Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Sailor Jerry is a spiced rum bottled at 46% ABV, a notch above the 35 to 40% that most spiced rums carry. It is made from a blend of Caribbean rums infused with spices and natural flavorings, with vanilla and cinnamon the two named in the producer's description. The brand takes its name from Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins, the sailor-turned-tattoo artist, and its labels carry that tattoo-flash imagery. This bottle is listed under the US Virgin Islands. On the nose and palate, expect what the vanilla and cinnamon suggest: a sweet, baking-spice opening with vanilla leading and cinnamon warmth behind it. Spiced rums in this style usually add a little caramel or toasted sweetness from the base rum blend. The higher proof gives it more backbone than lower-strength spiced rums, so the spice stays distinct instead of turning syrupy when it's diluted. It can be sipped neat or over a large cube, and the sweetness is easier to enjoy with a few minutes of dilution. Its natural home, though, is in mixed drinks. The most direct pairing is a Dark 'n' Stormy. Spiced rum is not the traditional choice, which is a dark rum, but here it adds cinnamon and vanilla to the sharp ginger beer. Build it in a highball glass over ice with about 2 oz of rum, top with 4 oz of ginger beer, and finish with a squeeze of lime. For a Rum Old Fashioned, stir 2 oz with a bar spoon of demerara syrup and two dashes of Angostura or orange bitters over a large cube in a rocks glass. Because the rum is already sweet and spiced, use the syrup sparingly and garnish with an orange peel. It also works in a Rum and Cola. Use a tall glass, plenty of ice, and a wedge of lime to cut the sweetness. It is a poor fit for a classic Daiquiri or Mojito. Those drinks rely on the clean, dry character of a white rum, and the vanilla and cinnamon here would compete with the lime and mint. The same goes for the Piña Colada, though a spiced version made with coconut cream and pineapple can work if you want a warmer, dessert-leaning take. For neat serving, use a small tumbler or rocks glass at cool room temperature or with a single large cube. Chilling it hard mutes the vanilla and flattens the spice.