Rum truffles, a coconut and lime bonbon, a syrup to soak a sponge: each one gets its depth from a dark rum, and Mount Gay brings the flavour of an oak-aged rum to all three. Our culinary version is bottled at 55% vol for the kitchen, so it does that job with far less liquid than a bottle of drinking rum.

Less liquid matters more than it sounds. Water is what thins a ganache and shortens its shelf life, and at 55% this rum carries much less of it than a 40% spirit, so your filling stays firm, keeps for longer and needs a smaller pour for the same flavour. It is distilled from sugar cane molasses and aged in American oak, with only 0.1g of sugar per 100ml, so it leaves the sweetness of your recipe where you set it.

How to Use Mount Gay Rum 

Add the rum once your ganache has cooled a little, because heat drives off both alcohol and flavour. As a guide, use 50g per kilo of ganache for a light rum flavour, 80g for a strong one and 100g for a very intense one. In a pastry cream or mousse, start at 20g per kilo, and a soaking syrup takes anywhere from 80g to 250g per kilo. Working from a recipe written for a 40% rum? Start at around three-quarters of the amount, then taste and adjust.

Pairings and Ideas 

Rum loves lime, coconut, apple, pineapple and dark chocolate. A few ideas to try:

• Ocoa, apple and rum truffles
• Lime caramel, coconut praline and rum ganache
• Matcha mojito truffles
• Mojito bonbons in white chocolate
• Rum and raisin ice cream
• Pineapple and rum upside down cake