What Is Rum Typically Made Out Of?

People have always associated rum with being an island drink, perfect for tropical cocktails or sipping in a flask. It seems that every pirate movie has them dancing around with a bottle, singing, "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum!" The Captain Morgan liquor brand continued the association by making its mascot a pirate captain himself. Rum's place in pop culture makes sense when we consider where it comes from and the process required to make it.

Rum's origins trace back to the Caribbean and sea trade in the 17th century. The British Royal Navy went as far as including rum as a part of their sailor's rations because drinkable water was hard to come by and rum could last a long time at sea. This inspired the legends of sailors proofing liquor with gunpowder, but the actual proofing and manufacturing process really just involves some good old sugar and molasses.

Rum is a distilled liquor typically made from fermented sugarcane juice, molasses, yeast, and water. Some rums are also made with white and brown cane sugar, cane syrup, or evaporated cane sugar. All of them have one thing in common: delicious sweetness.

The rum-making process starts with harvesting sugarcanes and obtaining the juice. This process leaves a viscous syrup, molasses, which gives rum its signature sweetness. 

The next step is adding water and yeast to the molasses. The mix is heated up before being filtered and aged in a wooden barrel. It usually takes a year or more to mature, but distillers will choose different aging times depending on what flavor and strength they want to achieve. Afterward, the rum is blended before it's ready to be bottled for your enjoyment. 

Rum's color and type change depending on the fermentation and aging process. White or clear rum ages for one or more years, having around 40% alcohol by volume. Its lighter taste makes it optimal for cocktail mixing. Gold rum is the older sibling, being aged longer than the clear variety for two years. Before you add dark rum to your coffee, know that there are two types of dark rum. One is dark because of its maturity and proof, while other rums may be dark simply because they have more molasses. 

Spiced rum is another popular type, with even grocery stores like Costco having its own spiced rum brand. These are spiced with nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, or cloves. Some varieties also have a kick of vanilla, caramel, citrus, or coconut. If you've got a sweet tooth, then there's a rum out there for whatever floats your boat.