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Rum The Manual: How to drink rum of all kinds
This is a book about how to drink rum of all kinds. It's about classic rums and new-generation rums, about rhum agricole and about premium aged rums, about rums from all over the world. It's about rum enjoyed with cola and ginger beer. About the best rum for a classic daquiri. About rum cocktails that ooze style and personality. Above all, it's about enjoying your rum in ways you never thought possible.
The premium rum market is growing at an astonishing rate. The mission of this book is to help drinkers appreciate this complex spirit, find the style they like and discover how this versatile spirit can best be enjoyed. It will help you to understand your rum - how it's produced (whether from molasses, cane syrup or cane juice) and whether it's dry, sweet, fresh or oaky. More than 100 different rums are featured and analysed, from rich, sweet mellow Guyana rums to the vegetal peppery rums of Martinique or Guadeloupe and contemporary spiced rums. Dave Broom provides a description and graded tasting notes for each brand, allowing you to create the perfect mix every time. Finally, a selection of classic and contemporary cocktails shows just how wonderfully versatile this spirit is.
- GenresNonfictionCocktailsBooze
533 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 8, 2016
Money, alcohol, sex, and death
Den meisten ist Dave Broom wahrscheinlich eher als Whiskyexperte bekannt, doch er schrieb schon 2003, als das Thema „Rum“ vielerorts noch ein recht stiefmütterlich behandeltes war, ein Buch über den karibischen Zuckerrohrbrand. Er weiß also, wovon er redet. Spätestens nach den ersten paar Seiten seines neuen Buchs zweifelt man daran nicht mehr. Er hat sich tief in die Untiefen des Rums begeben – ist er dabei, wie so viele Zuckerbarone und Plantagenbetreiber, untergegangen in den Gefahren dieses Geschäfts – „money, alcohol, sex, and death“?
Nein. Er hat seinen kühlen, schottischen Kopf bewahrt und ein kluges, spannendes und dabei noch unterhaltsames Buch geschrieben. Die grundsätzliche Herangehensweise gefällt mir – es ist kein „Bewertungslexikon“ geworden, in dem einfach nur subjektive, meist recht willkürliche Noten für einzelne Rums vergeben werden, nein, es gibt „nur“ Verkostungsnotizen. Ich fühle mich durch Brooms Meinung bestärkt, selbst auch weiterhin keine Bestmarken, Noten oder zählbare Bewertungen auf meinem Blog abzugeben. Nun, das mit den fehlenden Bewertungen stimmt nicht ganz. Er bewertet in diesem Buch die Mixability einer Spirituose, und das ist ein ganz neuer, frischer Ansatz.
Ein sehr schöner Vorteil dieses Buchs ist, dass es so aktuell ist: 2016 erschienen, bietet es auch einen kurzen Blick auf Gebiete, die erst vor kurzem auf unserer westlich-barkulturorientierten Schnapslandkarte auftauchten, wie der haitianische Clairin, und weitere Rumsorten, die erst vor kurzer Zeit das Licht der Welt erblickt hatten. Schön, dass auch rhum agricole endlich einen Platz bekommt, den er verdient – im Herzen des Buchs. Auch das Thema der Nachzuckerung wird bereits auf den ersten Seiten angesprochen und mit klaren Worten beurteilt – mir, dem dieses Thema sehr am Herzen liegt, geht dabei dasselbe auf.
Ein rundum gelungenes Buch. Wer sich in nächster Zeit Lektüre über Rum zulegen möchte, kommt an Dave Brooms Buch nicht vorbei.
Eine ausführlichere Rezension, mit weiteren Details und einigen Fotos, ist auf meinem Blog schlimmerdurst.net nachzulesen.
http://schlimmerdurst.net/2016/10/04/...
