Episode Notes:

In this episode, I explore why rum should be the next trending spirit in the world of premium alcohol. Despite its rich history and unique flavor profiles, rum is often overlooked in favor of spirits like tequila and whiskey. I dive into the fascinating history of rum, its current reputation in the U.S., and how modern variations of rum have impacted its image. By the end, I’ll share five key reasons why rum deserves more attention and could soon become the next big thing in premium spirits.

Cookbook: Sunlight & Breadcrumbs by Rene Erickson (https://booklarder.com/products/sunlight-and-breadcrumbs-making-food-with-creativity-and-curiosity)

Rum Old Fashion Recipe:

-3oz Aged Rum

-1/4-1/2oz Demerara Sugar Syrup (heat 1/2cup demerara sugar w/ 1/2cup water on the stove just until dissolved)

-Few Dashes Bittermens Tiki Bitters 

-Expressed Orange Peel

Combine all ingredients, except the orange pee,l in a mixing glass with ice and stir for 10 seconds. Strain in to an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube and garnish w/the expressed orange peel. 

Transcript

Welcome to Unpretentious Eats, the place for tasting life through food, wine, and spirits, where you’ll be joining me, your host, Alyssa Van Osdol, as we explore the many ways that food and drink connect us and affect our lives.

Hey there, and welcome back. Thank you so much for joining me today. If you listened to the first episode, you would know that I’m very passionate about all things food, drink, and hospitality.

Today, we’re stepping into the world of spirits, and I’m diving deep into a very serious question. Should rum be the next its spirit? We’ll talk about some industry trends, explore the fascinating world of rum, and wrap up with my current obsession for the week.

But before we get into it, I want to share what inspired today’s episode. As many of you know, I’ve recently made the move to North San Diego County, and something I’ve discovered through both exploration and talking with locals is that the craft cocktail scene here is, well, let’s just say it’s not quite as vibrant as other areas of California. Now, don’t get me wrong, the food and drink scene in San Diego is amazing.

But when you head to North County, it feels like the craft cocktail scene is a bit far and few in between. Coming from the Bay Area, I’m used to being able to point out a map and find at least five or six great cocktail bars, no matter where I am. And while it’s easy to find that in South San Diego County, speakeasies are huge there, North County is a little harder to find.

Unless you’re going to a fancier restaurant, and don’t get me wrong, those places are awesome too. I highly recommend Campfire, but sometimes that’s not what you want. Sometimes, you just want a casual, high top bar with no food distractions.

You know what I mean? So as you can imagine, I was very excited to find Frankies & Oceanside. It’s this wonderful little gem of a bar with fantastic bartenders, and what I really love about it is the creativity.

The bartenders rotate seasonal drinks regularly, which keeps things fresh and exciting, but also it forces you to try something new. In my case, it was this past Christmas, I tried an old-fashioned with a fun holiday twist. It was made with chocolate bitters, spiced simple syrup, and rum.

I know, I know. Some of my traditionalists out there are thinking, why would you make an old-fashioned with rum? It’s supposed to be made with American whiskey.

And while that is the traditional method, I found the substitution of rum very exciting. So while I was sitting there enjoying my drink, it hit me. Why don’t we see rum more often in classic cocktails?

I mean, you rarely see rum used in something like an old-fashioned, where the spirit is the star of the show and not all the mix-ins. Rum is more often seen in tiki drinks, where it is heavily mixed with other things, and therefore you can’t really single out the rum itself. And while that is great, I love a good tiki drink and it is super fun to go to a tiki bar with your friends and just really let loose.

I also love the idea of seeing rum in a more sophisticated, minimalist cocktail where it gets to really shine. And that got me thinking. We all know tequila and whiskey have earned their place in the spotlight, but rum seems to get left behind.

