How Important is the Water in Rum and Cocktail Making?

     It is interesting how much attention we put on the ingredients that go into your favorite rum, but none of my friends talk very often about the preparation of the water that is added to the spirit to bring it down to 80 proof.   I hear conversations that tell of the great work of the blenders , distillers, all about the barrels and the special ingredients that go into a bottle of rum.  How often have you heard about the process that the water is put through before it is added to your rum?

     "Water sources, and their unique and distinctive attributes, have a huge impact on the specific flavors and qualities of rums from around the world."

Osmosis Water Purifying Equipment

     In the Caribbean, a large portion of the water is gotten from the oceans and purified through an osmosis process.    Most of the flavor of aged rums comes from the barrels that they are aged in, but clear expressions get their flavor from the still.   When you add water to a clear expression the attributes of the water become a very important factor in the final product's flavor.  Water quality and purity is even more important, clear and unaged rums, for instance, doesn’t these helpers through the process to produce a desirable flavor profile.


     How about the quality of the water around the bar?    Water quality in everything from the ice to the water that flows from the spigot can affect the quality of your cocktails.  Ice is the real "biggy" in this area, if the water used to make the ice is tainted the cocktail flavor will also be tainted.    This "ice program" is a critical part of the bar.  Filtering the water that is fed into the ice maker is only the beginning.    Anybody who has ever had an at-home batch of ice go bad because, who knows what was put along side the ice in the freezer.  Controlling the flavor of ice itself is important,  what is stored in or around the ice bin can make or break a cocktail.

     Water may rarely talked about, but it is one of the make you or break you elements of the rum and cocktail industry.  Don't ever overlook the water it could be your downfall.  ;o)