Rum – an inspiration for some of the greatest cocktails, an irreplaceable ingredient for food lovers, a fragrance note adding depth and an exotic halo to perfumes

by laz_007 · March 30, 2015

“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” – once being the most famous drink among pirates and sailors, rum is nowadays an inspiration not only for songs, but also for some of the greatest cocktails of modern times, including the Mojito, the Piña Colada, the Daiquiri and the Mai Tai. They all smell like sugar, sun, exotic places and summer memories…

The popular drink actually comes from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production. It is fermented, distilled and then ages in oak barrels – hence the drink’s sugary taste with wooden notes and a deep aroma. Rum is divided in two basic types – there’s light rum and dark rum. The difference between the two (except for their color) is the time they spend aging – the darker variant spending more time aging, thus having a deeper and fuller taste.

Except for the alcohol fans, rum brings pleasure to the palate of food lovers as well. It is widely used in the cuisine of many cultures, adding flavor and depth to ice cream, desserts, cakes, fondue, sauces, puddings, main courses, etc. It is also priceless when it comes to flambé – in this case you should always use the original alcoholic drink as rum extract will not do the job!

In perfumery, the buttery and deep rum fragrance note is used to add depth and a fuller, sweeter body to perfumes. It goes very well with spicy, citrusy, oriental and exotic notes like clove, cinnamon, pine, orange, patchouli, vanilla, oak, caramel, and nutmeg. It serves different purposes, depending on whether it is used as a top note, a heart note, or a base note.

It’s surprising how the same fragrance can remind us of so many different things. Just like the rum cocktails are fresh and tropical and remind us of summer, hot sun and sandy beaches, the same ingredient in food (especially in desserts) is dense, deep and sweet and reminds us of the Christmas holidays, snow, a fireplace and even presents!

Speaking of presents, there is a great variety of perfumes with a rum note in them in our online shop that can make a great present for you or your loved one: