Shipwreck Coffee Rum

Shipwreck Coffee Rum is a coffee-flavored rum, so it sits closer to the liqueur-leaning end of the rum shelf than a straight white or aged bottling. The producer doesn't give a base style, origin or ABV in the details we hold, so treat what follows as what coffee rums in this category typically do. Expect roasted coffee bean aromas up front, a bittersweet cocoa-and-caramel middle, and the soft molasses sweetness that rum brings underneath. These bottles are usually sweeter and lower in proof than standard rum, which makes them easy to sip and easy to mix. Neat or over a single large ice cube in a rocks glass is the simplest way to taste it, and a short pour served cool lets the roast character come through without the sugar dominating. It also works as an after-dinner pour beside dark chocolate, vanilla ice cream or a slice of tiramisu. Poured over vanilla ice cream, it works as a quick affogato-style dessert. As a mixer, it suits drinks that already lean on coffee or cream. In a Rum Old Fashioned, use a small measure alongside a darker aged rum, add a dash of aromatic or orange bitters, and skip the sugar cube, since the coffee rum is already sweet. Stir it over ice and serve it in a rocks glass with an orange peel. For a rum version of an espresso martini, shake it hard with fresh espresso and a little simple syrup if needed, then strain into a chilled coupe so the foam holds. A splash in a White Russian-style build with cream or milk over ice in a tall tumbler is another good use, as is a spoonful stirred into iced coffee. It's a poor match for the classics that need a clean, dry spirit. A Daiquiri, Mojito or Piña Colada depends on bright lime, mint or coconut, and coffee flavor would compete with all three. The same goes for a Dark 'n' Stormy, where the ginger beer needs a spiced or aged rum to stand up to it. Keep the bottle in the cupboard at room temperature, or in the freezer if you prefer it thicker and colder for shots and dessert pours.