How to mix, sip and pair rum

Walk into any cocktail bar and you’ll come across an endless list of rum cocktails to choose from and while each is a deliciously rewarding experience in its own right, there’s just something so refreshing about a classic rum punch. It’s super easy to make and the sweet and sour flavours provide instant refreshment with a bit of a zip.

The Duppy Share Caribbean Rum is the perfect base for a rum punch. A ‘Duppy’ is a Caribbean spirit – as in an actual ghost, not alcohol – that is known to be pretty partial to a drop of rum and The Duppy Share, which is named for the rum stolen by these spirits during barrel ageing, is a blend of two contrasting styles of premium rums – a spicy Jamaican and a smooth Barbadian – that combine to make a top-notch cocktail mixer. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cocktail more suited to The Duppy Share than a rum punch, which really showcases the rum’s tropical fruit flavours and buttery finish. You can either make it up in a glass or up the quantities to make a proper punch for friends.

Rum may just be the most underrated sipper of all the spirits. Perhaps it’s rum’s celebrated reputation as a mixer that’s unintentionally sidelined it as an option to drink straight, but all that’s about to change as you make the move from a mixing maestro to a straight sipper. And when it comes to rum, you want to be sipping on the dark stuff rather than a gold or white rum, as these dark rums are aged longer and tend to be smoother with more complex flavours.

Though rum is widespread across the Caribbean, there are few places that enjoy as intense a relationship with rum as Cuba does. And while it’s hard to imagine Havana or Cienfuegos without rum-soaked bars lining the streets and waterfront, it’s easy to imagine being there with a bottle of Santisima Trinidad 15-Year-Old Cuban Rum by your side.

This rum is the result of three stages of ageing; first, the liquor is aged for four years before being blended into base rums; then, the base rums are aged 15 years to achieve the desired tastes; finally, this 15-year-old rum is aged further and ‘levelled’ by master rum makers, which blends and harmonises the mix. The result? Fruity aromas, hints of coconut and vanilla and woody/toasty notes that stick with you during the long finish. Sip on it neat or pour it on ice if you’re after something a little more chilled.

Chocolate? As if you needed another reason to dabble in the rum world. Dessert has always provided a nice little rum combo – rumbo? – and some rums are perfect for pairing with dark chocolate. If you’ve been feeling the need to treat yourself, we recommend pouring a glass of Plantation’s Single Cask Jamaica 2009 Long Pond Rum. It’s a classic Jamaican rum with banana and vanilla on the nose and flavours of tropical fruits, spicy ginger and a hint of honey. The rum spent 7.5 years in bourbon casks, a year in Ferrand casks and 1.5 years in Tokay casks, so it’s got some serious complexity going on and the fruity notes will mix well with chocolate – just make sure the chocolate is at least 70% cocoa.

If you've got the taste for rum we also recommend trying Plantation's Single Cask Trinidad 1997, which has been finished in a single malt whisky cask provided by the crew from Kilchoman in Islay, Scotland. The rum has been enhanced by the cask’s peaty notes, which provide a smoky element that still doesn’t distract from the classic Trinidadian character. The final product is a really interesting rum with plenty of dark chocolate and spice to go with those peat notes, which will pair well even with chocolate that’s 80% or more.

Now that you know how to sip, mix and pair rum while gorging on chocolate – all in the name of education, of course – it's time to bring a bit of Caribbean spice into your home.