10 Canes in the Fountain

In one of the too many magazines I subscribe to, I saw an ad for 10 Cane rum, "the best rum in the world" (or something like that). I'd noticed 10 Cane at one of the local liquor stores, so I figured that was a sign I should finally venture away from the ol' trustworthy Bacardi.

The bigger liquor mart where I found my bock beer didn't carry it, which surprised me. One of the smaller local ones did, however, for around $10 for what I'd consider a smallish-medium-sized bottle (though it's going fast).

10 Cane hails from Trinidad, and it's made from sugar cane, not molasses like most rums. I won't repeat the marketing blurb on the side of the bottle. Well, maybe a few words: virgin canes. handled ever so carefully. decadence unachievable with molasses. untouched. (I thought it was ever so carefully handled?) They apparently have fun in Trinidad.

For my first drink, I wanted to get as close to the pure rum taste without drinking it on ice or straight up like a sailor, so I made a daiquiri: rum and Rose's (instead of lime juice and simple syrup). Verdict: Not bad. I didn't do a taste test with one made with Bacardi's, but this seems smoother.

For #2 (last night; only 2 drinks a day is my new limit), I made a Havana daiquiri, which calls for rum, banana liqueur (and I still have most of a bottle from a recipe last month), lemon juice, simple syrup. Verdict: Even better. Of course, this was my second drink. It didn't taste especially banana-ey, just especially good.

I got on the 10 Cane web site and looked at some of their recipes. I was watching a movie about Meyer Lansky, so I decided to try their Flamingo in his honor. (If you don't get the connection, what happens in Vegas really does stay in Vegas). My first drink tonight, it calls for pineapple juice (fresh, yeah, right, I'm going to squeeze a pineapple), rum, lime juice, and a dab of grenadine.

Verdict: I didn't like it at all. It just had an off taste. Of course, (1) I have a cold (though that didn't interfere with the ones last night - I think) and (2) I'd washed dishes earlier today, so a soap sud or two may have been lurking in the jiggers. But, at any rate, I won't bet on the Flamingo again.

I'll save my last couple of 10 Cane reports for tomorrow. The recipe for this weekend actually calls for key lime liqueur, and I'll wait for another key lime recipe before I fork out the bucks for that. Though it might go good with rum.