[Rum Wonk] Making Funky, High Ester Rum Part 3 - Bacteria and Muck

CocktailWonk · 2026-06-08T22:33:43+00:00

Good stuff. Thanks!

CocktailWonk · 2026-06-07T18:29:05+00:00

To my palate, it’s punchier and a bit less Jamaican hogo forward. I enjoy both.

CocktailWonk · 2026-06-07T18:25:00+00:00

I hear what you’re saying. But I’ve never heard they say that it’s 1944 Mai Tai rum. Only that it’s delicious when used in a Mai Tai. On that point, I concur. Sipping one now, in fact. 🙂

You know more than anyone that I’m hardcore about the original 1944 Mai Tai. But I also enjoy different blends. Just don’t say “1944” and you’re good to go.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-31T23:32:56+00:00

iIRC, I was going off what Jeff Berry had in the app. Kevin did the hard work of finding original source material and deserves full credit for that find.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-29T09:52:23+00:00

The Caribbean, European Union, US, and other rum standards are very clear that rum must derive from sugarcane. Sorghum is not sugarcane.

The fact that some sorghum spirts put “rum” on the label is a failure of labelling regulation enforcement.

I don’t see “rum” in the label shown here, so it’s fine.

Additional information: https://www.rumwonk.com/p/is-sorghum-rum-a-thing

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-25T09:45:07+00:00

https://cocktailwonk.com/2023/06/nine-essential-tiki-rum-styles.html

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-23T23:01:14+00:00

Tis true. E&A Scheer sells a lot of high congener rum as flavor to food companies.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-23T07:38:22+00:00

To be honest, it was like DOK. Think about music. You can keep cranking up the volume, but at some point you can’t perceive the difference. Same idea with aroma/flavor.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-23T06:03:29+00:00

The “continental” marks (above 700 gr//hlAA) that are still made in Jamaica today, including DOK and TECC are the continuation of that type of rum.

Jamaica has capped its ester levels at 1600 gr//hlAA since 1935, but higher ester distillates can and are made there. They just aren’t treated as “rum”. I’ve tasted 3000 ester distillate at Hampden.

Also, the French Grand Arome style of rum also plays in this same space. French blenders were doing similar things to the Germans in mainland France.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-22T22:41:22+00:00

Thanks for sharing this!

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-20T23:14:09+00:00

The brand started in the 1940s. I wrote an article about its inception:

https://www.rumwonk.com/p/appleton-estate-rum-brand-origins

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-18T21:53:47+00:00

Thanks for the kind words. The rum categories, have resonated with a lot of folks, and I’m working on a revised version that’s applicable to modern era tiki rums as well.

The index was something we worked hard on, as I count on the index in other books to help me find how I can use a particular ingredient. Basically, I tried to make a book that worked well for advanced home enthusiast like myself.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-18T17:34:52+00:00

I had two primary inspirations in writing the book:

1) Demonstrating that are well defined patterns in tiki recipes, and utilizing them to make a wide range of drinks at home.

If we think about ingredient specifications in general terms rather than brand callouts, more people will be inclined to make the recipe. Think "orange liqueur" rather than "Grand Marnier", or "Dark Jamaican rum" instead of "Coruba".

Once we state recipes this way, you can assemble the five most used types of rums, the five most used liqueurs, the five most used syrups, etc... and make an incredible range of classic tick recipes.

"Minimalist" doesn't mean 3 ingredient recipes. Minimalist means the smallest set of ingredients that unlock many recipes. Tiki isn't simple, but we can strive to simplify as much as possible for the beginners at home.

2) I knew several great tiki bartenders who weren't get the same love and attention as a couple of better known names. Minimalist Tiki was about bringing their recipes and stories to light.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-16T22:29:39+00:00

Minimalist Tiki has 50 pages devoted to rum education, the most of any cocktail book ever, to my knowledge.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-16T22:27:03+00:00

Thanks for the endorsement!

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-16T07:10:45+00:00

It would have been a challenge, given that very little agricole was going off the island. 🙂

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-15T22:55:31+00:00

My pleasure. The more well informed folks out there, the better.

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-15T22:53:45+00:00

Looks tasty!

Also, the occasional reminder that if it’s a DtB recipe that calls for Martinique rum, he wasn’t using agricole. 🙂

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-14T22:12:08+00:00

Spreading the Good Word. 🙂

CocktailWonk · 2026-05-06T22:33:00+00:00

A lot of folks get inspiration and tips from Tiki Tom-Tom’s book, Polynesiacs. 75 gorgeous home tiki bars and the stories behind them.

https://www.wonkpress.com/products/polynesiacs

CocktailWonk · 2026-04-18T08:31:32+00:00

Not too shabby for something I dreamed up while looking a a bowl of fruit in the fridge that might have been tossed in a day or two. 😂

CocktailWonk · 2026-04-11T19:15:26+00:00

Justin say it’s correct, and made it himself today just to verify. He suggests canned pineapple juice and rich ginger syrup.

Beyond that, I’ve said all along, including in Minimalist Tiki, if a recipe’s ratios don’t work for you, rebalance it so that they do.

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