This summer, forget plain white rum – trade up to the more complex golden and dark rums.
- The low down: The range of premium Caribbean rums is fascinating and reveals a world of aromas and flavours. Authentic Caribbean rum gives off wafts of honey, spice, citrus, butter, coffee and brown sugar with a mellow, rounded, long finish.
- Mix it up: Savour a good rum on its own, over ice, or cut with a dash of water to release even more aroma. Or, of course, you can create fabulous rum cocktails: golden rum adds more flavour than white. I like an easy ‘rum and ginger’, made with 40ml Caribbean rum, a dash of Angostura bitters (from £4.95, widely available) and 15ml fresh lime juice, poured into a tumbler of ice and topped up with plenty of dry ginger ale – try Fever-Tree Ginger Ale (£1.65 for 500ml, Waitrose).
- Shop around: It’s well worth comparing rums from different islands – Jamaica tends to produce powerful, smoky styles, while Barbados rums are mellow and smooth. Visit truerum.com for more leads.
- We love: Appleton Estate V/X, El Dorado, English Harbour, Mount Gay and Mount Gilboa.