Crafted Artisan Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble from Crafted Artisan is a mead, a wine-like drink fermented from honey, not a rum. The name points to a flavoured, dessert-leaning style. Meads sold under names like this usually pair honey with apple and baking spice, so expect baked-apple fruit, a cinnamon-type warmth and a rounded honey sweetness rather than a dry, austere profile. The listing doesn't give an ABV, honey source, sweetness level or ingredient list, so treat those expectations as typical of the style and not as measurements of this bottle. Mead in this style is a sipping drink. Serve it lightly chilled, around 8 to 12°C, which keeps the sweetness from turning heavy and lets the apple and spice come forward. A small white wine glass or a tulip-shaped dessert wine glass concentrates the aroma better than a tumbler. Pour a modest measure of 90 to 120 ml, as you would with a fortified or dessert wine. For a warm serve, heat it gently without boiling and add a cinnamon stick and a thin apple slice. Boiling drives off aroma. It also works as a sweetener and spice component in a cider-based spritz, topped with dry sparkling cider or soda over ice. Classic rum cocktails such as the Daiquiri, Mojito or Dark 'n' Stormy don't suit it, because they depend on rum's spirit strength and structure. At the table, it suits dishes that echo the name, such as apple tart, crumble with cream, baked brie, aged cheddar or pork with fruit.