Den meisten ist Dave Broom wahrscheinlich eher als Whiskyexperte bekannt, doch er schrieb schon 2003, als das Thema „Rum“ vielerorts noch ein recht stiefmütterlich behandeltes war, ein Buch über den karibischen Zuckerrohrbrand. Er weiß also, wovon er redet. Spätestens nach den ersten paar Seiten seines neuen Buchs zweifelt man daran nicht mehr. Er hat sich tief in die Untiefen des Rums begeben – ist er dabei, wie so viele Zuckerbarone und Plantagenbetreiber, untergegangen in den Gefahren dieses Geschäfts – „money, alcohol, sex, and death“?
Nein. Er hat seinen kühlen, schottischen Kopf bewahrt und ein kluges, spannendes und dabei noch unterhaltsames Buch geschrieben. Die grundsätzliche Herangehensweise gefällt mir – es ist kein „Bewertungslexikon“ geworden, in dem einfach nur subjektive, meist recht willkürliche Noten für einzelne Rums vergeben werden, nein, es gibt „nur“ Verkostungsnotizen. Ich fühle mich durch Brooms Meinung bestärkt, selbst auch weiterhin keine Bestmarken, Noten oder zählbare Bewertungen auf meinem Blog abzugeben. Nun, das mit den fehlenden Bewertungen stimmt nicht ganz. Er bewertet in diesem Buch die Mixability einer Spirituose, und das ist ein ganz neuer, frischer Ansatz.
Ein sehr schöner Vorteil dieses Buchs ist, dass es so aktuell ist: 2016 erschienen, bietet es auch einen kurzen Blick auf Gebiete, die erst vor kurzem auf unserer westlich-barkulturorientierten Schnapslandkarte auftauchten, wie der haitianische Clairin, und weitere Rumsorten, die erst vor kurzer Zeit das Licht der Welt erblickt hatten. Schön, dass auch rhum agricole endlich einen Platz bekommt, den er verdient – im Herzen des Buchs. Auch das Thema der Nachzuckerung wird bereits auf den ersten Seiten angesprochen und mit klaren Worten beurteilt – mir, dem dieses Thema sehr am Herzen liegt, geht dabei dasselbe auf.
Ein rundum gelungenes Buch. Wer sich in nächster Zeit Lektüre über Rum zulegen möchte, kommt an Dave Brooms Buch nicht vorbei.
Eine ausführlichere Rezension, mit weiteren Details und einigen Fotos, ist auf meinem Blog schlimmerdurst.net nachzulesen.
http://schlimmerdurst.net/2016/10/04/...
June 14, 2021
I listened to an in-depth interview with David Broom on the Single Cask Nation podcast—which I highly recommend for whisky geeks. His passion for rum was unmistakable, as was his profound knowledge. I immediately started searching for his magnum opus, Rum. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to find, and rather expensive. So I purchased this book, Rum: the Manual, instead.
The first quarter of the book is a very brief history of rum. It was informative, but left me wanting much, much more. In fact, I’m looking for a good history of rum to read as a follow-on. Most of the book is a description and comparison of several individual rums. Each one-page description includes tasting notes, suggestions for how to use the rum, and a score by which you can compare each to each other. This was the basis for a shopping spree on my part.
What I really wanted was a description of different rum regions and a detailed history. This isn’t that book. But this is a good survey for people wondering what rum to try next. It left me thirsting for more, though.
The first quarter of the book is a very brief history of rum. It was informative, but left me wanting much, much more. In fact, I’m looking for a good history of rum to read as a follow-on. Most of the book is a description and comparison of several individual rums. Each one-page description includes tasting notes, suggestions for how to use the rum, and a score by which you can compare each to each other. This was the basis for a shopping spree on my part.
What I really wanted was a description of different rum regions and a detailed history. This isn’t that book. But this is a good survey for people wondering what rum to try next. It left me thirsting for more, though.
