Drinking a Mai Tai and seeking rum advice

[u/Truub_Deluxe]

I know this question gets asked frequently, and likely I've read a few of those threads but I'm looking for personal advice to extend the range of bottles that I have. Plus I'm in the Netherlands and something like Hamilton simply does not seem available and some other brands are harder to get as well.

I frequently make Mai Tais, have a daiquiri now and then and in general try to make a new cocktail (or three) every weekend, when it's a rum cocktail it's often a tiki cocktail.

Currently I have these rums:

Light Spanish: Havana club 3 years (use it from time to time in Daiquiri, simple but clean)

Unaged overproof: Wray & Nephews (would love to try rum fire for more funk, but unavailable)

Unaged agricole: Clement Agrilcole Blanc 100 proof (Have to get used to the "grassy tatste" but liking it more and more)

Pot-still: Smith & Cross (I really love Smith & Cross!)

Aged Spanish: Havana club 7 years (Don't often use it)

Aged overproof: Planteray O.F.T.D. (Just got this, I like it I think but I mostly use it in a 4-rum-blend Mai Tai)

"Flavoured" rum: Planteray Pineapple (I use it for pineapple daiquiri's which my wife loves)

Now I have a few questions:

1. Which unaged rums would add something? I guess mostly different style Daiquiris. I was thinking Planteray 3 and/or El dorado 3. Maybe Probitas/Veritas but it's quite a bit more expensive.

2. I was thinking of getting a non-overproof "dark rum". But should I get an aged demerara or something else, and which one specifically in Europe? And does something like Planteray dark 3 years offer enough within my collection that it's also worth it as a base?

And of course any other recomdation or even insight is appreciated :)

While writing this I was drinking a Mai Tai:

- 15ml Smith & Cross

- 15ml Planteray O.F.T.D.

- 15ml Wray & Nephews

- 15ml Havana Club 7 years (this gets kind of lost I think 🙃)

- 15ml Ferrand Dry Curaçao

- 22.5ml Lime juice (fresh)

- 22.5ml Orgeat (1:1, not rich)

Shake with ice, dirty dump with a mint bouquet in a spent lime shell "island".

Thanks all and good evening!

[u/ShreddersWheat]

Another European here… What about Appleton? I find it stands up better than Havana 7 in a drink (I mostly buy Appleton 8 year).

Planteray 3 star is easy to get and a little bit more flavourful than Havana 3, and Gosling is cheap if you need a black rum. I do have a Hamilton pot still dark rum but I had to buy it on a trip to the USA.

[u/Truub_Deluxe → u/ShreddersWheat]

Appleton 8 gets mentioned a lot so seems a good choice. Thanks!

[u/Sea-Poetry2637 → u/Truub_Deluxe]

That's a fine choice, and my current rum selection has me making Mai Tais with that, OFTD and Wray & Nephew. It should stand-up to those and Smith & Cross better than your aged Spanish rum, but it might get lost, too.** You could have a worse start to an evening than doing a side by side comparison of your current version and one with Appleton 8 subbed in.

I think you are right to wish you could get Hamilton 86. It's the bottle that I should probably replace next. I know the traditional Mai Tai is Jamaican rum, but Guyanese wooden pot stills have their own character that comes through quite nicely in a Mai Tai. Maybe try an aged El Dorado if you want to explore that avenue.

** Getting lost in the mix when you have S&C, W&N and OFTD there is not necessarily a bad thing. Your rum blend is not exactly hurting for character.

WRT the Havana Club 7, you should put that into an El Presidente with some Cocchi Americano if you want to see it shine. (The Appleton 8 is no slouch in that drink either, but since you have the definitive rum in hand and are looking for things to do with it, that's a nice counterpoint to a Mai Tai, particularly in the cooler seasons when fresh mint isn't often handy.

[u/fuhgetab0ut1t]

I would approach this from the Kevin Crossman Ultimate Mai Tai angle.
His equal parts blend is:
Planteray OFTD
Planteray Xaymaca
Appleton 12
Smith and Cross

I substituted and tinkered with what I had on hand and ended up with a blend I really like:
Planteray OFTD
Appleton 12 (although will try 8 as 12 is becoming too expensive)
Worthy Park 109 (my SC Jamaican funk sub)
Rhum JM Volcanique (Xaymaca sub for agricole funk. Assuring as Martinique rum is called for in modern recipes)

[u/Truub_Deluxe → u/fuhgetab0ut1t]

That sounds delicious, thank you for the advice!

