Summer makes us want to drink cocktails adorned with umbrellas, colorful plastic swordfish or the phone number of a hot Nicaraguan bartender. So we thought this was the perfect opportunity to showcase one of our favorite rums ever. Because everybody knows, rum is the secret ingredient to many a tropical frosty beverage. Hell, even the Little Drummer Boy sings about it (pa-RUM-pa-pum-pum).
But before we could even pull out our blender, our plans went terribly awry. All in the name of science.
We decided to do a taste test between Flor de Caña 7-year Grand Reserve and another bottle of rum we have in our tiny, tucked-away, barely stocked liquor cabinet. We poured a glass of each rum over ice and our world was rocked harder than when Justin Bieber started to rap.
There simply is no comparison between the rums. The call brand we previously thought was delicious tasted like pure rubbing alcohol. No finesse whatsoever. But the Flor de Caña? The rich, amber-colored rum tasted of lightly sweet caramel with aromas and subtle flavors of toasted coconut. And a whisper of sun-warmed palm trees.
We brought a can of Coke with us to add to the glass with a lime after we did our grand experiment, but we ended up drinking the whole glass of Flor de Caña on the rocks.
This is a rum that drinks like a Scotch. It’s truly remarkable, sophisticated and easy-to-drink. Our boyfriend says it’s because we’re a big drunk, but that’s not even remotely true. We’ve lost a lot of weight.
Instead, Flor de Caña has all the character and nuance of a spirit five times the price. We may have found our official summer drink after all. How surprised are we that the only mixer needed is ice?
But we’ll still need that hot Nicaraguan bartender to drop the cubes in our glass.
$24.99, 750 ml
www.flordecana.com
Recipe for Tribal Cana (pictured above)
1 ½ parts Flor de Caña Grand Reserve 7-year rum
¾ part fresh lime juice
¾ part pineapple juice
½ part simple syrup
3 drops vanilla extract
10 cilantro leaves
8 mint leaves
Fresh cilantro to taste
Muddle mint, cilantro, lime and pineapple juice in a Collins glass. Add the Flor de Caña 7 year rum and vanilla. Fill the glass halfway with crushed ice and use a spoon to swizzle ingredients. Fill the glass the rest of the way with crushed ice and give another swizzle. Garnish with a mint and cilantro spring.
