Ruminations on rum

The buttery scent of a good dark rum fills me with anticipation for the chill of winter: I know that a rum drink will warm me body and soul.

I’m not talking about daiquiris, piña coladas, Blue Hawaiians or punches made with white or silver rum. Nor cocktails concocted from spiced rum redolent of medicine, after-shave and headaches.

I’m talking about the amber elixir that’s aged and mellowed in charred oak barrels like the finest of bourbons. Rum for sipping neat. Rum for making hot buttered toddies, warm milk punch and spiked apple cider. Precisely those drinks that one desires when lounging in flannel pajamas beside a blazing fire.

As it turns out, Georgia is home to a world-class rum.

Richland Rum — handcrafted in small batches by Erik and Karin Vonk in the tiny town of Richland, south of Columbus — is a splendid example of the sugar-cane derivative that shaped the American colonies.

While some lesser rums are made from molasses, Richland Rum is created from sugar-cane syrup made from cane that the Vonks farm themselves. (As a kid growing up in South Georgia back in the day, I chewed sugar-cane cud, attended syrup boils, poked holes in biscuits and filled them with syrup. But until I discovered the Vonks, I had never met anyone who made rum from the sweet grassy stalk. Now I’m hooked.)

When I tried to egg Erik Vonk on by asking him if rum is the “new bourbon,” he told me that it’s actually the old bourbon. In colonial times, when rum lovers couldn’t get ahold of their preferred spirit, they tried to replicate the flavor by aging corn whiskey in charred oak barrels.

“Rum is really the spirit that is deeper in our American veins than any other,” Vonk says. “We all know that the backbone of the 13 Colonies was the rum trade.”

After 1776, when America severed its ties with England, Caribbean-grown sugar cane was hard to come by. America needed another ingredient for making spirits, so it turned to corn. “Bourbons were designed to emulate good rum,” Vonk says. Now modern-day bourbon connoisseurs are discovering the oak-y allure of this American-made barrel-aged rum.

So are some of Atlanta’s best bakers.

At the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown, pastry chef Charles Barrett pours Richland Rum into everything from pecan tarts to pumpkin whoopie pies to chocolate bonbons. “That product is really special,” Barrett says. “It’s closer to a bourbon, but it doesn’t have that abrasiveness you get from some bourbons.”

Pretty much any recipe that calls for bourbon or whisky can be made with rum — pies, cakes, punches and nogs. Just be sure to invest in a good, barrel-aged spirit. Your nose will know the difference. So will your tummy.

Rum recipes

Here are three delicious ideas for using dark, barrel-aged rum: chocolate candy, pumpkin pound cake and a classic eggnog scented with rum and coconut.

Chocolate Rum Balls

This holiday treat was traditionally made with crushed vanilla wafers, confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts and rum or bourbon. I love those old-fashioned rum balls, but they do crumble easily. These brownie-based rum balls, on the other hand, are smooth, chocolate-y and easy to work with. Roll them in coconut, chopped nuts or any kind of sugar or sprinkles. Another idea: press them gently with your thumb, and decorate with candied ginger, orange or lemon peel, or cherries.

Cooking spray

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 large eggs

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum

Chopped pecans, peanuts or other nuts; flaked coconut; confectioner’s or sanding sugar; cocoa powder; or sprinkles for coating the balls

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Melt butter and chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate mixture, then fold in flour. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until top is shiny and a cake tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Break brownie into small pieces; transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With machine on low speed, pour in rum, and mix until crumbs start to come together to form a ball.

Shape into 1-inch balls, and roll in your choice of coatings such as chopped pecans or shredded coconut. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Serve chilled. Makes: 4 to 4 1/2 dozen balls.

— Adapted from a recipe on marthastewart.com

Per ball, based on 4 dozen: 57 calories (percent of calories from fat, 61), 1 gram protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 4 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 19 milligrams cholesterol, 25 milligrams sodium.

Rum and Coconut Eggnog

Coconut gives this eggnog a lovely undertone; used sparingly, it will not overwhelm the delicate eggs or diminish the kick of the rum. This is not an intensely boozy eggnog, but you may surely add more rum (or other spirits) to taste. My favorite way to enjoy this eggnog leftover: Pour a tablespoon or two of whiskey, brandy or rum into a glass. (I like bourbon.) Top with the eggnog, and get a spoon. By all means, use good quality rum. Richland Rum is superb but perhaps best saved for sipping. Angostura (aged five or seven years) is good, too, and not terribly expensive. For a traditional eggnog, simply omit the coconut cream.

12 eggs, separated

8 ounces confectioner’s sugar, sifted

12 ounces dark rum, plus more to taste, if desired

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish, if desired

2 cups heavy whipping cream

3 cups coconut cream (I use Aroy-D brand)

Beat the egg yolks until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. (I use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.) Slowly add confectioner’s sugar and mix at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. (The mixture should be thick and frothy, light yellow in color and will have expanded in volume several times over.) Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, slowly drizzle in the rum. Stir in the salt and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate egg-yolk mixture for 3 hours or overnight. Cover the egg whites and refrigerate.

When ready to make the eggnog: Beat the egg whites in a medium mixing bowl until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. (I use a hand mixer.) In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.

Using a large bowl, fold the egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture until just incorporated. Add coconut cream and stir gently. Fold in the whipped cream very gently. Pour the eggnog into a large chilled serving bowl, punch bowl or pitcher. Ladle into individual cups, glasses or silver goblets. Grate a little nutmeg over each glass, if desired, and serve immediately. If desired, add more rum to taste. Leftover eggnog can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days. Serves: 12

Per serving: 548 calories (percent of calories from fat, 63), 9 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 40 grams fat (29 grams saturated), 266 milligrams cholesterol, 132 milligrams sodium.

Richland “Rum-kin” Pound Cake

Charles Barrett, the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown, is a big fan of Richland Rum. He’s been making a richer version of this pumpkin-and-rum cake for years and calls it a family favorite. I altered the recipe somewhat to work in a standard-size Bundt pan. The glaze, which uses a little apple cider to balance the sweetness, is Barrett’s.

For the cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3 cups granulated sugar

5 eggs

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

15 ounces pumpkin puree

4 ounces rum (preferably Richland Rum)

For the glaze

5 1/2 tablespoons butter

4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons evaporated milk

4 tablespoons apple cider

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make the cake: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves into a large bowl. In another bowl, mix pumpkin and rum.

Alternate mixing dry ingredients and pumpkin mixture into butter-sugar-egg mixture, and mix well, scraping down the bowl. Pour batter into greased and floured tube (or Bundt) pan. Bake for 90 minutes, or until the top is brown and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out almost clean. Cool the cake completely. Turn out on a plate or stand, and glaze.

To make the glaze: Whisk the butter, confectioner's sugar, salt and evaporated milk until smooth. Heat the apple cider until it's scalded, or just about to boil. (You maybe heat it on the stove top or in the microwave). Whisk the cider into the glaze, and microwave for 1 minute. Stir with a fork and drizzle glaze over cake. (You'll need to work quickly, because the glaze will harden.) Serves: 12

Per serving: 717 calories (percent of calories from fat, 30), 7 grams protein, 118 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 23 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 145 milligrams cholesterol, 479 milligrams sodium.