What is "rum"?

What is "rum"?

Rum is a spirit that is distilled from sugar cane. There are two types of rum; light rum and dark rum. Almost all light rum will come from Puerto Rico and almost all dark rum will come from the Caribbean Islands of Haiti or Jamaica. After it is distilled, rum is aged. Where it's aged will determine if it's a light rum or dark rum. If it's aged in an oak cask or a wooden cask, it will traditionally become a dark rum and if it's aged in stainless steel, it will become a light rum. Almost all rums are proof of about 120-180. Once you open it, you should have about two years. Rum should be stored in a cool, dry place and not in the refrigerator. There's a lot of different rums and a lot of different cocktails that you can make based on whether you are using light or dark rum. The most popular rum drink is probably what is called a 'Cuba Libre' which is a cooler way of saying rum and coke. There is also a great trend now with Mohitos. That's light rum, muddled mint, crushed ice and a couple of different sweeteners to make a Mojito.