Let's get ready to RUM(ble)!

WHAT IS RUM?

Rum is a distilled liquor made from sugarcane products, usually produced as a by-product of the production of sugar.

Rum is any alcohol made from 100% cane product distilled under 95% alcohol by volume (ABV) and bottled at 40% ABV or higher. Rum can be made from raw cane juice, white or brown cane sugar, evaporated cane sugar, cane syrup, cane molasses, panela, etc. Sugar cane is tricky, though; it degrades almost as soon as you harvest it. The natural sugars start to ferment and the natural bacteria and enzymes start to degrade immediately after harvesting. In a single day, as much as 3% of the sucrose, alone, can be lost. Unless your distillery is located very close to the sugar cane plantation, it is not likely that fresh cane juice can be used as the distillation base.

Rum is the third most popular spirit in the United States. Only vodka and all the whiskeys combined beat it for first and second-rankings. Rum can be used to make citrusy mixed drinks as well as cool blended summer cocktails. It is hard not to conjure an image of sandy beaches when drinking these types of rum drinks.

THE ORIGINS OF RUM

Available records indicate that sugar cane was first cultivated in New Guinea. In India, as early as 350 BCE, it was discovered that sugar cane could be fermented. The first use of fermented drinks was primarily medicinal (yeah…right!). In the 15th century, the European explorers stumbled across the islands of the West Indies and discovered the perfect climate for growing sugar cane. Sugar from the Caribbean became as valuable a commodity as spices from the East. A robust trade in sugar (and sugar-based products) developed across the Atlantic.

The drink we now know as rum originated in the West Indies. The earliest references are found in records from Barbados in about 1650. The drink was called “kill-devil” or “rumbullion”. By 1667 the drink was simply called rum.

On the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century, the plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, could be fermented into alcohol. Further distillation of these alcoholic byproducts concentrated the alcohol and removed impurities, producing the first true rums.

Soon, the popularity of rum spread to Colonial North America. Additionally, the demand for sugar in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries skyrocketed. A labor force to work the sugar plantations was needed, vastly increasing the slave trade throughout the West Indies. Rum was developed into a global commodity, tying together Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Caribbean in a complex web of intercontinental commerce. Slaves were brought from Africa to the West Indies and America. Molasses, sugar, and rum were shipped to Europe. Manufactured goods came back to the Americas.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF RUM

Separating rum into distinct categories is complicated because there is not a unified standard for what constitutes rum. The rums from the Caribbean and Latin America can be broken into three major categories; each of which is specific to the colonial power of the area.

The Spanish-controlled distillers in Cuba, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico typically produced smooth rums called añejo.
In the English-controlled colonies including Jamaica, Bermuda, and Barbados, the rums are darker with more molasses character.
In the French colonies like Haiti and Martinique, Rhum Agricole is made from sugar cane juice. Sporting pungent botanical aromas, these rums bear some similarity in flavor to Cachaça, a uniquely Brazilian variant.

Of course, Michael would write about rum! This is his rum bar at the BYH.

Depending upon the region in which rum was produced, the grades and variations used to describe rum vary. Despite these variations, certain terms are frequently used:

Dark rums are distinguished by their color. They are typically aged longer, in heavily charred barrels, giving them a richer flavor. Hints of spices can be detected, along with a strong molasses or caramel overtone.
Gold rums, which also gain their color from aging in wooden barrels, are medium-bodied and can be considered a midway between light rum and the darker varieties.
Light rums, also referred to as ‘silver’ or ‘white’ rums, have very little flavor aside from a general sweetness. They are sometimes filtered after aging to remove any color, resulting in a milder taste.
Flavored rums are infused with fruits after fermentation and distillation, while spiced rums obtain their flavors through the addition of spices, cinnamon, aniseed, pepper, and sometimes, caramel.

LEGENDS OF RUM

Rum has seemingly always been associated with sailors. Whether they be on the right side of the law (various navies), or the wrong side of the law (pirates!), rum has traditionally been a sailor’s choice of alcoholic beverage.

Before the development of the West Indies trade, sailors aboard British sailing vessels drank brandy. Unfortunately, brandy came from their mortal enemy, the French. Once the West Indies sugar cane plantations were established, the British navy adopted rum as its drink of choice. Grog, a mixture of rum and water, was more of a staple drink than water itself onboard ship. By mixing a little rum into the brackish water in the scuttlebutts, the sailors didn’t even notice how foul the water was. Rum was a part of British navy life until 1970. Nowadays, it is reserved for special occasions.

Rum was an early trading commodity of British privateers. These privateers were essentially navy-sanctioned pirates who were granted charters to harass enemy (Spain and France) shipping and were made rich by trafficking in the plunder that they legally stole. Given the huge trade in rum, it was natural that the drink was common on the privateer ships. Once the British realized that the privateers were as much harassing British vessels as they were the enemy vessels, the privateers lost their charters. However, they did not lose their appetites for booty, including rum, and went into business (now on the wrong side of the law) as pirates and buccaneers.

IS THE STUFF ANY GOOD FOR YOU?

Rum consumption can give you a healthy and strong heart. Also, it decreases cholesterol levels in the body. Rum is also a good drink for peripheral artery disease prevention and is a blood thinner, which can help combat artery blockages, prevent heart attacks and heart disease.

If you're invested in looking after your heart health, it's wise to mind your diet, get some exercise, and not drink too much alcohol. All of those factors play a huge role in keeping your ticker in shipshape. As noted by Laura Krebs-Holm, a registered dietitian. "The moderate consumption of alcohol has been tied to a few indicators for heart health,". "It is thought that like other distilled spirits, rum may help act as a blood thinner and prevent blood clots. It is also tied to lower blood pressure, and higher rates of HDL, or 'good' cholesterol.'" It's important to note that this benefit only comes with moderate consumption, so, if you're knocking back multiple rum drinks every night, that would no longer be the case.

If you drink rum every night, you can boost your mood. There's a reason that happy hour is called happy hour: After a hard day at the office or the job site, you can finally unwind and enjoy discount food and alcoholic beverages at your favorite restaurant or bar. And although that might be enough in and of itself to make you happy, the rum helps too, as noted by Laura Krebs-Holm. "Like most alcoholic beverages, rum can help you relax," she explained. "Additionally, many people enjoy a drink in the company of others, which can also help to improve mood."

Drinking alcohol causes your body to release endorphins, which are chemicals that induce a pleasurable response in certain areas of the brain. Hence the warm glow you feel after a rum runner or two.

There are other benefits to drinking rum; I will go into those in more detail in a future post.

IS RUM BAD FOR YOU?

Alcohol is a diuretic. It causes your body to remove fluids from your blood through your renal system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, and bladder, at a much quicker rate than other liquids. If you don’t drink enough water with alcohol, you can become dehydrated quickly resulting in that infamous hangover headache.

Alcohol causes several issues that appear later on in the night or the next day. Alcohol can also depress your mood. Couple a depressed mood with stress (or existing depression) and you may find yourself in a terrible rut. If you drink rum every night, you may worsen your depression.

If you drink rum every night, you can gain weight. Just because drinking rum instead of beverages like beer, wine, and sweetened cocktails might be a better choice for your waistline, that doesn't mean drinking rum every night will make you lose weight. You might find yourself gaining weight if you drink rum every night, according to registered dietitian Amanda A. Kostro Miller. "You may be more inclined to overeat,". "Alcohol may make you eat a late-night heavy meal or just make you forget about any health/weight/calorie intake goals you may be striving to follow."

There are other downsides to rum consumption; let’s save the details for that future post referred to above.

Endeavor always to drink responsibly and never drink and drive.