On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1445

afewmonthstoeliminateroughnessinthe
flavor,anddilutingandbottlingitataround
43%alcohol.Somelightrumsaregivena
brieftimeinbarrels,butthenarepassedover
charcoaltoremovethecolorandsomeofthe
flavor.
Traditional Rums Traditional rums are made
very differently, and have a much stronger
flavor and darker color. Most come from
Jamaica and the French-speaking Caribbean
(Martinique, Guadeloupe). They were once
fermented for up to two weeks with a
spontaneous group of microbes, and often by
addingthealreadystrong-flavoredleesofone
fermentation to the next vat. Today, most
traditional rums are fermented for a day or
twowithmixedmicrobialculturesdominated
by an unusual yeast (Schizosaccharomyces)
that excels in ester production. They’re then
pot-distilledtoamuchloweralcoholcontent,
and therefore end up with four to five times


the quantity of aroma compounds that light
rum has. Finally they’re aged in used
Americanwhiskeycasks,wheretheygetmost
oftheircolor.Caramelcanbeaddedtodeepen
the color and flavor, a procedure that seems
appropriate since rum is made from sugar in
thefirstplace.
Rums as Ingredients Rums are delicious on

their own, but it’s their aptitude for other
foods that accounts for much of their
popularity.Lightrumsgowellwithtart-sweet
fruitsandarethebaseforanumberoftropical
cocktails, including piña coladas and
daiquiris.Mediumanddarkrumsareauseful
ingredient in sweets of all kinds thanks to
theirfullcaramelflavor.
VodkasVodkawasfirstdistilledinRussiain
medievaltimesandformedicalpurposes,and
became a popular drink in the 16th century.
Its name means “little water.” It has
traditionally been made from the cheapest