Styles
Rums are produced in various styles. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails like the Mojito and Daiquiri, while aged or dark rums offer deeper flavour profiles. Rum has no fixed definition, since different countries set different standards that a rum must meet. Most rum is produced from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production. A notable exception is the French-speaking islands, where sugarcane juice is the preferred base ingredient. Rhum agricole is a spirit distilled from fresh sugar cane juice. In Brazil, the distilled alcoholic drink derived from cane juice is distinguished from rum and called cachaça. Some low-grade West Indies rums are called tafia. Rum producers in Central and South America typically heavily sweeten their rums, though this practice did not become common in Cuba or Puerto Rico.
Ageing
Many countries require rum to be barrel-aged for at least one year. Rum is commonly aged in used bourbon casks, but any type of wooden cask or stainless-steel tank may be used. As most rum-producing areas have a hot, tropical climate, rum matures much faster than is typical in cooler climates for spirits such as whisky or brandy. Rum is usually aged for a shorter time than whiskey, partly because of the climate where it is made. Attempts have been made to match the molecular composition of aged rum much faster by using heat and light for accelerated artificial ageing.
Compounds found in rum
Esters are often the dominant class of organic compounds found in rum. Rum has a higher short-chain carboxylic acid content compared to other spirits. The acids that help to form the esters can themselves have an impact on aroma and flavour, and higher alcohols, those with more carbons than ethanol, also contribute. During ageing, compounds from the barrels can also end up in the rum, among them a number of phenolic compounds and vanillin. Oak lactones are also found in rum, though to a lesser extent than in whiskeys, which tend to be aged for longer. Whisky lactone, also called quercus lactone, is the 3S,4S isomer of cis-3-methyl-4-octanolide and an important ingredient in the aroma of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages aged in oak barrels. The beverage extracts it from some precursor substances in the oak wood. Dark rums tend to contain more flavour and aroma compounds than lighter rums. White rum is filtered, often through charcoal, to remove compounds that cause colouration, and this filtration can also remove compounds that impact the rum's flavour. Beta-damascenone is one of the most impactful odorants in dark rum, but its impact is much reduced in white rum. Sotolon is a butenolide lactone and an extremely potent aroma compound. Sotolon is also present in molasses and aged rum.
Uses
Rum is the foundation of numerous classic cocktails. It is commonly used to macerate fruit used in fruitcakes, in the preparation of rumtopf and Joe Frogger cookies, and in marinades for some Caribbean dishes. Rum can also be used in raw or cold dishes so that the alcohol is not cooked off, such as in rum balls.
History
Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, where it was likely to have first been created by enslaved people on sugar plantations. In the 1600s, the sugar cane plantations of the Caribbean had no real use for molasses, the syrupy fluid produced when sugar cane is processed. The colonists quickly discovered that molasses, if water was added, could easily be fermented to produce alcohol. In May 1657 the General Court of Massachusetts decided to make illegal the sale of strong liquor, including liquor known by the name of rumme. Historically, rum has served as a medium of economic exchange, playing a role in the triangular trade, slave trade, and colonial economies of the West Indies and British colonies. Rum suffered a dip in popularity during the Revolutionary War, but it is again one of the most popular spirits today. When France began to make sugar from sugar beets around 1811, sugar prices dropped and fresh cane juice became available for fermenting and distilling into rum. Historically, Jamaican rum marks were categorized by their ester levels, specifically ethyl acetate, to determine their value in blending. This system started in the late 1800s as a way to grade rum for sale.
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