By Jo Austin
In the Cayman Islands our spirit of choice is RUM and we’re lucky enough to find a bounty of great ones on island.
It’s not a surprise that in the heart of the Caribbean you’d find a mass of rum aficionados like we are here. After all, rum is to the Caribbean what whisky is to Scotland; historical, territorial, and cultural. If we had more space for vast fields of sugar cane in Cayman, you’d better believe that every Caymanian and his dog would be distilling and barreling their own spirits. Lucky for us we have some fertile neighbors close by.
Our selection includes some of the oldest and most prestigious rum brands around; from the Caribbean and further afield.
We’re even lucky enough to acquire rare expressions that collectors around the world find hard to come by!
The Appleton Estate, for example, has been making rum in Jamaica continuously since 1749. Before that, the estate was a sugar plantation, providing molasses to make rums all way back to the 1600s.
Because of Cayman’s close ties with Jamaica, our Jacques Scott stores are the only places in the world,
other than the distillery itself, that you can still buy Appleton Estate’s ‘Joy’ Anniversary Blend. It was created to celebrate Master Blender, Joy Spence’s 20th anniversary with Appleton Estate. We are blessed to have signed bottles.
The Mount Gay distillery in Barbados claims the title of oldest recorded rum distillery in the world, dating back to 1703. One of my favourite expressions is Mount Gay Black Barrel, which is fantastic in a full strength cocktail like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan.
Whether your choice of cocktail is a Havana Club mojito, a simple Appleton Estate Signature Blend and ginger ale or a sip of something on the rocks, we have the rum for you. Here are some ideas for rum cocktails to see you through the weekend:
- Dark & Stormy – Goslings Black Seal (Bermuda) and Ginger Beer
- Classic Mojito – Havana Club 3 year rum (Cuba), sugar, mint, lime, soda water
- Appleton & Ginger – Appleton Estate Signature Blend and Ginger Ale (A Cayman Classic)
- Old Fashioned – Mount Gay Black Barrel (Barbados), sugar, orange peel, bitters, Luxardo Cherry
- Rum Manhattan – Zacapa 23 rum (Guatemala), Sweet Vermouth, bitters, Luxardo Cherry
- Classic Daiquiri – Angostura Single Barrel (Trinidad), lime, sugar, bitters
Sip this, not that:
- Appleton Estate 21 year old
- Zacapa XO
- Havana Club Seleccion De Maestros
Craft your own Dark and Stormy
Which rum to use? As mentioned, we love Appleton Estate’s Joy Anniversary blend which honours master blender Joy Spence, trailblazer and the first female master blender in the industry. This richly intense complex rum balances sweet flavours of crème brûlée, espresso, chocolate clove and cinnamon with the dryness from the oak. Joy’s masterclass in blending is a testament to her legendary status. It’s rarity and lengthy finish means it needs no mixer, it’s a dark that needs no stormy.
However if you’re new to Appleton diving into the deeper waters for the first time, choose the Appleton Signature Blend and follow our recipe for the ultimate Dark and Stormy (in other words, we add lime), and remember, you’re looking for ginger beer, never ginger ale for the D&S.
- Fill a Highball glass with ice
- Add 2 shots Goslings Black Seal
- Pour in ginger beer, add lime juice
- Stir with barspoon
- Garnish with lime wedge
Enjoy!