But this is the part I find super frustrating. You can walk into any liquor store and find premium and super premium tequilas like Don Julio 1942 or Classe Azul shining bright on the top shelf, or in lock boxes you’ll see allocated bourbons that are supposedly pretty hard to find. But where’s the super premium rums?

Nowhere to be found. Sure, you can find the low to mid-tier rums pretty easily, but I don’t think most Americans have ever actually tried what real super premium rum actually tastes like. And because of this, rum is often relegated to being that overly mixed, super strong party drink that gets you fucked up and blackout.

I believe this deserves some serious attention. Rum has so much untapped potential, and I think it’s time that it has gained the respect it deserves. So grab a drink, whatever you want to sip on, whether it’s a glass of wine, coffee, or a cocktail.

I myself have got my rum old-fashioned here, and we’re about to dive into why rum should be the next big thing.

Before I get into why I think rum has a chance to take over the spirit world, let’s first take a look at some of the current industry trends that could help make this happen. And I’m not just talking about a passing fad here. This is about the long-term shift in the way people are drinking today, and what they’re choosing to buy.

Recently, you may have heard about the Surgeon General’s announcement that alcohol labels will now include cancer warnings just like cigarettes. This is definitely a big deal and has a lot of people talking. Health nuts everywhere will be cutting alcohol from their lives, cold turkey, any minute now.

But let’s be real for a second here. Trends have shown that alcohol consumption has been declining for a while now in the United States. The average American has been drinking less and less, and this is particularly seen in the younger generations.

So while the new warning might grab a lot of headlines and has a lot of people in the industry scared, the bigger trend has been brewing for a while now. Some people in the industry might hate me for saying this, but I don’t actually think all of the decline is bad. And let me tell you why.

According to a study from Penn State in 2023, the largest decline in alcohol consumption was actually in the age group 18 to 34, which dropped from a whopping 72% in 2021 to 58% in 2023. I see this as a good thing. I mean, take a moment to be honest with yourself.

If you think back to your 20s and how much you drank and thinking, oh my god, I could drink forever, I’m invincible, you would be pretty upset with your younger self. But it looks like that kind of overconsumption is starting to decline, and I’m all for it. And while it’s easy to be scared and fearful of the sheer number of loss in sales because of the shift to drinking less, I really think that the industry should focus more on what this generation is choosing to drink now.

Gen Z and millennials are becoming more discerning about the brands they support, with about 73 to 74% of them opting for companies that prioritize sustainability. This is a big deal because it means that younger generations are becoming less likely to blindly reach for the cheapest, most mass-produced bottle they can find. At the same time, consumption by people 35 and older has barely changed.

They are drinking more responsibly, yes, but they are also leaning towards premium and super premium spirits. And that’s the key. Tequila and whiskey have been the top selling spirits for years, but their sales have started to decline in recent years.

However, the sales of premium and super premium versions of these spirits are actually increasing. So what does that mean? It means people are willing to spend more for a better product, especially as they get older and have more disposable income.

I believe these trends present a perfect opportunity to elevate rum and place it alongside these other premium spirits. I mean, rum is already on the shelves, but when we talk about premium rum, it’s often a different story. I’ve spoken to bar managers, liquor store owners, and even distributors, and they all say the same thing.

There just isn’t a big enough market for high-end rums. And I think that’s crazy! But when you look at the history of rum, its perception and how it’s been marketed, you can see why it struggles to gain the level of recognition that tequila and whiskey do.

So let’s take a quick stroll through rum’s history to understand why it hasn’t been given a fair shot. Take a walk with me back in time to when this story starts, with sugar. When white sugar became increasingly popular in Europe, the demand for it led to the colonization of the Caribbean and the creation of sugar plantations.

These plantations relied heavily on enslaved labor, which created a harsh, dangerous environment. The process of growing sugar cane and refining it into white sugar was extremely labor intensive, and it created a lot of waste. But this waste is now something you can find in most grocery stores on the baking aisle.

