Back in 2021, Jennifer Akin, the then-general manager of Seattle’s Rumba, graciously agreed to share the recipe for Rumba’s house rum blend. Recently, Rumba’s current bar manager, Josh Ibañez, shared Rumba’s revised blend and has graciously consented to let me reshare it on Cocktail Wonk.
Below, Josh provides the new blend recipe and describes the thinking behind it.
Rumba Daiquiri (Cuban style) blend
- 3L Brugal Anejo
- 2L Don Q Gold
- 1L Bounty White
- 1L Plantation 3 Star
- 750ml Ten to One White
- 375ml Smith and Cross
- 375ml Wray and Nephew White Overproof
For those of you not making eight-liter batches, here’s the recipe in ratio form:
- 12 parts Brugal Anejo
- 8 parts Don Q Gold
- 4 Parts Bounty White
- 4 parts Plantation 3 Star
- 3 parts Ten to One White
- 1.5 parts Smith and Cross
- 1.5 parts Wray and Nephew White Overproof
You may have heard that Rumba has decided to no longer carry Bacardi products due to the company’s involvement in Russia. A conversation that is still ongoing.
When this happened, I knew we would need to make a major change to our Daiquiri blend, primarily because Bacardi 4 and Gold were integral to it.
With that in mind, I set out to adjust and create a Cuban-style blend that remains sharp and crisp but also has a bit of body and edge. The blend must be cost-effective, versatile, and appeal to damn near anyone. That is the beauty of a daiquiri — It can turn heads and raise the eyebrows of even the most pessimistic non-rum drinker.
Switching the Bacardi Gold for Don Q Gold was a quick and painless adjustment that retains the heavy Puerto Rican backbone. Light, neutral, and a touch more rounded.
The more difficult part was the Bacardi 4 (Cuatro). After trying half a dozen different rums, recreating the blend over and over in small quantities, I landed on Brugal Añejo. This rum is estimated to be 2-5yrs old, is column distilled, and barrel-focused with a softer profile than Bacardi 4. It provides a full body to the blend while keeping everything light and refined.
The final adjustment was splitting our pure Jamaican rum component into two rums. I retained the Smith & Cross and added Wray and Nephew White Overproof. Just a small amount of unaged Jamaican provides the blend with a bit of edge, funk, and a lasting impression on the palate.
Having finalized the blend, I had one last change to make. The revised blend tastes great by itself while working great in all our house cocktails that use it. All except for our Daiquiri #1 — the most crucial. My solution to the Daiquiri #1 problem was increasing the lime juice from 0.75 oz to 1 oz. That did the trick! The daiquiri was now crisp, juicy, nuanced, and very drinkable. For me, that is what a daiquiri should ultimately be. Making a single DTO is so much easier now!
Rumba Daiquiri #1
- 2 oz Rumba Cuban Style Blend
- 1 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz house “complicated” syrup
Complicated Syrup
- 60 oz White Sugar (by weight)
- 12 oz Demerara Sugar (by weight)
- 36 oz Water
- 1 bottle Rhum JM Sirop de Canne
Cook all except the Sirop de Canne on low heat for 1 hour; do not boil. Remove from heat and add 1 bottle of JM Sirop de Canne.
A smaller version:
- 20 oz White Sugar (by weight)
- 4 oz Demerara Sugar (by weight)
- 12 oz Water
- 8 oz Rhum JM Sirop de Canne
