French Farmhouse Rhum!
No other spirit—except our native Bourbon whiskey—is so closely connected with American history as rum. And nothing mixes up a zesty summertime cocktail like fine white rum. Lately we’ve run across some terrific new rums that stand out from the pack. La Favorite and Neisson distilleries are rhums agricoles from the French island of Martinique. Protected by the same laws that govern French wine, these ultra-pure, small-batch rums are some of the best we’ve ever tasted.
Rhum agricole can be made only from the fermented juice from fresh squeezed sugar cane, typically harvested from the fields surrounding the distillery. Most other rums are made from molasses, the rough and bitter byproduct of sugar refining. While other rums are distilled up to 190 proof to drive off the impurities present in molasses, rhum agricole is distilled by law to no more than 142 proof and aged at less than that, preserving more flavor from the sugar cane and the volcanic soil it grows in.
We carry two distilleries from the island of Martinique—La Favorite and Neisson. Each is available in unaged blanc bottlings as well as aged rhums up to ten years old. In flavor and aroma, these 100 proof rhums are much more intense than other rums, yet also smooth to the taste, with a spicy, earthy flavor that makes for incredible cocktails and inspired sipping.
Try the outstanding Martinique cocktail ‘Ti Punch, a simple and summery lime-and-rum cocktail using a fabulous Martinique sugar cane syrup.
‘Ti Punch
Pour a splash (1/4 teaspoon) of Petite Canne Martinique sugar cane syrup (substitute simple syrup, though it’s not as good) in a glass.
Squeeze a small round slice of lime, cut from the side of the lime, over the cane syrup.
Add a measure of La Favorite or Neisson rhum agricole blanc. Stir and add ice.
Allow the ice to chill the cocktail, while the flavor of the rhum, sugar cane syrup and lime blossoms.
