Mix it up! - rum drinks; includes recipes

Black Enterprise, May, 1992 by Eunice Fried

Wine isn't the only beverage that ages well over time. Rum has been around--and enjoyed--in one form or another for at least 2,800 years. It is also an important commodity of the Caribbean. In this country, rum is enjoyed so much that it accounts for over 8 percent of all distilled spirits sold in the United States.

Rum is made on virtually every island in the Caribbean--Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad, the Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. But 85 percent of all rums imported to the United States comes from Puerto Rico. In fact, the single most popular brand of rum sold here over the past 11 years has been Puerto Rico's Bacardi, which sells more than 8 million cases in the United States each year.

What accounts for rum's popularity? Partly, it's the spirit's taste and variety of blends--from its silky-smooth to velvety fullness, sweet to near dry taste and light to dark color. But, it's rum's mixability-blending well with so many different flavors and spirits--that makes it special.

Rum has always been a natural partner of island fruits--pineapples, papayas, coconuts, mangoes, bananas, lemons, and limes. Now, however, many bartenders have begun to recognize that it is also an impeccable substitute for other distilled spirits in drinks, adding new flair and flavor to spirited old favorites.

Substitute frum for whiskey, for example, and make a RUM SOUR: Shake three ounces of dark rum with the juice of one lime, add sugar syrup to taste and strain into a glass. Garnish with an orange slice or cherry.

Replace rum for tequila to make a RUM MARGARITA: Stir two ounces of white rum with one ounce of Cointreau or Triple Sec. Add ice. Stir into a glass whose rim has been moistened and dipped in salt. For a frozen version of this concoction, whip all ingredients (minus the salt) together in a blender.

Replace vodka with rum to conjure up a SAN JUAN BLOODY MARY: Combine one-and-one-half ounces of rum, four tablespoons of vegetable or tomato juice, two tablespoons of lime juice, four dashes of Worcestershire sauce, four dashes of Tabasco sauce and salt and black pepper to taste. Shake well, pour over ice into a tall glass and garnish with a sprig of coriander.

Photographed at right are the concoctions of Dallas-based food stylist, Brooke Leonard, who offers other variations of rum-substituted drinks.

To make a HONEYDEW COOLER: Pour one ounce of white rum and one ounce of honeydew (Midori) liqueur into an old-fashioned glass. Add ice and fill with tonic water. Garnish with fresh melon balls and lemon.

For a JAMAICAN BREEZE: In a blender, combine one ounce of rum, one-half ounce of blue Curacao, one-half ounce lemon juice, two teaspoons of sugar and one-hal cup of cracked ice; blend until smooth and set mixture aside. Rinse blender. Pour another ounce of rum, one-half ounce of honeydew liqueur, a half ounce of lime juice, two teaspoons of sugar and one-half cup of cracked ice into the blender and whip until smooth. Spoon the mixtures into a glass with alternating blue and green layers.

To make a CHARTREUSE COOLER: Pour one ounce of rum and one ounce of chartreuse liqueur into a glass; and ice and fill with tonic water. Garnish with lime zest and a fresh strawberry. Switch rum for vodka to make a FROZEN STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI: Pour two ounces of rum, one-half ounce of strawberry liqueur, one ounce lime juice and one ounce of sweetened frozen strawberries into a blender. Whip until smooth. Rub the rim of a stemmed glass with a wedge of lime, then dip it in sugar; pour mixture into the glass and garnish with an orange wedge and straw.

For a new twist on an old favorite, try a PASSION FRUIT COLADA: Pour two ounces of passion fruit liqueur, one ounce of rum, two ounces of orange juice and four ounces of pina colada mix into a mixing glass; add a splash of grenadine and one cup of cracked ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a stemmed glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry.

How many ways are there to enjoy rum? As many as you are willing to try-from frappes and fizzes to Martinis and Manhattan, sidecars and spritzers. Remember, all great drink ideas begin with "I think I'll try...."