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Redrum
by F. Sot Fitzgerald Is there anything worse than cheap rum? Among boozes, I doubt it. Cheap rum is just nasty- sickly sweet, white hot going down, and the hangovers it brings- they're just skullsplitters. Sadly, though, more often than not, that's what you find being dumped into folks' rum & cokes by barkeeps: $6 a liter rotgut that is an insult to the dignity of rum. |
| Good rum- well, that's a whole 'nother
animal. Let's start with Redrum. What packaging!
Dan DaDalt and David Laverne, who founded Three-D Spirits of San Francisco,
have both balls and a wickedly clever sense of humor. You recall,
of course, the film, The Shining, with the little boy shuffling about and
croaking, "redrum, redrum." Eyeball this bottle and you'll see that
all sides of the bottle read Redrum, which means no matter which side you
face, you can see through the blood red glass and read "murder."
Eerie, and initially I wondered if it was a marketing gimmick used to push
a shoddy product.
WRONG. Gimmick the packaging may be, but Redrum is quite good. It's 70 proof, a little less potent than most other rums. Pour it and you'll find that it is clear and nearly colorless except for a slight pink tint. Sniff it and your nose will be tickled by the tropical flavors, which include coconut, mango, pineapple and some sort of berries. There's also a mild caramel spine to it. This is a sweet rum that can be sipped straight up or on the rocks with ease. Drop a shot or two in your cola and you've transformed your rum and coke into a Cherry Coke like drink. Bravo to Redrum- they've made a remarkably drinkable spirit that those who don't usually imbibe spirits can enjoy. Take this one to a party and you'll be a hit. Or enjoy it at home. Either way, you win. (Rating ****1/4) |
