WHAT TO DRINK IN AUTUMN

ENJOY THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN

We’re enjoying beautifully misty autumn mornings here down on the Helford, followed by glorious summer days. This is sure to produce a great autumn display of leaves this year.

And it seems that drinking habits in the September and October reflect the turning of the leaves, with summer whites and rosés being replaced by a good deep red wine. Rum is no exception, with white rum drinkers often turning to darker flavours in the autumn. At Rosemullion we’ve produced a beautiful line of rums which line up in an almost autumnal colour range: from honey and spiced to gold, dark and chocolate.

For a great transitional autumn flavour we recommend our gold rum – which is carefully oak-aged to give it a smooth flavour and makes it a perfect sipping rum for those long slow October nights.

For something a little more complex and autumnal try our dark rum. It has the light spice and botanical flavour profile that we all associate with autumn,  along with deeper notes coming through from the source molasses. Lightly sweetened but with no caramel this is a smooth easy-drinking rum that works well with ice making it a great complement to a warm fireside and an excellent all round choice.

And for the little extra something – and the chocolate element makes this a popular gift by the way – try our Rosemullion Distillery chocolate rum. With its rich cacao notes running through it, but still paving the palate with the rum, raisin and dark cherry flavours that take you deeper into an autumn flavour, no wonder that this landed our prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition gold medal.

EASY AUTUMN RUM COCKTAILS

October also brings Halloween and while dark rums are of course delicious sipped, don’t forget that they can also add depth to cocktails. So if you’re looking for a great cocktail to darken your Halloween evening then try one of the following:

Rum Punch – Serves 2 (so obviously multiply the amounts depending on number of guests).

This is one of the world’s most popular cocktails thanks to how easy it is to make it and how delicious it is to drink it. There are thousands of variations but here’s a simple starter-kit recipe so that you can get on with enjoying it rather than feeling daunted. You will need:

• 150ml Rosemullion Distillery gold rum
• 175 ml of freshly squeezed orange juice
• 175ml of freshly squeezed lime
• 60ml of pineapple juice
• 50 ml sugar syrup (optional)
• Dash of Grenadine Syrup (e.g. Monin, around £6-£7 online or in supermarkets)
• Dash of Angostura bitters (sold at most major supermarkets and off-licences)
• Maraschino cherries to garnish
• 2 thick slices of orange to garnish
• Ice cubes
• Freshly ground nutmeg

1. Pour the rum, juices, sugar syrup (if using), grenadine and Angostura into a large jug.
2. Stir and chill in the fridge for an 1r.
3. Fill your glasses with ice, and pour the mixture into them.
4. Sprinkle a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
5. And make it look as fun to look at as it is to drink with a garnish of orange and maraschino cherry speared with a cocktail stick.

Dark & Stormy – Serves 2

• 50 ml dark rum
• 25 ml fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 100 ml of a peppery, good quality chilled ginger beer.

1. Then pour all the ingredients over a tall glass (highball) filled with ice.
2. Stir it gently.
3. Finish it with a squeeze and a wedge of lime.

THE LEGS

It’s worth remembering the best way to taste rum. If you haven’t done this before it can feel a bit pretentious perhaps, but if you’ve bought yourself a good rum why not investigate its quality for fun? Understanding the process is just a matter of know-how.

First, swirl the rum around the glass to observe the ‘density’ of the rum. What you’re looking for is what is known as ‘legs’ which is when, after swirling the rum around your glass, the rum should roll slowly down the sides of the glass. If it does this it shows that the dense blend has been well aged and offers a high alcohol content (the good stuff).

You then take the time to smell the rum, breathing in the delicious aromas that any conscientious distiller like us will have worked hard to produce.  And then – the good bit – you taste it… keeping the rum in your mouth a little while to let the flavours ‘marry to the palate’ so that you can really appreciate the rum’s ‘body’.

All of us in the Rosemullion team hope that you get the chance to enjoy some great autumn walks this month, before heading home to enjoy an exquisite Rosemullion Distillery rum by your fireside.

All the best,

Andy & The Team.