four rum old fashioned

1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Ron Pampero Anniversario
1/2 oz JM Rhum Blanc
1/2 oz Barbancourt 8 Year Rum
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dashes Abbott's Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters

Add to a rocks glass with large ice chunk. Stir in glass. Twist a lime and an orange peel over the top and rim edge. Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel or other aromatic bitters is a good alternative if no Abbott's is available.

For my last beverage at Drink on Wednesday, Ben Sandrof wanted to make me a four rum old fashioned. The rums he chose originated from 4 countries: Indonesia, Venezuela, Martinique, and Haiti, and the variety of flavors added a lot of character to this drink. The first sensation was a strong citrus nose from the orange and lime peel essential oils. Of the rums, the sharp notes of the Batavia Arrack stood out the most with the funkiness of the rhum agricole placing second. The Barbancourt and Pampero added to the richness but were less identifiable especially compared to the other two. The cinnamon from the syrup and spice flavor from the bitters especially the clove oil from the Abbott's added a pleasing level of complexity to round off the drink's profile.

And the vocabulary word of the night was hogo which is used to describe the strange twang smell in rums, especially pot stilled ones like rhum agricoles. It is frequently described as a plastic or latex smell. The smell originates from the fusel oils which are fermentation byproducts that can get carried over during distillation. A little of this oil adds a delightful character and a lot can induce bad hangovers.