Molasses. While the heavily in demand refined white sugar was being shipped to Europe and sold to the most wealthy, molasses was being shipped as a cheap alternative to sugar for the lower classes. At some point, island locals, the plantation managers and workers, began to ferment and distill molasses into alcohol.

According to Wayne Curtis’ book A Bottle of Rum, A History of the New World and Ten Cocktails, the first rum was most likely produced in Barbados in the 1600s. Now, back then, rum was anything but refined. It was cheap, rough, very strong, and mainly consumed by the working class.

And while some rums were barrel-aged and smoother, it wasn’t exactly what we think of today as high-quality spirits. In fact, rum was so rough and strong that it earned the nickname Kill Devil. Now, if you fast forward to colonial days in the US, rum was very popular but still largely associated with the lower class.

The upper class favored drinks like sherry, Madeira, and gin from Holland. And even after the American Revolution, they were still willing to pay a premium for these imports because rum was not a respectable drink, especially since it was tied to pirates. A history tidbit favorably used in marketing in today’s world if you look at brands like Captain Morgan.

According to Curtis’ book, days before the infamous Blackbeard’s final battle and eventual beheading, he wrote in his ship’s log expressing a feeling of melancholy over being out of rum on his ship, the Adventure Galley. Obviously, the most respectable members of society couldn’t bear to be linked to the likes of Blackbeard. That’s why rum has such a bad reputation.

It was seen as rough, cheap, and associated with pirates and drunks. Even when rum gained popularity in modern America because of tiki bars, it didn’t quite make the jump into the upper echelons of society. This history is why rum has struggled to be seen as a premium product in the US.

So once you hear all of this, it’s no wonder rum has such a bad reputation and has been downplayed for so long. I mean, most unfairly, the only UNESCO World Heritage Declaration for rum came in 2022 when Cuba’s Light Rum Masters tradition was declared a UNESCO Cultural Heritage. Now, don’t get me wrong, Cuba absolutely deserves that recognition.

Their rum traditions are incredibly rich, and the craftsmanship is outstanding. But here’s the kicker, the light rum tradition in Cuba didn’t even really start until 1862, and yet rum has been in production since the 1600s. That’s a lot of missed history, and it’s only recently that rum has gotten any kind of global recognition for this.

And here’s where it gets really tricky. The only universal legal definitions and requirements for rum are that it has to be made from molasses, sugarcane juice, or sugarcane honey, and it must be a minimum ABV of 37.5%. That’s it!

That’s the only official universal guideline, and it’s so broad that it gives the impression rum has no rules at all. Which, let’s face it, makes it easier to downplay it and let it get overshadowed by spirits like tequila and whiskey. But the truth is, cane spirits actually have some of the most certifications of origin and quality compared to any other spirit.

The issue is, for the most part, they’re not recognized or respected in the US. Now if you’re new to wine and spirits, or if you’re in Europe even some food products, you might be wondering what a certification of origin and quality even means. Don’t worry, I’m going to explain it.

To help you understand, we’re going to take a look at wine, and specifically old world wines. If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of wine from Europe, you might have noticed something like DOP or AOC next to the name of the place on the label. These are official stamps of Protected Designations of Origin, or a PDO.

And they are incredibly important because they protect quality and heritage from counterfeit products that claim to be made in the specific place or from a certain tradition when in fact they are not. These certifications come with rules, rules about what ingredients can be used, where they have to be grown, how the product can be produced, and even specific practices for aging. Some places even have rules for when the product can be sold.

If you’re in the United States and wondering why you’ve never heard of this, it’s because it’s mostly a European thing. In the US, we do have some designations, like the American Viticulture Area or AVA for wine, but those generally don’t have as many strict regulations tied to them. Now, despite popular belief, continental Europe isn’t the only one to use these designations.

