The winter season is all about craving to sit in a warm blanket and cosy up with hearty meals. If you like to add some warmth and depth to your usual dishes to make them perfect for the winter season, adding rum to your recipes is one of the best ways. Being a versatile spirit, rum can not only add warmth to your meals but also add a subtle sweetness to your desserts and cocktails.
However, there are certain tips that you must keep in mind while cooking with any alcoholic beverage. From choosing the right type of rum for different types of dishes and desserts to the ways to incorporate the spirit into your daily recipes, here are some tips you can keep handy while cooking with rum this winter season.
Choose The Right Rum
Different types of rum are used to make different types of impacts on a dish. So, it’s important that you pick the right rum while cooking. For example, light rum is usually used to make cocktails or is added to seafood to enhance the flavour. Using the rich flavour of dark rum, you can infuse its flavour into desserts and marinades and even pair it with chocolates and fruits. Similarly, if you have spiced rum, you can use it to make sauces and cocktails.
Deglaze A Pan
Deglazing is an impeccable way to add richness to your cooked dish. If you are sauteeing some vegetables or meat during the winter season, all you need to do is add a splash of rum to the pan and scrape the browned bits. This will help create a rich and flavourful base for a wide range of sauces and gravies.
Enhance Sauces
Rum is often used in the sauce preparation process to enhance the overall flavour. Savoury sauces like barbecue sauce or glaze can definitely use some dark rum along with some brown sugar, garlic and chilli flakes. Similarly, sweet sauce made with rum, sugar, cream and butter can enhance the overall eating experience.
Marinades
When talking about cooking with rum, marinades can never be left out. For an impeccable base of marinades, you can mix dark rum with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and honey, which adds a sweet note to the minced meat. If you need a marinade for seafood, you can combine light rum with lime juice to balance the delicate flavours.
Rum Cocktails
Rum is definitely one of the feel-good warmer liquors for the winter. Classic options like Hot Toddy and the Old Fashioned Rum are perfect for the chilly winters. Also, you can never go with those experimental Rum cocktails. It is a strong base for cocktails and can be combined with a variety of strong spirits, liquor and other seasonal ingredients.