The Ultimate Mistake You Need To Avoid When Pairing Chocolate With Rum

While the hue of your chocolate — think milky-light versus dark truffles — will tell you a lot about what to expect in terms of flavor, rum isn't like that at all. The look of a honey-colored rum might make your mouth water. Its taste, on the other hand, may inspire you to search for the nearest trash can to dump it out. That's because rum's flavor isn't dependent on how it looks. It's what rum is made of that counts in the end. 

As Robyn Smith, Ph.D — distiller of rumbullion (better known as rum), research chemist, and brainchild behind This Blog's NEAT – points out, "Rum is the most diverse spirit, with an incredible range of styles influenced by the raw ingredients, fermentation techniques, distillation methods, and maturation protocols."

In light of all of this, if you want to pair chocolate and rum together, then you need to understand the production process of this popular spirit. "The more we understand and appreciate these differences, the better we'll be at matching specific rums with the right chocolates," Smith says.

White rum flavors run the gamut. There are white rums that come about as close to neutral in flavor as you can get. Others boast tasting notes Robyn Smith describes as savory, slightly fruity, vegetal, or even grassy. These can result from the way the rum is processed. For example, charcoal filtration is common and produces a colorless, light rum. On the other hand, if your ingredients list includes something like rhum agricole, a spirit made from sugar cane juice instead of molasses, you'll end up with a rum that's vibrant and grassy in countenance.

Here's how this type of information would translate into the rum and chocolate pairing you choose. Rums contain something called "esters," which are flavor compounds found in the spirit. The esters infuse a rum with its fruity flavor. So, if you've opted for something like Worthy Park Overproof rum, which is an unaged, high-ester rum, then Smith suggests that you choose a chocolate that's filled with dried fruit. If you're a fan of chocolate-covered mangoes, for example, this would be the time to break out your stash.

A dark rum might come by its moody hue honestly, thanks to the aging process. Or it might have a wee bit o' coloring in it. As such, the drink's dark color has little to do with how the flavor manifests when paired with chocolate. Aged rums undergo various production methods that add a myriad of flavors – oaky, spicy, dessert, or fruity, to name but a few. If you prefer aged rums, Robyn Smith points out that "Generally, aged rums pair well with darker chocolates due to their richer flavor profile."

As for the lighter-aged rums, if enjoying a Jamaican rum, like Hampden Estate 8, Smith recommends pairing that with caramel and chocolate. Think Snickers (on the simple side) or some dark chocolate-covered salted caramels (on the more elaborate end of things) and a glass of rum and you've got dessert and a drink. Or if "robust aged rums, such as Lost Spirits Navy Style rum" are your poisons of choice, then Smith suggests enjoying those with chocolates that sport a bit of a spice nip or chocolates chock-full of fruits and nuts. This combo calls to mind the specialty chocolates that show up at your local sweet shops during the fall holidays.

So if ever you're looking for a good reason to buy a little extra chocolate with almonds, sea salt, and a smidgen of caramel, or you plan on serving a dessert like a dark chocolate mousse, now you know which rum will go with it.