The Caribbean and other sugarcane spirit-producing countries, like Brazil with its cachaça, actually have a very long history of honing their unique style and amazing quality through years of tradition and local enforcement. With help from the European Union, the Caribbean has established the geographical indignation or GI system. In fact, according to Matt Pietrich, one of the foremost authorities on rum and creator of Rum Wonk, countries like Cuba, Jamaica, Guadalupe, Martinique, Guatemala, St. Lucia, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti are just a few that have already been awarded a GI or in the process of being awarded a GI.

And if you’re thinking these GIs don’t carry the same weight as the AOCs and DOPs of Europe, you’re wrong. Producers actually have very strict rules for their products. Take a look at Rum Agricole from the AOC Martinique.

The rum must be made from fresh, cold-pressed cane juice. It can only be fermented in open top and for under 72 hours. Distillation must be in small batches.

The final spirit has to be unmodified. And aging is anywhere from three months to three years, depending on the grade of rum agricole. Now, obviously, Europe honors and protects these products because they help regulate the GIs.

But guess what? The US does not. Despite the fact that we do honor international DOPs and AOCs for items like scotch and champagne, for whatever reason, the US does not recognize the same designations for rum, and that is why the US market is so flooded with rum that doesn’t actually meet the high standards these countries are setting.

In fact, the US’s refusal to acknowledge and uphold the international rules for rum is why Hawaii can make a cane spirit and call it rum agricole, a style that technically can only be made in Martinique, and not even follow the strict rules for production. So you might think you’re drinking good rum from the Caribbean, but in actuality, 90% of the rum imported into the United States is modified rum. Ugh, modified rum.

That doesn’t sound very appetizing, does it? But what exactly does that mean? It means that you’re drinking rum made in large quantities, processed in massive continuous multi-column stills, and has additives like colors and flavors.

The result is a product that’s far removed from what you’d find in its authentic traditional form. This is why so many people in the US have such a poor opinion of rum. They’ve never had the real deal.

Now, before I get too deep into the weeds here, let me be clear about something. Moderately modified rum isn’t necessarily terrible, but the problem is it’s often marketed as rum, and is what most people associate with that word. I’d argue that it should be called something else entirely.

The stuff that’s heavily modified, like that super syrupy dark rum, I personally stay away from it. But the real rum, the unmodified stuff that’s been made with care and expertise, distilled in small batch column stills, or even rarer, a pot still, and aged for years, that’s the rum that deserves your attention. Now, here are some key things to look for when you are buying rum if you’re trying to find something of great quality.

The real deal will not be darker than amber-brown tones it takes on from the barrel it’s aged in. That means if you see rum that’s almost black in color, it’s definitely heavily modified. You will also look for a rum that, if spilled on the counter, will evaporate without leaving a very sticky residue, like any other good spirit.

This is because that sticky residue has actually added sugar and other additives that remains when the alcohol evaporates. And if you’re trying to invest in a good aged rum, you want to look for colors of light amber to deep copper tones. This is a sign of quality depending on how it’s aged and filtered.

Now, for the most important part, the real deal doesn’t have to be overly expensive. It can actually be very affordable. Take the Real McCoy’s Three Year Aged Rum, for instance.

You can find it for around $25, and it is made in small batches using small columns, and it achieves its clear color through a filtration process after it’s been aged. So even though it’s a light rum, it’s very smooth. And then on the other end of the spectrum, you have super premium aged rums, like A1710’s La Deliverande.

I know when I say that it doesn’t sound quite as sexy as somebody that speaks French, but again, I suck at French. But my poor mispronunciation does not change the quality of this product. It is made from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled in copper alembic stills just like cognac.

These bottles are extremely hard to find in the US. And they can cost upwards of $599 or more, and they’re usually only found online through a broker who more than likely probably got it second hand. But if you’re able to buy one, it’s definitely worth every penny if you have the means and the opportunity.

There’s just so much to talk about when it comes to rum, and honestly, I’m running out of breath here. I’m so passionate about this, but I understand that I can’t just shout, hey, USA, get your act together. I mean, we all know that doesn’t work.

