Hi guys, recently I attended a sailor party with some friends on the river for a birthday party. Being the middle of winter, the night got down to a chilly 3 degrees C. Not your typical cocktail drinking weather, but where there’s a will there’s a way, right?

Angostura 1919 was our rum of choice (amongst several other forms of unmentionable alcohol). Being a brisk evening we began with neat rums in your regular tumbler just to warm up the stomach, (everything else was frozen). Sitting on the roof of the houseboat soaking up the serenity. The birds chirps died down and the crickets started up – and so did we.

Inside the house boat there was quite the party going on so we decided to “fire it up” a bit with some Angostura 1919 Old Fashioned’s. One small problem – we had no oranges! Luckily, being in the river land where there are orchards a plenty, we set of on a journey of discovery to find some mystical and much treasured oranges. Though 2ft high wet grass we battled like pioneers through the thick jungle and numerous soft mud patches later we returned triumphant with not one but 3 glorious oranges to the applause and screams of all on board.

We mixed old fashioned’s for everyone, young and old – and sparking the orange peel was quite the hit (the girls loved it). After sampling our fine mixtures, the drinks were in high demand. The girls insisted we tried something new so we made peach vodka old fashioned’s as well.. a moment I’d rather forget – but interesting none the less! The rest of the night drifted away to the soundtrack of an inner city night club, not the relaxing strum of a guitar, but a good night was had by all. Our orange adventure got me thinking, what’s the furthest lengths you’ve gone to, to make your favourite drink? You can either send us your reponses to updates (at) rum-drinks.com, or leave a comment below. Peace! RD.

Ever wondered what drinks you can make with banana rum?

We have the answer right here! This is a drink you CAN make at home kids. Banana rum is an interesting concept, why companies insist on altering perfectly good rum with their artificial “natural flavours” is beyond me, but - rant over, I’ve been getting a few questions from the community about what drinks you can make with banana rum, so if must be gaining in popularity?!

I really had no idea how to answer this question, as I’ve never tried it myself, but for your convenience - I have put a twist on your standard banana rum cream drink and put together this recipe just for you! If you make this at home make sure you comment and let me know what you think!

Malibu Banana Rum

Before we get into this banana rum cocktail I think it’s important that you watch these crazy banana’s and somewhat evil coconut dj’s, dancing

Now for the recipe: Banana Rum Cream Drink – there are a few different recipes for this drink, the simple rum drinks twist goes like this:

Malibu Banana Rum Cream Drink Recipe

• Step 1: Fill a tall glass with ice
• Step 2: Add 1 shot of Malibu Banana Rum
• Step 3: Add 2 shots of light coconut milk
• Step 4: Give it all a good shake with your cocktail shaker
• Step 5: Pour into tumbler glass
• Step 6: Sprinkle ever so lightly with a touch of cinamon

Voila! Let the bananary goodness flow! Of course you could also try this with other banana rums: Cruzan Banana Rum, Tortuga Banana Rum but then you wouldn’t be able to call it a Malibu Banana Rum Cream!

So next time your friends pop by, make them banana rum cream, sit back relax and enjoy your new banana rum drink!

A few months back at the local rum club I was introduced to the Flor De Cana 7yr old Gran Reserve rum. At the time I was slightly obsedded with the Old Fashioned style of rum drink so elected to try it out on the Flor De Cana. At the suggestion of bartender Eddie, we tried it with rhubarb bitters, and set fire to some orange peel oil. Quite spectacular the way it sparkles like some mini fireworks! The results was intruiging, a very different flavour to the scotch barrel bitters that I am more familiar with but pleasant none the less, definitely worth a try!

It’s always a tough decision when deciding between beer and rum on a hot day. Last week while visiting my local bottle shop (thats Aussie for liquor store) to escape the heat, I didn’t know what I felt like! Staring through the frosty fridge door into the city-scape like pile of beer cartons in the cool room I really was tempted to have a snooze and cool down and perhaps grap a carton on my way out. I stayed strong hoever and took myself over to the much shinier (but far less frosty) rum section to see what was on offer.