January 31, 2022
This is the book I hoped for when I read “Rum, the Manual,” also by Dave Broom. There is a short but detailed history of rum, a short but detailed description of how rum is made, then a catalog of specific rums organized by the place of origin. Rum is a fascinating and complex spirit, more so than another other spirit I know of. It is made is many different ways and places, producing a wide range of flavor profiles. A good bottle of rum is a piece of its place of origin, complete with the history of that place going back hundreds of years. “Rum” presents all this in great detail, but in a short, engaging way.
Broom’s presentation of the various places where rum originates reads like a detailed travel guide for spirit lovers. Now I want to spend a few months touring the Caribbean and the eastern coast of South America! I imagine myself on a beach, sipping a rum and lime, watching the locals, not hurrying, before moving on to the next island.
There are beautiful photos throughout. The book is large, physically, like a coffee table book. At 176 pages, though, it is also concise. “Rum” was published in 2003, so I suspect some of the information is out of date. But the history of rum and the details of rum production have probably not changed much. I suspect that the places described haven’t changed much, either, since they (mostly) hadn’t changed that much in the hundreds of years before the book’s publication.
Bottom line: I was inspired to improve my rum collection, and enjoy each one even more, having read this book. Well done, Mr. Broom.
Broom’s presentation of the various places where rum originates reads like a detailed travel guide for spirit lovers. Now I want to spend a few months touring the Caribbean and the eastern coast of South America! I imagine myself on a beach, sipping a rum and lime, watching the locals, not hurrying, before moving on to the next island.
There are beautiful photos throughout. The book is large, physically, like a coffee table book. At 176 pages, though, it is also concise. “Rum” was published in 2003, so I suspect some of the information is out of date. But the history of rum and the details of rum production have probably not changed much. I suspect that the places described haven’t changed much, either, since they (mostly) hadn’t changed that much in the hundreds of years before the book’s publication.
Bottom line: I was inspired to improve my rum collection, and enjoy each one even more, having read this book. Well done, Mr. Broom.
August 29, 2018
I've been interested in rum for a while now, but I haven't done too much research into it yet. I've read a number of websites, particularly reviews for what's worth buying. Even though this is my first book on rum, I would not really recommend it for people just starting out.
The book is a beautiful hardcover and is broken into three main parts: history; production; and a lengthy listing of a hundred or so rums, their flavors, and mixing with them. And pictures. Lots of beautiful pictures.
The history section is very brief. A few paragraphs have to suffice for several decade's worth of happenings for each major Caribbean island. It jumps around back and forth a lot. I imagine it's pretty similar to how ice cubes feel in a cocktail shaker. I'd describe this section as The History of Rum for People Who Don't Want to Read about the History of Rum.
The production section is equally brief, but in a different way. If the history section treats the reader as being simple and having a short attention span, this one assumes you already know how rum is made or else are a chemistry student and can absorb the high-level discussion. It leaves much to be desired for those who just want to know how rum is made.
Once the token sections are out of the way, we get to what seems to be the real purpose of this book: a section where one page (including a large, color photo of the bottle) is dedicated to a given rum, the distiller, a bit of background information on the brand, the general flavor, and how it works with a few simple mixes (coconut juice, ginger beer, clementine juice, cola) and a cocktail for each major style. This seems to be the most useful part of the book and, as such, it is the largest section. It is also the part that will become the most useless over time as brands or distillers cease to exist or alter blends, or as new rums enter the market. It'll still be relevant for a couple more years, but the clock is ticking.
However, the most useful part of the book for me was a one-page flavor map which plotted all of the listed rums on a vertical and a horizontal axis. Rums are plotted based on their characteristics: Oaky & Rich, Soft & Sweet, Light & Fresh, Crisp & Dry. In one, quick glance, I could see what flavor of rum I preferred based on the ones I've tried (Oaky & Rich non-Jamaican English style).
