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One of the spoils of war captured by Zulu soldiers after the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana was the British army’s rum rations. It was probably the last time that stylish and successful South Africans sought out this alcoholic spirit distilled from sugar cane residues or molasses ... until now.
A mere decade ago, a search for South African rum would have turned up only a handful of local producers. There was cane, which is technically more of a vodka than a rum, but it was considered criminally uncool.
Only embarrassing uncles, women who danced around their handbags with pink drinks in hand and pirates in kids’ cartoons drank rum.
Fortunately, booze fashions are fickle and the artisan alcohol industry has resurrected rum’s reputation. Mixed into creative cocktails, infused with spice or simply served over ice, rum is suddenly the trendiest tipple in town.
Where once they stuck to gin, South African craft distilleries are increasingly adding rum to their repertoire, and consumers are spoilt for choice.
Some savour the amber-hued, caramel-spiced, sweet citrus flavours of Blackstrap Rum made by the multiaward-winning Inverroche Distillery in Stilbaai. Others adore Maboneng-made Time Anchor white rum for its exquisite aromas of coconut and vanilla.
Die Warm Rasta Rum from the Free State’s De Vry Distillery serves up gentle macadamia notes. Those looking for the small batch, single estate experience appreciate Tapanga Gold, which is fermented and distilled from liquid sugar squeezed out of cane grown on KwaZulu-Natal’s Windermere Sugar Estate outside Gingindlovu, and Mpumalanga’s Mhoba Rum, which is aged in toasted white oak from the US.
The number of dedicated rum bars is also increasing exponentially.
Sea Breeze Fish & Shell on Bree Street in Cape Town keeps more than 20 local and international rums. At Brian Lara Rum Eatery in Linden, Johannesburg, the pina coladas are ironically offered up in hollowed out pineapples and the rack of ribs is rum-basted. Décor at Roxanne’s Rum Eatery in Fourways delivers the hipster double whammy of rum and tattoo art. Durban’s Distillery 031 makes an excellent Brazilian-style Agua Zulu Cachaça cane spirit, which the on-site restaurant deliciously pairs with a brûléed banana split. The Litchi Orchard at Salt Rock holds an annual Rum Fest together with Tapanga Rum.
Prefer to quench your thirst at home? Online retailer Yuppiechef has a comprehensive local rum selection.
As with all things South African hipster, there is a tendency to ignore or inadequately acknowledge African contributions. Looking to London for drinks trends blinds many rum enthusiasts to our continent’s role in the creation of rum.
Chef Coco Reinarhz’s Epicure rum bar and restaurant, which will open on January 22 in Sandton, Johannesburg, is a welcome addition to South Africa’s cocktail culture.
Burundian-born Reinarhz says he “hopes to acknowledge the very fine African and the African diaspora rums, many of which have existed for several centuries. I want to stock the new South African craft rums, but also Mozambican Rhum Tipo Tinto, Kenya’s Safari Rum, Congolese Kwilu Rum and Reunion’s Rhum Charrette. I want to point out that rum is central to the African diaspora experience. Haitian rhum agricole and the best of Brazilian cachaça are part of ongoing cross continental conversations through time and space.”
Time and space travel can be hungry work. A menu preview suggests that rum-adjacent gourmet gaps will be soothed and satisfied with a bar menu that includes buttermilk macerated southern fried chicken and plump prawn tails dipped in Congolese moambe (palm butter) mayonnaise. Garden tables allow for alfresco, rum-soaked evenings dipping Ghanaian alloco (plantain chips) in potent pili pili sauce.
With cross-continental conversations this delicious, how can anyone refuse to chat?
For more information, call or visit:
- inverroche.co.za
- timeanchor.co.za
- devrydistillery.co.za
- tapangarum.com
- distillery031.com
- yuppiechef.com
- mhoba.com
- seabreezecapetown.co.za
- Brian Lara Rum Eatery on 076 320 9739
- Roxanne’s Rum Eatery on 011 467 0061
- Epicure on 072 268 0353
