Dictador is produced in Colombia on the Caribbean Coast at Cartagena de Indias City. Rather than being produced from molasses, the rum is produced from the virgin honey of sugar cane. Recently Dictador released what they call their 100 Month Series which includes four new rums all aged for 100 months. Unlike the more premium Dictador Solero Aged Rums, the 100 month series is meant to be a gateway series consisting of spirits which are meant to be embraced both as entry-level sipping rums as well as cocktail spirits.
The Dictador Claro 100 Month Aged Rum in particular was created to be a high-end cocktail spirit. It is a continuous column still rum which was aged (for 100 months) in ex-bourbon oak barrels. At maturity the rum was charcoal filtered to remove some of the harsh flavours and to make the rum more approachable in the cocktail format for bartenders and mixed drink enthusiasts.
Here is a link to my full review:
Review: Dictador Claro (100 Month Aged)
Please enjoy my review of this unique cocktail rum.
Chimo!
This recipe omits the vodka altogether and instead substitutes an amber rum. Following my common refrain, the better the spirit, the better the cocktail, I have chosen today to mix the serving with an 8-year-old column distilled rum which has been charcoal filtered to remove most of its colour and to provide a little polish to its flavour profile, the Dictador Claro 100 Month Aged Rum. Because of the lovely reddish hue given to the cocktail by the cranberry juice, I call this libation Red Sky at Night.
This recipe is based (loosely) upon the Fancy Whiskey Cocktail presented in Leo Engels 1878 book, American and Other Drinks.
Saffron Gin is produced in Dijon, France by micro-distiller Gabriel Boudier. It is apparently made from a 19th century colonial India recipe which includes nine botanicals seven of which are listed on the back label of my sample bottle: Juniper, Coriander, Lemon, Orange Peel, Angelica Seeds, Iris, and Fennel. In addition to the botanicals, the gin is flavoured with Saffron which is a spice derived from the orange stamen of the Crocus Sativa, more commonly known as the “saffron crocus”.
Saffron has a peculiar flavour which is sort of like dry grassy hay with strong floral aromatics. It does in fact remind me (in a very passing kind of way) of insect repellent, and mixing a cocktail with this ingredient was very challenging. I was sent various recipes by the Canadian distributor; but every one of those servings called for other exotic ingredients which I don’t keep in my home bar. I did though, arrive at a recipe construction of my own which I found absolutely delightful.
The Rum Howler Blog 