Rum History and Boston

This is my second post focused on Boston and Rum. Earlier in the year I wrote Rum Redux & RumBa about some new rum drinks inspired by our Jamaica trip and my visit to RumBa at the Intercontinental Downtown. I've been there again but we covered that in the Valentine's Day post.

In that post I wrote that I had ordered the book "Rum: The Epic Story of the Drink That Conquered the World" by Charles Coulombe which profiles the history of rum within which Boston and some of the adjacent cities figure prominently. At one time the majority of rum available worldwide was distilled here in the Boston area. The slave trade that backed it up is not a positive thing, but this is our history and we should try and understand how it shaped our culture and lives. The book was fascinating, providing an incredible amount of detail on how rum came to be, its ebbs and flows and it also includes recipes for drinks and dishes.

This week the Boston Globe completed voting for their Citywide Read project and the book "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919" by Stephen Puleo was the winner. While this book isn't specifically about rum, because it set before prohibition which killed the rum business in Boston and it talks about a molasses flood it is well related and requires a look. The project will culminate in a moderated online discussion of the book and its story about this same time next month. My copy is on the way and I am looking forward to reading it and joining the conversation!

Here is a recipe for a truly funky Jamaican rum drink, something that you need some time to get used to and that packs a punch!

Jamaican Yellow Bird

1.5 oz Appleton Gold rum
0.5 oz Galliano herbal liqueur
0.5 oz Creme de Banana
0.5 oz Apricot brandy
2 oz Pineapple juice
0.5 oz Lime juice
0.25 oz Simple syrup

Combine, shake and serve over ice.

Cheers!

--Jason