Summer was practically made for rum, and in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal, drinks correspondent Eric Felten delved into the growing world of light rum. Light Rum Rums from Appleton, Bacardi, and Mount Gay. Rum is perhaps the most diverse spirit on the market, with each producing island or region utilizing a unique style and method that results in a dizzying variety of rums, from those that are almost as light as vodka to rich, smoky rums the color of crude oil and redolent of molasses. While light rums are a relatively small subset of the rum category, they bear a substantial part of the market weight—thanks to the mojito craze and the never-ending demand for rum-and-Cokes and assorted fruity...
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If last Sunday’s New York Times T magazine is to be believed, Batavia arrack is one of the "New Staples"—one of the top ingredients of the season. If that’s the case, then never has one spirit gone so far so fast, from a century-plus of obscurity to must-have status in the liquor cabinet. Produced since at least the early 17th-century on the island of Java, Batavia arrack is rum’s funky ancestor. Made from sugarcane and fermented red rice (one quibble with the Times story: while Sri Lankan arrack made from palm sap has a similar name, it’s a totally different creature), this smoky, aromatic spirit was a mariner’s favorite for years, and was an essential ingredient in punch until well...
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