As i browsed the collection it dawned on me that more rums I try, the harder it is getting to find one I haven’t yet sampled. Most adventures to find a new rum conclude with a bunch of “got it, had it, tried it, tried, it, got it, drank it, ooh.. big night, got it..” you get the picture.

I’ve also noticed a trend with price. The more rums I try the more expensive the new rums get! It could just be because I’m a tight ass and try the cheaper ones first, but as my appreciation for rum and my knowledge of the spirit is growing I really do find myself leaning towards the more expensive end of the rum scale. On this occasion I ended with two choices. Mount Gay Extra Old (got it) or Matusalem Gran Reserva. I was left with only one option.

It’s well known that I’m a fan of the Matusalem brand, particularly its Platino offering. So I was keen to try out the more mature spirit of the bunch (a blend with average 15 years age), and when it comes in its own cardboard box, you know its gotta be good! I must say I was very impressed, not only with the decoration of its carton, but also the rum - lovely and smooth with a hint of vanilla and is almost a bit toasty!

After adding a couple of ice cubes it developed a bit of a caramel like quality and became much to easy to drink! This bottle was $60AUD, and when asked the cost for a shot on the rocks while out at the local casino on the weekend, I was told $15… I said no thanks, 4 of those and I’d have my own bottle and went home instead.

This rum really is a beauty, I’m becoming a big fan of the Solera process rums (which i only learnt about recently - doh) and the label makes me feel like a real life pirate, even though i haven’t been on a boat in months! For a more comprehensive, educated and informed review of this rum than I could possibly ever give - pop on over to RumDood’s site, he had proved everything you need to know about Matusalem Gran Reserva.

Thats it from me today, I’m going to head home tonight to leave the rum on the shelf and instead opt for an ice cold Cooper’s 62 Pilsner and a bin full of ice! (ok, so I lied… I grabbed a carton of beer as well!). Stay cool rummies.

RD

As May Cocktail Massacre rolls on, we say hello to an old classic - the Mai Tai rum cocktail! I love the Mai Tai purely and simply because it has pretty colours that remind me of a warm summer sunset! There are reportedly more than 7 official recipes depending on who you believe but one thing remains consistent, the meaning of Mai Tai - its derived from the the Tahitian word for good: “Maita’i”, and I agree, yes it is good!

What you’ll need!

• 30 ml Havana Club Anejo Blanco!
• 30 ml Appleton Estate V/X
• 15 ml Bacardi 151
• 15 ml Orange Curacao
• 15 ml Almond Syrup
• 60 ml Simple Sugar (or pineapple juice)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Fresh orange juice

Method:

Chill your class by either filling with ice and water, or putting it in the refrigerator.

Set aside the orange juice and fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Mix the rest together in the cocktail shaker. Mix well, then mix some more, because we all like to mix. Smash up some ice and tip it into a nice tall glass. Pour the mixture over the ice and top up with orange juice. You can either garnish this baby with a few mint leaves a wedge of lime or a slice of pineapple! Sit back, relax and enjoy your Mai Tai Rum Cocktail!

Mai Tai tip: Don’t try driving home.

Enjoy, RD.

As the May “Cocktail Massacre” rolls on, we introduce the Spiced Pear Rum Cocktail. This recipe is loosely based on Spiced Pear Caipirini (only with RUM instead of Cachaca) Oh Yeh!

This recipe substitutes in pear juice for the fruity bit in place of traditional lime as used in the mother cocktail, the Caipirinha and a mixture of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg add that element of spiciness to entice the sense! This is a great drink for all occasions, especially those dinner parties where you want to impress your friends and we ALL want to do that!

Here’s what you need:

• 60ml (2 oz) El Dorado Spiced Rum
• 30ml (1oz) Cinnamon Liqueur
• 60ml (2 oz) Pear nectar or juice
• 15ml (1/2 oz) Lemon juice
• A few small slices of Ginger
• Some Nutmeg

Muddle the ginger, lemon juice, rum and cinnamon liqueur together in a cocktail shaker, add a decent amount of ice and your pear juice or nectar and shake till your arms get sore!

