What is rum? What is rum made of and how?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

When the word "rum" is used by Robert Stevenson, who wrote the immortal "Treasure Island", many immediately imagine pirates. However, the beginning of the drink of sea robbers long before their appearance was laid by the Chinese and Indians. It was then called Brahms. Once again, Caribbean slaves “discovered” the technology for the production of rum. And only then did the pirates become interested in them. The history of this drink is bright and exciting. There is in it the romance of sea voyages, and bloody riots, and moments of glory. How and from what is rum made to make it so popular? Why is it black and white? What should it be in terms of strength? Let's start in order.

What is rum and why is it called that?

This is an alcoholic drink made from sugar cane, more precisely, from the residual products of sugar production. As early as the first half of the 17th century, slaves of the islands in the Caribbean, bending their backs on plantations, discovered that fire water could be made from sweet molasses left after sugar was pressed. They persecuted and used it solely for the purpose, at least for a while, to forget about the hardships of slavery. Soon the drink became so popular that it began to be produced in hugescales.

Historians do not agree on why rum was called rum. Some believe that this is from the word "glass", which the Danes have "roemer". Others attribute the origin of the English word "rumbullion", that is, "big noise", others are sure that the drink was called rum because it was made from sugar. And in Latin, sugar is called "saccharum".

Production process

The lion's share of rum production belongs to the Caribbean and some areas of South America. It is there that the birthplace of the famous brands "Havana Club" and "Bacardi". Previously, this drink was also made in the Soviet Union from sugar cane grown in the Asian republics.

Many people wonder how rum is made. The process is not so much laborious as lengthy, because any rum must be aged. There are no strict standards. Each country has its own technology. It all starts with the fermentation of molasses. To do this, yeast is added to it. Some industries use conventional ones, while others use specially designed ones to make the taste and aroma of the drink more refined. Bacardi plants use fast-fermenting yeast. However, a longer fermentation will result in a richer flavor.

Second stage - distillation. The result is rum alcohol with a strength of about 70 degrees. To make an exquisite drink, alcohol must be aged for more than a year.

How to make rum from alcohol?

The drink obtained after distillation is not yet rum. For him to become one,poured into barrels and set to mature. Barrels are used differently. Some of them are stainless steel. High quality rums are aged in oak vats. And the best - in the so-called Bourbon. There is a province of Bourbon in France, where they accidentally discovered that an unusually fragrant and tasty rum is obtained in charred wooden barrels. They should burn not as you like, but in a special way. What is high aged rum? This is a drink that has stood in a barrel for more than 7 years. This rum is awarded the premium category. They drink it in its pure form, without mixing it with anything.

After aging, light rums are filtered to remove color pigments. Caramel is sometimes added to dark varieties. At the last stage, various spices or fruit essences can be added to the drink. They can also blend (mix) rum from different barrels and even produced in different regions.

Light brands of leading brands

Some people think that a good rum should be very strong. This is only partly correct. Together with the fortress, the taste of the drink is appreciated. Plays the role and purpose of its use. So, silver, white, amber rum is more suitable for cocktails. He has a fortress of 40 degrees or a little less. The most famous brands are Havana Club Blanco, Ron Barceló Blanco, Mocambo, Rum Barton Light. It is impossible to list everything.

Guadalupe white rum "Karukera" is in great demand among connoisseurs of the drink. It is made according to French technology, that is, not from molasses, but from cane juice. But the reed is not takenordinary, but blue, which has a particularly intense smell. Rum from it is rich in citrus aromas, and the aftertaste has subtle hints of cloves and dried fruits. Such white rum can not only be added to cocktails, but also drunk with ice or soda. I would like to say a few words about the “weak” Calypso rum. It is only 35 degrees, but the most delicate shades of honey, dried fruits, vanilla, chocolate make it extremely pleasant, especially for women.

Drinks for real men

Roma fortress in each country has its own approved standards. For example, in Colombia it should be 50 degrees or more. But with such a line, rum is also produced in other regions. For example, "Bristol Classic" in Guyana has a strength of 46 degrees, Panamanian "Ron de Jeremy Spiced" 47, and English "Black Tot" as much as 54.

But this is not the limit. There are drinks with a higher strength. For example, the Austrian black rum "Stroh" is produced in 3 types - 40, 60 and 80 degrees. Yes, yes, exactly 80. Of course, you need to drink such rum only diluted or use it for making cocktails and sweet dishes. Stroh makes an excellent punch, hunting tea. This drink is ideal for flaming (setting fire to dishes poured over with it). It has a spicy aroma and dark golden color. Stroh received a gold medal for its excellent taste.

Rum-like drinks

Some people, knowing what rum is made of, may confuse it with other sugarcane drinks that only look like rum, but are not. The most famous of them is cachaca. This drink is also made from sugar cane by fermentation and distillation. Only some brands of cachaça are aged in barrels, but mostly small batches. In industry, the drink is bottled immediately after distillation. To make cachaça, you need not only sugar cane, but also cornmeal, rice, wheat bran, and soybeans. In Brazil, this drink is considered national, just like champagne in France.

Another non-Roma is the American "Aguardiente" and the Indonesian "Arrak". In the production of both, sugar cane is used and anise is infused.

What is homemade rum?

None of us grows sugarcane, and buying this raw material in distant countries to treat yourself to a bottle or two of the most pleasant drink is ridiculous. Yes, and you need to have willpower to withstand it for at least a year. But it turns out that there are easier and more affordable ways. How is rum made at home?

Recipe 1. "Pineapple"

To prepare, you will need ordinary vodka, sugar and three essences - 10 ml of pineapple and vanilla and 50 ml of rum. Toast the sugar in a dry frying pan until dark. Boil sugar syrup separately and pour sugar over it until dissolved. Let cool. Add essences and vodka "to taste". Aged for only a month.

Recipe 2. Erebuni

It's even easier here. Medical alcohol is taken, wine, burnt sugar (for color), water and rum essence (50 mg) can be taken. All this is mixed and a unique drink is obtained.with a strength of about 50 degrees.

Is it just rum?

Using real rum

Answering the question of what rum is, one can not mention sugar cane, but say that it is a pleasant alcoholic drink, an indispensable companion of youth and secular parties, a wonderful ingredient for many sweet dishes. Light brands are used for all kinds of cocktails, for example, Cuba Libre, Zombie, Mojito. Certain brands of light rum are pleasant to drink without the addition of other spirits.

There are many fantastic tasting rum liqueurs out there. Malibu liqueur, beloved by many, is made in Barbados. It has many varieties, depending on the additives present in it. There is Malibu with coconut, passion fruit, mango.

Rum is used in marinades, fruit preserves, added to baked goods.