Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

Captain Morgan Spiced Rum is a spiced rum, which sets it apart from white, gold or aged bottlings. Rum is the base, and spice and flavoring are added on top. Styles like this usually lean on vanilla, caramel and baking-spice notes such as cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and they tend to be sweeter and softer on the palate than an unflavored rum. Expect an amber color and an aroma closer to vanilla and brown sugar than to the grassy, funky character of an agricole or the oak-heavy depth of a long-aged dark rum. The details supplied here don't include ABV, origin or an age statement, so check the label for those. This style is built mainly as a mixer, though it can be sipped. Neat or over a single large ice cube, it works for anyone who likes sweeter, vanilla-forward drinks, and the ice gives the spice time to open up as it dilutes. Its real strength is in highballs. The simplest and most reliable pairing is cola with a lime wedge squeezed in, served in a tall glass over plenty of ice. Ginger beer also suits it well. The warm spice meets the ginger's heat in a Dark 'n' Stormy-style build: ginger beer over ice in a highball or Collins glass, with the rum poured over the top so it floats. Use a lime wedge to keep the sweetness in check. In other classics, a spiced rum changes the drink more than a white rum does. A Piña Colada made with it picks up extra vanilla and spice against the coconut cream and pineapple, and it works well blended and served in a hurricane glass. For a Rum Old Fashioned, muddle a sugar cube with a couple of dashes of bitters, add the rum and stir over ice in a rocks glass. Because the rum is already sweet, use less sugar than you would for a whiskey version, and finish with an orange peel. Daiquiris and Mojitos are better served by white or light gold rum, since the spice competes with fresh lime and mint. If you do use spiced rum in one, cut back on any added sweetener. For serving, keep the bottle at room temperature and add ice to the glass. Chilling the rum itself isn't necessary. Spiced rum goes well with grilled pineapple, roasted pork, jerk-style dishes and desserts built on caramel, cinnamon or baked apple.