Tequila
Tequila is made from the spiky blue agave plant. We don't live in Mexico, but we happen to have one in our front yard – Shelly’s convinced it’s an alien life-form determined to uproot the house. Don’t plant one near yours.
- Silver, Platino or Blanco tequila is the clear stuff. It’s got that young Agave bitterness that many people have a hard time with.
- Gold tequila is just silver that’s been flavored and colored with caramel.
- Reposado (“rested”) has been rested in wood casks for 2 to 9 months.
- Anejo is aged in casks for a minimum of 12 years. That’s the good stuff made for sipping.
Margaritas are our favorite tequila-based happy hour drink, but the Tequila Sunrise is ripe for a comeback. Just wait and see.
Rum
Gary on rum: "I didn't like rum drinks for a long time, the only thing I could ever
drink with rum was a Bali Hai Mai Tai (still a favorite). Rum is just
so sweet. It's made from sugar cane. And is typically paired with more
sweet and sticky mixers – like coconut cream (pina coladas),
strawberries (daiquiris), and pineapple juice. But chartering a
sailboat in the Caribbean for two weeks changed my mind about rum.
Maybe it was the Painkillers with Pusser's Rum. But most likely it was
the Dark and Stormys at the Bitter End Yacht Club."
Dark Rum
Great for Dark and Stormys: try it with Cruzan Black
Strap or Myers Dark Rum. To make a Dark and Stormy (see photo):
- fill a double old-fashioned glass with crushed ice
- pour in enough Jamaican style ginger beer to fill the glass about 2/3 full
- squeeze one half of a lime over that and
- top with about 2 ounces of the dark rum letting it float on top like a dark cloud. Serve unmixed with a stir stick and let your guests create the storm.
Golden Rum
Rums that spend some time in charred oak casks get a little color and some added flavor. These are our favorites.
- Plantation – Great for a grog or sipping on the rocks with a squeeze of lime.
- Pyrat Rum – more like a fine cognac or brandy, lovely for sipping neat
- Pusser's Rum – Spend all day chopping branches or snorkeling the islands? Revive with a Pusser's Painkiller. Works like a charm.
Clear rum is rested or aged in white oak casks or stainless steel and is used in recipes like Mojitos, Daiquiris, and the Pina Colada. Matusalem, a Cuban rum, is a good choice for a Mojito.
Flavored Rum
Try Cruzan flavored rums – sweet and lighter in alcohol but pretty good paired with a bubbly soda. Here are some flavored rum drink ideas:
- Pineapple rum with Coke is refreshing on a hot day).
- A friend raved over a black cherry rum mojito, but we haven't tried that yet.
- Coconut rum (such as Malibu) is another close friend's weak spot (don't worry, we're not naming names here!). She mixes it with soda water, a squeeze of lime, over ice.
Spiced Rum
Captain Morgan's is popular, but we think it's a little flabby;
too sweet with vanilla and doesn't stand up to mixers. Go for Sailor
Jerry's, which is more rummy. Unfortunately, it's also getting
more expensive.
Please drink in moderation. Don't drink and drive. We appreciate it.
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