The people in charge love their stats and don’t like risking profits. So instead, I’m going to end this rant by giving you five solid reasons that tie the stats and all this information I’ve just given you together to help convince you why rum should be the next its spirit. One, the younger crowds, despite what TV tells you, is not partying as hard anymore, which means we don’t need as much of the cheap, modified, can we really call it rum, bottles for parties.

So, why create waste and scare everyone with profit losses by bringing in so much of that crap? Two, sustainability matters people. Gen Z millennials are investing in brands with sustainable practices, and rum producing countries are putting a huge focus on sustainability in order to protect the beautiful land their product is made on, and preserve the beauty and fertility of their islands, and of course, to preserve the quality of their product.

Three, it actually appeals to the 35 plus crowd. There’s a growing demand for premium and super premium spirits among people 35 and older, and introducing real quality, actual aged rum will tap into that market. Four, the demand for high quality rum could bring excitement back to bars and restaurants, reinvigorating our struggling hospitality scene and driving on-premise sales.

And five, a rise in quality rum sales could lead to more jobs, better pay, and increased sustainability efforts in rum producing countries, creating a positive cycle of economic growth, which benefits everyone. So there you have it. Those are just a few reasons why I think rum should take over the spirit world.

I’m so passionate about this topic that visiting every rum or sugarcane spirit producing region in the world and doing a distillery tour and tasting is on my top five list of things I want to accomplish before I die. That comes before having kids. But for now, I hope I’ve inspired you to give rum a second look.

Next time you’re at the bar, maybe try a rum cocktail instead of your usual whiskey sour or margarita. And now it’s time to share with you my current obsession of the week right after this short.

Okay, I’m back. Now, before we close out today’s episode, I want to share my current obsession of the week. As I mentioned in the last episode, I’m currently engaged and, well, unemployed, which has been a bit of a roller coaster of happiness and frustration.

There is only so much wedding planning one can do at a time to cope with boredom without driving yourself insane. And in those moments, I find solace in a good cookbook. This week, I’m obsessed with Rene Erickson’s new cookbook, Sunlight & Breadcrumbs.

If you’re not familiar with chef Rene Erickson, she’s a Seattle-based chef, restaurateur, and author. I’ve had the pleasure of dining at two of her restaurants, The Walrus and the Carpenter, and Will Montz Ghost. And they were so amazing.

I could do a whole episode on those experiences alone. But this is about her cookbook. This cookbook has been the source of so much comfort and inspiration, with her focus on community eating and minimal local and quality ingredients.

I also love that she gives you resources for where to buy some of her favorite ingredients, like the tinned fish she loves to use or the spices that she has in her pantry. Her recipe for roast chicken with anchovies, ginger, and creme fraiche was so juicy and flavorful. I even paired it with her ginger green sauce for that mouth-watering finish.

Seriously, if you want a cookbook that transports you to a beautiful Pacific Northwest Oceanfront beach table with friends, this is it. I’ll include a link in the episode’s notes for those of you who are now thinking, I’ve gotta get me some of that. That’s it for today’s episode.

I’m so grateful you joined me while I geeked out about rum. I hope you’re as excited as I am about this spirit’s potential, and maybe I can look forward to hearing from some of you about how much you enjoyed a recipe from Sunlight & Breadcrumbs. If you would like to enjoy a rum old-fashioned like I did today in order to get you in the rum spirit, it’s really easy.

You’ll want to combine 3 ounces of aged rum with 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 oz of Demerara sugar syrup. Literally, just melt ½ cup of Demerara sugar and ½ cup of water on the stove. And then a few drops of bittermint’s tiki bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for about 10 seconds, strain into an old fashion glass with a large ice cube, and add an expressed orange peel. See? Super easy.

I look forward to catching up with you in next week’s episode, where we’ll continue exploring more in the world of food, wine, spirits, and hospitality. Until then, cheers!