www.cheersonline.com
W
hat comes around goes around, and many believe that it's
rum's turn again. Specialists are working to get the word
out about all the great varieties, from aged sipping rums and
mixable white to spiced and flavored rums. Sipping rums may see
crossover from the whiskey category, and cocktails are bolstered by
the ever-popular Mojito and Tiki drinks.
"We went through the vodka phase, the tequila phase, mezcal,
now it's whiskey, and I feel like rum is coming up next," says
Larissa Wocher, bar manager for Ronería Caracas, a rum bar in
the Caracas Arepa Bar in Brooklyn, NY, part of the three-unit
Caracas Arepa Bar concept. "Rum is winning over people who
take the time to taste and understand it."
But rum is a mixed case, looking at category statistics. e
top-10 leading brands collectively were slightly down (0.8%) last
year according to the Beverage Information Group's Handbook
Advance, owned by Cheers' parent company. e only stellar
performer was Sailor Jerry, a spiced rum from William Grant
& Sons, which grew 6.9% in 2013. Diageo's Captain Morgan
and Heaven Hill's Admiral Nel son brands also saw increases.
Interestingly, rums under the "Other" category were up
a healthy 4.5%. Hot brands such as e Kraken, Bacardi
Oakheart and Gosling's Black Seal—all dark or aged rums—
helped propel that expansion.
MANHATTAN TRANSFER
Some of the stardust from the super-trendy whiskey category
may rub off on rum, say proponents, pointing out a few of the
parallels between whiskey and aged rums.
"I think rum will be next on the trend list because it has a lot
of the same qualities as whiskey," says Wocher. Many rums, she
notes, are aged in used whiskey barrels.
Furthering that parallel, she adds, the most popular cocktails
at Ronería Caracas are variations on classic whiskey drinks,
such as the Rum Manhattan and Rum Old Fashioned.
Rum specialties at Ronería Caracas, a rum bar in the
Caracas Arepa Bar in Brooklyn, include classic Daiquiris
and Dark & Stormys made with fresh-pressed ginger.
18
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JUNE 2014
Rum's Punch
From high-end sippers to classic cocktails and
the return of the Jello shot, rum has it all
By Thomas Henry Strenk
MELISSA
HOM
18-21 rum CH0614.indd 18 6/3/14 9:59 PM
