The rum renaissance in Wimbledon
The rum renaissance in Wimbledon
Get the lowdown on the spirit of the summer, with local brands to check out, tasting notes and cocktails to make…
Time & Leisure and Love Wimbledon hosted a fantastic evening in May at Wimbledon Quarter’s Fire Station Café. Guests got to try a range of craft rums and hear the stories behind them.
Hampton Court Spirits brought along The Father of the Fleet – its golden spiced rum was inspired by Henry VIII’s role in establishing the Royal Navy, and his love of exotic ingredients so it features the likes of quince, vanilla and allspice. It’s delicious served on ice but it also comes pre-mixed with ginger ale and a dash of lime (aka a Dark & Stormy cocktail) – perfect for a summer garden party or picnic.
Our publisher Lucy was also inspired to create a rum after a trip to New Zealand where she encountered the enchanting Fantail bird. Her Fantail spiced rum includes iconic flavours of the country including Manuka honey and tangelo fruit.
Kingston’s Bone Idyll introduced guests to its Botanical Rum with Scotch Bonnet pepper, banana and lime leaf, served with a wedge of lime; and its Aged Rum with notes of peach and cacao.
Merser Rum (from the Balham based Hayman family who make the gin) uses rums of different ages from the Caribbean and South America, which are blended and then rested in Scotch Whisky barrels. We loved the Signature Rum with its tropical fruit flavours.
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Need to know
Put simply, rum is a spirit made from sugar cane, but production methods vary hugely. Rum varieties include white rum (also called light or silver), which has been filtered to remove colour; gold (amber) rum aged in wooden barrels, and dark (or black) rum, which has been aged for longer in charred oak barrels or may have added caramel.
Some rums are best sipped, others over ice, and many more lend themselves to classic cocktails. It’s also a versatile addition to the kitchen store cupboard – a dark rum is great for adding depth to a barbecue marinade or try a rum and raisin bread and butter pudding.
Rum-based cocktails to try
Mojito
- Muddle together white rum, lime, sugar and mint, adjusting quantities to taste, and top with soda water.
Daiquiri
- Requiring just white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup for a classic or muddle strawberries too for a fruity twist.
Mai Tai
- The classic calls for aged rum, lime juice, orange curacao, and orgeat (almond syrup). Other recipes call for two types of rum.