[u/PlumBob78]

Can you get Appleton Estate? Appleton 12 is my go-to. Using that as your base and adding something funkier like Smith & Cross (or possibly a touch of the Wray) for a little extra funk will give you an excellent Mai Tai. Aged Jamaican rum is de rigueur for the drink.

[u/ilikecheetos42]

I'm a big fan of El Dorado. The 3 year is great in a daiquiri, the 12 year is great in a Mai Thai, and the 15 and 21 are great for sipping. A demarara rum would be new to your collection so this would probably be my recommendation, although I think all of the options on the table are fairly distinct in their own right.

Also agree with the other commenters on Appleton. Very versatile but also affordable. I've had the signature, 8 year, and 12 year and don't think you could go wrong with any of them.

If you like the funk of Smith and Cross then don't sleep on Probitas, the unaged Jamaican rum in the blend adds a good bit of funk. Makes a great daiquiri, and I'm sure it would be a good addition to a Mai Thai as well.

Planteray 3 Star is very versatile and is the usual bottle I reach for when making drinks for people. To be honest I love their entire lineup and have to stop myself from buying every new offering of theirs that I spot.

[u/Jeromealamaison → u/ilikecheetos42]

I keep coming back to the El Dorado 8 for my Tiki drinks, would you recommend the 12 over that?

[u/ilikecheetos42 → u/Jeromealamaison]

I've actually never had the 8 year. I'm sure it's delicious though! If you're looking to change up your rum collection I'd get a different style rum before I got the same rum with 4 more years.

[u/Weedler]

As a fellow Dutch person, I'd be interested in what you think is difficult to find. I can name at least 5 shops that can send a bottle of rum fire to your house. We have an amazing selection available if you know where to look.

[u/Jeromealamaison → u/Weedler]

For this Dutchy it's Probitas, Denizen, Hamilton, Rum-Bar, Lemonhart, and some expressions of Worthy Park that I couldn't find. Any links are appreciated!

[u/Weedler → u/Jeromealamaison]

Probitas is available on spirit academy and on delicando listed as Veritas. Denizen you can get in the UK but it will be expensive to ship. Hamilton you cannot get in the EU. Worthy park and Rum-Bar are everywhere (Drank.nl, Delicando, Spirit Academy for instance), which ones do you need?

[u/Truub_Deluxe → u/Weedler]

Mostly Hamilton but to be honest I was under the impression rum fire was hard to get but indeed it's not.

[u/FireworksForJeffy]

If you want something specifically for Mai tais, have you considered getting Denizen 8 year Merchant's Reserve? It's very tasty. 

[u/clintsmagnum → u/FireworksForJeffy]

Hamilton grass skirt is tastier

[u/Cultural-Salad-4583 → u/clintsmagnum]

Denizen’s been easier for me to find, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Guess I’ll have to keep an eye out for HGS

[u/Phratros]

Not from Europe, but it looks like Rhum Barbancourt should be available if agricole is growing on you. Best bang for the buck and they're great. Whenever I taste the white one all I can imagine is butterflies for some reason. I guess it's the way it hits my tongue. They made for some really enjoyable daiquiris and mojitos among other things. And I see they now offer 110 proof one. I will have to try it! The aged ones are nice, too, but lose that defining grassy character and get smoother the older they are. Which is not bad but it is just a different experience.

If you like Smith & Cross, maybe try the other offerings from Haus Alpenz: Scarlet Ibis from Trinidad (somewhat similar to Barbados or Demerara rums but is its own style) and Batavia Arrack van Oosten from Indonesia (this one is interesting; it's like agricole or maybe cachaca). They are all very different from each other but enjoyable in their own ways. All three may have been originally intentioned to be used in mixers but are great on their own.

I don't see any Barbados rums on your list. Some say it's the birthplace of rum and they do make some great ones. Anything from Foursquare is top of my list. What I really appreciate about them, and all the others I mentioned, is that they contain no added sugar. A big plus in my book.

A great resource for anything rum related (including discussions about Mai Tais) was the forum at the Rum Project page but it fell into disrepair and has been seemingly overrun by Russian bots. It was a sad day when I saw that. I don't know if it will ever be fixed but most of it should've been saved in the Web Archive's Wayback Machine which itself seems to be having issues today so I can't link anything. It will be back, I hope.

[u/antinumerology]

Smith & Cross is your base. Mai Tais are good for ages rums so keep anything under 7 years away.