it around Asia. Fermented sugarcane drinks occurred first in China or India. Marco Polo recorded drinking a very good sugar wine in the 14th century.

But the rum as we know today, has its origins in the Caribbean of the 17th century. Sugarcane plantations sprung up in these islands, which had the ideal sugarcane-growing climate. Tradition places the island of Barbados as the birthplace of rum.

Rum became popular with the colorful characters of the Caribbean during that period. It was locally made and therefore very cheap. Plantation owners began selling discounted rum to the ships of the Royal Navy in order to make them stay near the islands and discourage pillaging pirates. The British spread rum in its many colonies, including the ones in North America. The Royal Navy liked rum so much; they replaced their French brandy rations with it. Eventually, to prevent alcohol related incidents, they watered it down and called it grog. Grog rations remained with the Royal Navy until 1969.

North America became enamored with it. New England became the center of rum distillery and was its most prosperous industry. Rum became one of the legs of the slavery triangle. From the Caribbean, Molasses was shipped to New England in order to make rum. Rum was shipped to West Africa for slaves. Slaves were brought back to the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. The 1764 Sugar Act, which disrupted the slavery triangle, may have even partly caused the American Revolution. Rum was certainly used to celebrate the Revolution. In his inauguration, the United States’ first President, George Washington, insisted on having a barrel of Barbados rum.

Rum’s popularity eroded when sugarcane was party replaced by sugar beets as a sugar source. Sugar beets could not produce molasses. Many rum makers closed shop and only countries that still extract sugar from sugarcane continue to make it. However, rum is still a popular drink. It is drunk straight up or mixed into blends.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?All-You-Need-to-Know-About-Rum&id=5075372

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