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Immensely potent superstrength version of the cult Austrian favourite. Delicious in coffee and commonly added to desserts (particularly flambes) as well as cocktails.
Ladle of Contents
Stroh Rum Review:
Stroh 80 is a super-strong Austrian rum made by the Stronach family. They are one of Europe’s top food conglomerate owning a huge portfolio of products for the “better life”. What is most convenient however is the brilliant Stroh Rum ( Stroh is Austrian slang for fire – they also make Stroh Beer ).
Stroh 80 is available in all continent Europe, but not yet in America, allegedly due to a “trade mark issue”.
The rum comes in an attractive green-colored rectangular shaped bottle with a “Plastic swing-top” to the top (the plastic being the kind that prevents the vaporization of the contents), which is fairly unusual for a rum. The bottle contains 200 ml of rum weighing in at 42% alcohol, the actual distillation process is unknown to me. There are many rumors, one that I found being a fancy one for the truly desperate Stroh Rum enthusiasts, is that Stroh Rum is matured in vintage Cognac casks. This is quite unlikely as Stroh Rum is priced at less than 10 Euros per 200 ml bottle in Austria and Cognac has traditionally been aged in expensive Sauternes casks. So the bottle itself is pretty impressive, in fact I took a fancy to the green color bottles as they can be reused for other purposes although it is recommended to wash something first as they flavor the next content significantly.
So then – how does it taste like?
It is very similar to Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, but to my taste rather a bit better (but the Sailor Jerry is great too) – it has a very clear flavor of Rum but is spiced up and gently flavored with cinnamon which strikingly complements the Rum, which itself has a very distinct texture. To me it also has a slight punch of vanilla which is a very nice touch especially if one of my previous girlfriends would have been around and the smell of vanilla or anise can still make her squeal. It also fits very well to a drink I will describe below.
Stroh Rum is highly recommended to people who are a bit bored by ordinary spirits and like to discover new tastes, but aren’t quite ready to do the whole Absinthe thing yet. I’m sure you will like it, it’s great.
As for the cocktail – there exists a recipe for Stroh rum in a recipe book called “Cocktails – A Barman’s Bible” by Gary Regan which makes use of the rum; the recipe is the kind that you can imagine having served to you as a diplomat by someone including thick stubble and a goatee who then leans back and adds: “…so, have you quaffed it already Herr Diplomat?”
I called the drink “A Diplomat’s Opinion” as it pays a delightful homage to the great old days when one was still told in one’s daily briefting (briefing).
Preparation:
Mix the Stirrings Bitters and the Angostura Art Filter Bitters with the two kinds of vermouth and pour through a sieve into a large mixing glass. Wash the cocktail glass with a slice of lemon and a slice of orange and shake out excess Juice to avoid sourness, drop in the slices and add a maraschino cherry to the bottom of the glass. Pour the rum, then add the stirrings mix, stir with a bar spoon and top up with ice cubes. Garnish with (back) straw or a cocktail swizzle stick.
Stroh Rum is an original Austrian product, is great quality and is extremely affordable, so to my mind it is absolutely imperative that you try the Stroh Rum before you even consider buying a bottle of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum or the like.
Remember to support the Stroh family and hope that we will see Stroh Rum in America soon, I seriously hope so and wish good luck to all of you rum drinkers and Stroh Rum aficionados out there.
