Rum Sour

Rum Sour

Of course you don’t need a list of ingredients as extensive as an average novel to create a good cocktail. Numerous classics prove this again and again. Whether you want to mix a julep or an Old Fashioned, usually you don’t need many ingredients but quality ones for any of these drinks.

Among the classic categories of drinks you’ll also find the Sours. Essentially they consist of a base spirit mixed with citrus juice and a sugar source. The most famous example certainly is the Whiskey Sour. But you can also play around within this quite simple category and many cocktails with a mile-long list of ingredients are ultimately based on the simple principle of the Sours. Even if one does not recognize that at first glance.

Today I want to introduce another classic in a refined interpretation: the Rum Sour. In essence, the Rum Sour follows exactly the principle described above. But you can still get out a little more here; visually, as well as concerning the taste. I’ve seen this way of mixing a Rum Sour first done by Simone Caporale from the Artesian Bar in London (I have already written a little article about the Artesian here). Mr. Caporale also adds eggwhite to the drink (which is indeed a very common ingredient in many Sours) to enrich the texture and volume of the cocktail. Moreover, the drink is floated with a little red wine, which is not only decorative, but gives the Rum Sour an interesting complexity and sets another counterpoint to the sweetness through the tannins of the red wine.

Which type of rum you want to use in your Rum Sour depends entirely on your personal taste and on the kind of Rum Sour you want to enjoy. When mixing the drink in the photo I have used 12-year-old Demerara rum.

Recipe:

6 cl rum

2.5 cl lemon juice

1.5 cl sugar syrup

1 egg white

1-2 bar spoons dry red wine

Preparation: First of all “dry shake” the ingredients in your shaker without ice (or foam them up in your shaker by using an electronic hand blender). Then again shake vigorously on ice and pour into the pre-chilled glass. Gently smoothen the foam on top of the drink with the backside of your spoon without bringing it together with the drink underneath. You’re doing this to break the air bubbles in the foam. Let the drink rest for a few seconds. Now carefully add the red wine on the drink and stir gently with the handle side of the spoon to spread the red wine as a layer beneath the foam. Do not dip in the spoon handle deeper than the red wine to assure it does not mix with the main part of the Rum Sour. As a result you should have a red ring between foam and drink (cf. Photo).

Glass: Sour glass or tumbler

Garnish: Orange zest and a fresh cherry

Buying Sources: Depends on your rum of choice.

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