Rum

A spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane juice and/or molasses. The islands of the Caribbean Sea produce most of the world’s rum supply. The lighter amber or golden-colored rums are produced, for the most part, in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, while the heavier and darker varieties come primarily from Jamaica, Cuba, and Barbados. Sugarcane grown along the banks of the Demerara River in Guyana is used to make the strongest and darkest rum. Rum must be at least 60 proof by law (30 percent alcohol), but most brands are 80 proof, with the extreme being 151-proof rum, which is very convenient for flambé work, as it will ignite without being heated. Rum is used extensively in the pastry shop.