Find a nice tall glass (best if you whack the glass in the fridge prior, so its nice and cold) and fill it with the Spiced Pear goodness. You may want strain the mixture to prevent any nasty ginger chunks sneaking in! Sprinkle a dash of nutmeg on the top for aroma and she’s ready to go!

Enjoy. RD.

Does anyone feel like a tea party? Perhaps a… Boston Tea Party?! Well seeing it’s the cocktail month of May we’re going to be sharing some cocktails for you to try. Our Mojito recipe is getting lonely and it’s time we added another rum cocktail, so today it’s the Boston Tea Party.

Lets get into it!

Boston Tea Party

You will need:

• Whiskey
• Gin
• Vodka
• Cinnamon Liquor
• Punt e Mes (Italian vermouth)
• some orange juice
• coca cola.
• And of course your favourite Dark Rum.

It’s pretty easy to put together, simply mix 15ml (half an ounce) of each of the spirits into a cocktail shaker with about 150ml (5 oz) orange juice and shake/mix well. Strain over ice into a Collins glass and add a splash of coke to finish.

Variations include the addition of 15ml orange liquor and swapping in coffee liquor (such as Tia Maria or Kahlua in place of Cinnamon liquor)

Enjoy!

RD

Today I decided to go local (well local for me anyway!) so I decided to review the 100% Australian Owned Inner Circle Rum, traditional pot still, born and bred in Australia but made from Australian and Fijian ingredients… go figure. It’s a rich, strong flavoured rum and although I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not at first its beginning to grow on me. It seems to have quite a punchy burn upon initial consumption not unlike Bacardi 151 although this bad boy is only 40% alcohol. It seems to leave a “smokey” after taste on the pallet, not unlike accidentally inhaling some bushfire smoke (only less intense)!
 
Its states clearly on its label that it is the proud gold medalist of the 2002 London “International Wine & Spirits Competition” in the spirits category and best rum for 2002 in the rum category. And has won its fair share of other awards in its time as well. Way to go Inner Circle! It’s a little bit darker than your Appleton Estate or Captain Morgan but not as dark as something like a Negrita Spice.

There’s a bit of history behind the Inner Circle Rum though, its been around for over a century and was once made only for the members of the “Inner Circle Club”. So if you’re sipping on this good old Aussie rum, make a toast to those old fellas who thought Inner Circle was so good it had to be kept just for themselves, bless their cotton socks.

If you like your rum rich full and bitey then this is a rum for you, if you like more of a mellow flavour then I’d probably stay away, either way, I’m going to finish my drink!

RD

Hi everyone! Wow what a long time its been but i’m glad to be back! You know, sometimes life just gets in the way… while I’m sooking for no reason, I thought I’d say whats on my mind - I find it quite hard just writing stuff without much feedback on whether or not my readers enjoy the articles I write, so I’ve created a survey to find out!!

I know there are a lot of bloggers out there who write purley for the sake of writing but i’d like to have a bit more impact than that - make a contribution to society! Haha.

If you like an article on Rum Drinks please leave a comment - everyone loves a bit of encouragment! On the same note if you don’t like something then also please let me know! I’ll decide later whether or not to be offended ;) 

So if you have a spare couple of minutes to help me out take the survey (link above) - your efforts will are much appreciated! Thanks a lot and I’ll be writing again soon!

The answer to that question: very little. But you know what, I don’t care! I’ve been reading some great (and very indepth) rum reviews tonight, and it made me realise just how superficial and shallow my reviews are!

However, I must say that I’m no expert on rum, I just know what I like to drinks, what I think tastes good and feel a need to share my thoughts to the rest of the world! So hopefully readers of my reviews take them for what they are - the opinions of an uneducated rum lover!! So if you’re new to my blog - I hope you enjoy having a look around my window to the lighter side of rum! Lets call this the Fun Rum Blog! The place you go when you’re bored at work for a chuckle and a grin.

Till next time - love you all! RD.

Oh and if you want to get automatic blog updates direct to your email, you can just sign up on the right hand side with your email address and updates will be sent directly to you. Too easy!