Overall, I can't really recommend this book, unless you specifically know you don't care about rum history and production and just want a brief description of a hundred or so rums. The list is pretty good as far as quality and popularity go. There are a few cocktail recipes as well, but those are everywhere on the internet. This book also works fine as a coffee-table book for guests to flip through while you're doing something else. As a general book about rum, though, it falls short. To use an analogy a rum-drinker may appreciate: a lot of emphasis has been placed on the beauty of the bottle, there's a hint of something on the nose, but the body is thin, the flavor simple, and the finish short; it definitely could use more refinement in the blending and a few more years in the barrel.
The book is a beautiful hardcover and is broken into three main parts: history; production; and a lengthy listing of a hundred or so rums, their flavors, and mixing with them. And pictures. Lots of beautiful pictures.
The history section is very brief. A few paragraphs have to suffice for several decade's worth of happenings for each major Caribbean island. It jumps around back and forth a lot. I imagine it's pretty similar to how ice cubes feel in a cocktail shaker. I'd describe this section as The History of Rum for People Who Don't Want to Read about the History of Rum.
The production section is equally brief, but in a different way. If the history section treats the reader as being simple and having a short attention span, this one assumes you already know how rum is made or else are a chemistry student and can absorb the high-level discussion. It leaves much to be desired for those who just want to know how rum is made.
Once the token sections are out of the way, we get to what seems to be the real purpose of this book: a section where one page (including a large, color photo of the bottle) is dedicated to a given rum, the distiller, a bit of background information on the brand, the general flavor, and how it works with a few simple mixes (coconut juice, ginger beer, clementine juice, cola) and a cocktail for each major style. This seems to be the most useful part of the book and, as such, it is the largest section. It is also the part that will become the most useless over time as brands or distillers cease to exist or alter blends, or as new rums enter the market. It'll still be relevant for a couple more years, but the clock is ticking.
However, the most useful part of the book for me was a one-page flavor map which plotted all of the listed rums on a vertical and a horizontal axis. Rums are plotted based on their characteristics: Oaky & Rich, Soft & Sweet, Light & Fresh, Crisp & Dry. In one, quick glance, I could see what flavor of rum I preferred based on the ones I've tried (Oaky & Rich non-Jamaican English style).
Overall, I can't really recommend this book, unless you specifically know you don't care about rum history and production and just want a brief description of a hundred or so rums. The list is pretty good as far as quality and popularity go. There are a few cocktail recipes as well, but those are everywhere on the internet. This book also works fine as a coffee-table book for guests to flip through while you're doing something else. As a general book about rum, though, it falls short. To use an analogy a rum-drinker may appreciate: a lot of emphasis has been placed on the beauty of the bottle, there's a hint of something on the nose, but the body is thin, the flavor simple, and the finish short; it definitely could use more refinement in the blending and a few more years in the barrel.
March 20, 2021
Unfortunately, not as good as the book about gin by the same author. I would have excepted about any reason not to include spiced rums except "they are just bad". But then he included certain rums which certainly aren't as good as your average Captain Morgan's (not my favourite but at least drinkable). And while this is a matter of taste (as is the authors preference to mix about every rum with coconut water), the unnecessary remarks about calories just about spoil the book. You want us to enjoy rum, so why tell us that more than one piña colada just makes you feel too guilty? I mean, sounds like a you problem... But then maybe I'm not "sophisticated" enough for this kind of reading.
January 13, 2018
After visiting Guadeloupe, the Tall Man and I were eager to learn more about rhum agricole, the sugar cane juice-based rum signature to the French Caribbean (versus the molasses-based rum commonly made in former English and Spanish islands). “Rum: The Manual” was a fascinating book to skim, starting with a global history of the spirit and followed by methods for enjoyment and an index of rums and sugar cane spirits from around the world like Brazilian cachaça. If you like nitty gritty details, you’ll find them here.
What I particularly appreciated was the author’s take on rum cocktails and how different mixers can enhance and compliment the spirit instead of marring it. The index is more of a chronicle of rums sampled by the author. While it is rather detailed, he seemed to dwell on multiple varieties from a few distilleries, which gave the catalog a degree of narrowness in scope. I didn’t find any of the distilleries we had tried in Guadeloupe, despite the fact that they were some of the most common brands or oldest distilleries on the island. But Guadeloupe is a small producer compared to other islands, so I suppose the absence it’s not too much of a surprise.
