Yes,
Virginia, you can have your cake and eat it, too! Okay, okay,
so I might be mixing a few metaphors in that previous sentence,
but it all rings true. Right around the holidays (yes, Virginia,
there is a Santa Claus) the good folks down at Bayou Rum sent
me a bottle of Bayou Satsuma rum liqueur and a bottle of Bayou
spiced rum. But that was just the half of it; they also included
a Bayou spiced rum cake and a chocolate Satsuma rum cake to
accompany those bottles, hence having my cake and eating it,
too!
Let
me explain what's going on here. Back in 2011 the brothers
Litel, along with their friend Skip Cortese, founded Louisiana
Spirits and started producing Bayou Rums in Lacassine, Louisiana.
They finally launched their products in 2013 and in the 2
short years since have been recognized 72 times in tasting
competitions for their rums which are handcrafted in copper
pot stills using Louisiana sugarcane and molasses. But that
wasn't enough for these good old boys. Just recently they
hooked up with world renowned Louisiana Chef John Folse who
incorporates their rums into his cakes. Spoiler alert: since
these cakes arrived over the holidays I had a few friends
over, and we all sampled the rum cakes and popular consensus
concluded they are utterly magnificent, totally tasty, simply
divine and completely decadent, but more about that later.
Let's
get to the business at hand and try these rums. They both
come in four sided bottles with alligators dominating the
labels and the word "Bayou" prominently displayed.
The Satsuma comes in a frosted bottle while the spiced rum
comes in a clear bottle. Let's try the spiced rum first. The
nose is filled with chocolaty goodness and vanilla and citrus,
and of course, a hint of rum and sugar and a touch of oak.
The palate presents the chocolate and rum first followed by
vanilla and citrus and just a bit less oak, and yes, Virginia,
it is quite smooth. The finish is warm and sweet and citrusy
and goes down almost like eggnog and the flavors last a medium
amount of time. For a straight from the bottle spiced rum,
this Bayou brand is very flavorful and well balanced and just
sweet enough to be pleasant but not overpowering.
The
Bayou Spiced Rum cake has the appearance of classic yellow
cake but that's where the similarity ends. It mostly has the
nose of yellow cake with its accompanying vanilla pudding
aroma, but you can immediately smell the rum, which lets you
know this ain't your grandmother's plain old cake. On the
palate, it is super moist, pleasantly dense with sugar and
pudding and definitely rummy. The rum gives it another layer
of complexity that a cake without that rum would be totally
missing. I cheated and poured some of the spiced rum directly
on it and it worked wonders as well, intensifying the rum
and spice flavors while moistening it even further. I served
this cake and spiced rum to a few friends and garnered rave
reviews all around. Marie Antoinette was completely correct
when she said "let them eat cake" if she was referring
to this rummy delight.
Next
up is the Bayou Satsuma rum liqueur; through the frosted glass
you can see the orange colored spirit that has a couple of
telltale oranges on the label. You see, Satsuma is a type
of orange that originated in China and Japan and eventually
took root in Louisiana and is one of the sweetest citrus varieties.
The nose is completely dominated by the orange aroma, which
is itself dominated by the smell of the orange zest. I know
there's rum in there somewhere but it just doesn't come across
in the nose. The palate follows the nose and is so orangey
all I can discern besides orange is the flavor of sugar and
just the barest hint of rum. The finish features the rum a
bit more, but it is still quite orangey yet smooth, and of
course, sweet and the finish lasts a medium amount of time.
This isn't my idea of a straight up sipper, as it is just
too sweet to stand alone, but the good thing is it will not
get lost in mixed cocktails.
The
chocolate Satsuma rum cake is simply to die for. Again, we
tasted this in a group and everyone loved it. It has the aroma
of a thick chocolate brownie and the consistency of fudge.
The taste is filled with chocolaty goodness accompanied by
a distinct orange flavor that combines into a total taste
treat. At the back of my palate, I finally get a taste of
the rum and it combines beautifully with the chocolate and
orange flavors. This just became my favorite chocolate cake
ever! Again, I poured some of the Bayou Satsuma rum liqueur
on it and WOW that's one hell of a combination. They complement
each other perfectly.
The
Bayou Spiced Rum (40% ABV) and Bayou Satsuma Rum Liqueur (30%
ABV) are both available at $19.99 to $21.99 per 750ml bottle
and the cakes are both $21.99 each.
By George Brozowski
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://bayourum.com/
