Bartender Kate Perry | Rum Recommendations - Find. Eat. Drink.
Bartender Kate Perry, Rum Recommendations, Rumba, Seattle, WA, Washington, Sipping, Mixing, Big Brands, Which Rums To Drink, Bartender Recommendations, Favorite Rums, Rhum Agricole, Caribbean, Martinique, Jamaica, Panama, Barbados, Dark Rum, White Rum, Blanco, Spiced Rum, Types Of Rum, Ti’ Punch, Cocktail Recipe
Rumba bar in Seattle is dedicated to the craft of rum cocktails. Their program in the word of bartender Kate Perry is a melange of Cuban-era classic cocktails, spins on cocktail standards, punches, tiki-style drinks, and house cocktails. They also recently released an updated menu with a sizable daiquiri section and some new swizzles.
Kate shares her favorite rums for mixing and sipping and gives guidance on trading out a big name brand for a boutique, small batch rum.
Rums: Sipping, Mixing, Trading
October 9, 2013
Recommendations from Bartender Kate Perry of Rumba in Seattle, WA
General Information
Rumba Bar
Capitol Hill
Cocktails
1112 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101
T: 206.583.7177
Website
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Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
Rum For Mixing
Plantation Barbados 5 Year Reserve (Barbados)
We use this in our stirred cocktails. It's delicious and affordable and makes wonderful cocktails. It's great for more classic whiskey-esque cocktails: the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned and the like. [Buy]
Smith & Cross Navy Strength (Jamaica)
This rum is a little like the ketchup behind our bar -- add a 1/4 or 1/2 ounce to anything and it will improve it. [Buy]
Banks “7 Golden Age” (Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Indonesia)
I like this rum a lot. It's aged and has a nice complexity and funk to it. [Buy]
Rhum Agricole (Martinique)
I like using a blanc in place of lighter rum to add extra complexity and depth to a cocktail. It makes a great daiquiri, but is commonly consumed in a Ti' Punch (see recipe below) which is kind of like a deconstructed daiquiri. Aged Agricoles are amazing for more spirit forward cocktails that call for a richer flavor profile. [Buy]
Rum For Sipping
Abuelo 12 Year Old (Panama)
It's cigar-rum without being too intense. I can knock back a couple without feeling like my tongue has turned to wood. It has a nice youthfulness. [Buy]
Angostura 7 Year (Trinidad)
I like the Angostura rums a lot--the 7 year is my favorite because it has more youthfulness than the older ones. It's nicely bright. [Buy]
Pierre Ferrand’s Plantation Line (Caribbean)
Anything from the Plantation line. They're a French bottling company owned by Cognac-Ferrand and they do an amazing job bottling single vintage barrels from around the Caribbean. They're all delicious, but my favorites are the Panama and Guadeloupe. [Buy]
La Favorite Privilege Rhum Agricole (Martinique)
Honestly I'm a Rhum Agricole drinker--rhum from Martinique. It comes from fresh sugar cane juice (as opposed to molasses base like most rum) and has a rich grassy character, like scotch and tequila had a delicious love child. La Favorite Privilege is my all time favorite--I got a bottle from the distillery in Martinique and there's a few shots left. It's beautiful. My favorite rum is usually the one in front of me. [Buy]
Rum Trading
Trade a big name rum for a boutique one
Bacardi → Ron del Barrilito
Bacardi is probably the most recognizable rum, but I really like Ron Barrilito from Puerto Rico a lot. It's delicious. It's still a dry, Cuban-style rum, but has more character and depth. [Buy]
Capt'n Morgan → R. L. Seale Foursquare + El Dorado
Capt'n Morgan is the most popular spiced rum, but I like something less punch-in-the-face sweet and cinnamony. R. L. Seale out of Barbados make a great spiced rum called Foursquare. (Buy) El Dorado's spiced rum is also really nice. (Buy)
We actually just launched our house spiced rum at Rumba. It's macerated with fresh pineapple, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. The pineapple gives it really great acidity.
Myers’s Dark Rum → Coruba Jamaican
Myer's is another big name. We use Coruba for our Jamaican style cocktails because it's bold and rich with a nice bit of tropical fruit funkiness. It's the entry level for the Appleton line, which are all delicious. [Buy]
Ti' Punch Recipe
Recipe courtesy of bartender Kate Perry
It’s my favorite rum drink. It's what they drink on Martinique--most rum is consumed in its youngest age statement, blanc, and most of that is consumed in this drink form. It's really simple--like a deconstructed daiquiri (but with a kick--Rhum Agricole sits somewhere around 50% or 100 proof): it's rhum, lime and sugar.
Martinique historically didn't have ice so they drink it at room temperature and undiluted. Guadeloupe prefers it with some crushed ice. Either way is tasty--I prefer it in Martinique style.
Yield
Serves 1
Glass: Tumbler
Ice: Crushed Ice Cubes
Garnish: Lime Wedge
Ingredients
- Lime Wedge
- Dash Sugar Cane Syrup
- 2 oz. Rhum Agricole
Directions
1) Cut off a coin of a fresh juicy lime--no bigger than a quarter.
2) Squeeze it into a tumbler.
3) Add a dash of sugar cane syrop (sirop de canne) from Martinique--there's several available on the market, but look out for which are spiced and which are not.
4) Add 2 ounces of Rhum Agricole--it can be blanc or some of the more well-aged rhums. It all depends on your mood.
5) Give it a good stir and find a patio and a spot in the sun.
