High proof Rum : Ron Colón Salvadoreño

 

The most fun part of being a drinksblogger ? These things happen once in a while : I received a big box, unannounced, no sender on the box, two bottles and some fancy bartools inside. Intrigued.

Two bottles of rum from El Salvador : Ron Colón Salvadoreño. Much higher proof than average (111 Proof – 55,5°). On the website it says that this brand is born from the idea that all you really need in life is some simple things: true friends, good coffee and a perfect high proof rum.

RCS seems to be a collaboration between several people from the bar industry :
Thurman Wise @ThurmanWise / Pepijn Janssens AKA @HighProofHeadShot / Felicity Gransden AKA @Fliss_On_Tour / Chris Rehberger and his Berlin based team at @DoubleStandardsAgency / Andres Trigueros and his family at @JagsHeadsCoffee / Tobias Jegenstam from @BartendersBible and 46social

High proof rum was originally invented to make it easier to transport the barrels or rum on a boat. By diluting the rum on arrival they could transport much more rum in each shipment. But of course bartenders started playing with it and noticed that the higher proof is an extra tool to balance your cocktail. This much stronger base softens the punch from citrus and sugar. It also holds its base much better against really strong flavours such as coffee.
 
Which brings us back to these two bottles, because one of the bottles is a coffee infused rum. Now I’m even more intrigued. This one will definitely be tested first. This rum certainly packs a punch. The higher proof does it’s thing. The coffee-aroma is also intense, but only shows up in the aftertaste. Beautiful spirit. Each sip takes you on a journey through rum and chocolate… and ends which coffee.
 
I would never think of using coffee or a coffee liqueur in a Daiquiri.
But how about this coffee infused rum ? It works and it inspires for more experiments !

RCS Coffee Daiquiri

Ingredients
5 cl RCS coffee infused rum
3 cl Fresh limejuice
1,5 cl Sugarsyrup

Method
Shake with ice, strain in a tumbler with a big block of clear ice. Add a dried orangewheel.


So, what would happen if we lift up the coffee taste with some coffee liqueur ? Wow, that was a pretty good outcome, but of course you do need to love coffee for this one !

The recipe might seem a bit sweet, but the high proof rum takes care of that. Very nice drink, I’ll make this one again for sure.

R&C Negroni

Ingredients
2,5 cl RCS Coffee infused rum
2,5 cl Conker Cold Brew liqueur
2,5 cl Amaro Montenegro
2,5 cl Sweet vermouth

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with ice. Strain in a tumbler with a big block of ice. Add a dried orangewheel.


The second bottle was the high proof rum. I think we can soften the punch by creating a variation on Velvet old Fashioned with it, and make it a bit more interesting by adding some amaro.

Tipsy Velvet

Ingredients
5 cl RSC High proof rum
2 cl Amaro di Angostura
1,5 cl Gonzalez Byass Nectar (PX Sherry)
2 dashes Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with ice. Strain in a tumbler with a big block of ice. Add a cocktail cherry.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.