Cocktails with Demerara rum
Demerara rum is molasses rum from the Demerara region of Guyana. The classic style is aged and dark: heavy, rich in molasses and often faintly smoky.
ABV40–43%That is the usual range for standard bottlings, and rum sold in the EU as Demerara Rum must be at least 40%. Overproof bottlings run far higher, up to 75.5%.
Substitutes for Demerara rum
Another Demerara rum of similar strength swaps straight in. Next best is a dark navy rum: check its strength, since at 57% you need about a quarter less. An aged Jamaican rum in the same amount keeps the weight but adds funk and loses the smoke. If a recipe asks for 151-proof Demerara rum, a 40% bottle brings about half the alcohol. Jamaican-style overproof aged rum comes closer there: pour about a quarter more.
A sweetener of demerara sugar and water, with no alcohol. The sugar is named after the same region of Guyana.
Also heavy and made from molasses, but Jamaican pot-still rum is high in esters, the source of its fruity funk. Spirit from Demerara's double wooden pot still owes its character to other compounds and is fairly low in esters.
A style rather than an origin: dark, full-bodied blends in the Royal Navy tradition. Demerara rum has long been their core, beside rums from other former British colonies in the Caribbean.
Sources
- Demerara Distillers — Wikipedia
- Diamond Distillery (Demerara Distillers Ltd) - Difford's Guide — diffordsguide.com
- Demerara Rum GI Achieves EU Recognition - Cocktail Wonk — cocktailwonk.com
- Statement from Demerara Distillers Limited on Demerara Rum GI — demeraradistillers.com
- All Things Demerara Distillers Ltd: Master Distiller Shaun Caleb On the Record - Cocktail Wonk — cocktailwonk.com
- How to Make a Zombie - Beachbum Berry — beachbumberry.com
- Zombie - IBA — iba-world.com
- demerara sugar - Oxford Learner's Dictionaries — oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