What I particularly appreciated was the author’s take on rum cocktails and how different mixers can enhance and compliment the spirit instead of marring it. The index is more of a chronicle of rums sampled by the author. While it is rather detailed, he seemed to dwell on multiple varieties from a few distilleries, which gave the catalog a degree of narrowness in scope. I didn’t find any of the distilleries we had tried in Guadeloupe, despite the fact that they were some of the most common brands or oldest distilleries on the island. But Guadeloupe is a small producer compared to other islands, so I suppose the absence it’s not too much of a surprise.
April 6, 2020
Quite a good read on rum. I'm a rum fanatic and there were some illuminating topics explored in this work, and lots of reference info for mixing (what works and doesn't work) with many rums. Dave Broom is experienced in the spirits tasting world and this provides you with a point of reference when looking into works about other spirits.
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January 31, 2024Great book, gives good knowledge and great basic mixing ingredients to pair with each rum.
October 29, 2023
Whiskey & Scotch prices have sky rocketed, I started drinking Rum & realized I had been missing out on the superior spirit this whole time...
This is the bible of rum! Happy reading & drinking my friends!
This is the bible of rum! Happy reading & drinking my friends!
December 31, 2022
This is one of the top rated books in the subjet, and in the first few chapters I learned much about rum’s history and the different processes involved in making it. That only takes up about 25% of the book. The rest is a myriad reviews of different rums and a few cocktail recipes at the end.
I understand that is generally the format this kind of books take, but I prefer the approach Randy Mosher used in his book “Tasting Beer”, where he dove deep into the history, manufacturing, drinking culture, etc. and limited the “catalogue” part of the book to beer styles while listing examples of brand-name beers that fit into those styles. Seems much more educational and efficient than placing a couple hundred reviews of different beers in the book. It almost makes rum seem like a simpler beverage, by comparison. And perhaps it is, and maybe I am wrong for expecting differently, but the point Dave Broom makes in the first few pages is exactly that rum gets a bad rap and is actually much more complex than people give it credit for.
Despite that, it’s a good book, and a great starting point on the subject. In the end, I read, I learned, I moved on.
I understand that is generally the format this kind of books take, but I prefer the approach Randy Mosher used in his book “Tasting Beer”, where he dove deep into the history, manufacturing, drinking culture, etc. and limited the “catalogue” part of the book to beer styles while listing examples of brand-name beers that fit into those styles. Seems much more educational and efficient than placing a couple hundred reviews of different beers in the book. It almost makes rum seem like a simpler beverage, by comparison. And perhaps it is, and maybe I am wrong for expecting differently, but the point Dave Broom makes in the first few pages is exactly that rum gets a bad rap and is actually much more complex than people give it credit for.
Despite that, it’s a good book, and a great starting point on the subject. In the end, I read, I learned, I moved on.
August 16, 2013
Dave Broome is a well-appointed author mixing passion with science. A definitive rating at the end of the book clearly shows his expertise as well as statements regarding poorly or exceptionally made rums instead of just a subjective point system. Through his guidance, I've grown quite fond of cane juice rums as a certain romance of differentiating harvests affects certain years, much like that of a oenophile. Truly enjoyed the romance of rum, but also the scientific fermentation / distillation practices to achieve certain styles...
June 2, 2016
Nice book with the torrid history of rum and the distilling process described. The author also includes a number of Caribbean Islands' history and its relationship to rum and the distilleries on each of the islands in little sections. There is also an extensive list of rated rums that the author has tried which he has rated on a five star scale with key flavor notes. One little problem I had with it is that its a hard cover, kinda big (hard to handle), but it has lots of pictures.
January 3, 2014
This book is elegantly written and beautifully photographed. My only criticism is that its large size makes it awkward to hold.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews