Overproof rum

Can someone please enlighten me? I've never been a spirit drinker, so I've never been able to figure out what the words "proof" and "overproof" mean. I recently bought some black rum from the kitchen supply wholesaler, and the sales lady commented that I shouldn't drink the rum, because it would probably make me blind. It was 54% alcohol. I don't know what normal rum is (she thought it was 35%), or whether this is what they mean by "overproof". Does this mean the rum is 54 proof? And what are the standard alcohol % for drinking spirits?

Thanks, sorry if that was confusing. Of course, I can't resist the idea of having 2L of black rum in the house, so I've got a fruitcake in the oven right now, even though my NY resolution is to cut back on carbs. Ah well...

Celia

PS. As an aside, I dragged my 16 year old in and told him that, should he decide to sneak alcohol behind my back, that he should stick to opening the wine, and not the 54% rum, which would probably make him blind faster than the other thing teenager boys do which is supposed to make them blind.

I don't know if this is right, or just one of those stories that is supposed to be true, but "proof" originally had something to do with testing the purity of rum in sailors' rations. If you could pour a measure of the rum onto burning gunpowder and not put the fire out (because of the amount of alcohol in it) that was said to be "proof". The percentage of alcohol that enables that is fifty-something percent. A higher percentage is "over proof". Presumably, if it put the fire out rather than sustaining it, it showed someone was watering down the rum ration.

What is the flavour like? Is it sticky and vanilla/molasses in flavour? If so, try soaking some dried apricots in it overnight and use them to make an upside-down cake.

Matilda

Can someone please enlighten me? I've never been a spirit drinker, so I've never been able to figure out what the words "proof" and "overproof" mean. I recently bought some black rum from the kitchen supply wholesaler, and the sales lady commented that I shouldn't drink the rum, because it would probably make me blind. It was 54% alcohol. I don't know what normal rum is (she thought it was 35%), or whether this is what they mean by "overproof". Does this mean the rum is 54 proof? And what are the standard alcohol % for drinking spirits?

Thanks, sorry if that was confusing. Of course, I can't resist the idea of having 2L of black rum in the house, so I've got a fruitcake in the oven right now, even though my NY resolution is to cut back on carbs. Ah well...

Celia

PS. As an aside, I dragged my 16 year old in and told him that, should he decide to sneak alcohol behind my back, that he should stick to opening the wine, and not the 54% rum, which would probably make him blind faster than the other thing teenager boys do which is supposed to make them blind.

C-

I think the lady in the shoppe got it a bit wrong, at least by US use of proof. Proof is twice the alcohol by Volume. So, 54 abv. = 108 proof. If the rum is 108 proof, that should not cause blindness unless there was some sort of "poisoning" at the distillery. Overproof in my limited experience is usually applied to rums around 150 proof and those prolly should not be consumed in quantity without some sort of dilution, plus it is quite flammable.

Perhaps Hoke will see this thread and chime in.

Redwinger

Celia,
I can't really help with your question but it reminds me of a story my Dad tells. He and Mom were skiing in Austria one year. Dad always liked to have a little flask of some kind of alcohol to warm him up on the slopes. He ran across Stroh's rum in a little shop in town. It had the number 80 on it so assumed it was 80 proof and would be a nice sipping rum. Well he took a little swig and it completely took his breath away. (Temporarily, thank goodness.) I guess the number 80 represented the percentage of alcohol, which apparently was 160 proof! He brought it home as a souvenier, and we kids liked to show our friends how it would take the color out of our harvest gold formica counter top if we spilled a few drops on it! I think my uncle ended up polishing it off over the course of several visits. I also remember the rum smelled delicious--very caramel-y.

The saleslady must have been thinking of methyl alcohol, not ethyl alcohol.

I sort of agree with Bill. I think that the sales lady figured that anything over 100 proof is overproof. In this case it is a bit of an exaggeration, the comment about blindness was over the top.

Booooooooong! Chiming in.

Okay, I'll try to be as short-winded as possible, but we know how that usually works out.

All spirits categories have rules or guidelines, and the most usual of these is the alcoholic strength, expressed as either alcohol by volume (abv) or proof. There is usually a minimum or maximum abv/proof at distillation, and at bottling. Proof is essentially double the abv, so 45 abv is 90 proof.

Matilda's story is correct. Proof was determined originally by mixing alcohol and gunpowder. Now it's done by lab analysis.

In Rum, there is a category designated as Overproof. Most rum is 80 proof at bottling, and it's cut with distilled water to achieve that strength. Overproof Rum is technically 120 proof or higher. I do not reccomend anyone drinking Overproof neat, as the only thing commending it is the alcoholic strength, so it's suited only for mixing drinks or for young men to prove how utterly stupid and clueless they are in some stupid macho way.

Carrie's story about the Austrian drinking: that would be a curious brand called Stroh (very hard to find in the US, commonly available in Europe). Stroh is rum, made in the Caribbean then shipped to Austria for bottling. The basic one is Stroh 80. The label is a distinctive dark orange. Trouble is, most people who don't know the stuff think "Stroh 80" means it is 80 proof (40 abv). It isn't. Most Europeans use the abv designation...so Stroh 80 is actually 160 proof!

That means when someone pours a shooter (I'm not making this up, guys; they actually do this in Austria, usually around the ski resorts, and they think it's "fun") for the unsuspecting, you get something that is shockingly higher in proof/volume than you should. Usually people wheeze, choke, gasp, turn colors, and do other fun things. I know, as I did it once, a long, long time ago; it was several minutes before I could breathe properly, and my palate was scalded by the alcohol. Some fun, huh?

In addition to the Stroh 80, there is Stroh 40 and Stroh 60. There's also a Stroh Punch, evidently pre-mixed, but I've never had that. Obviously, outside of infantile people who would purposely drink such abominable stuff straight, Stroh 80 is usually used in a Punch mix.

The only use for an Overproof, to my mind, is if you want to flame a cocktail (float a small shot of Overproof on top of the cocktail and light it up. Usually, you let the flame die out before drinking it. Although, in my misspent youth we would have drinks like the Screamin' Yellow Meemie, wherein the doughty idiot drinker, usually already drunk or they wouldn't do it, would down the drink while it was still flaming. You have to do it right, or you will horribly burn your face. I know; a friend did it. Fortunately for him his inebriated state meant he already was anesthetized when we took him to the emergency room for treatment.

Although, in my misspent youth we would have drinks like the Screamin' Yellow Meemie, wherein the doughty idiot drinker, usually already drunk or they wouldn't do it, would down the drink while it was still flaming. You have to do it right, or you will horribly burn your face. I know; a friend did it. Fortunately for him his inebriated state meant he already was anesthetized when we took him to the emergency room for treatment.

Is this a friend of yours?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q_vCcFPWE0


.

Hoke -

My wife accidentally picked up an overproof Demerara rum one time, not noticing the alcohol level. We weren't sure what to do with it, but as it turns out the stuff really has an excellent flavor to it. I like it as an adjunct to tamer rums in cocktails. For instance, I've taken to making hot buttered rum with maybe an ounce and a half of something lighter and a half ounce of this Demerara. Seems like a good use of the stuff. (I can't remember the producer, unfortunately.)

Dave, the results with my friend were very similar to the youtube video.

Mike, using the Overproof for enhancing cocktails is what it's normally used for. That, and making collegiate washtub drinks. Woohoo!

Thank you all! I knew this was the right place to ask..

I thought the sales lady was exaggerating, but I wasn't sure. I think here in Oz there are laws governing how much abv is allowed in spirits, so this bottle of rum was labelled "not for consumption" and was actually called a "Rum Patissier".

Matilda, don't laugh, I don't know what the flavour is like, because I was too chicken to taste it (I guess I thought it would be like Carrie's dad's rum!). But the fruitcake is now cool (it's 6am, and it's been cooling overnight) and it smells divine. I have some vanilla beans soaking in a small amount as well, to make vanilla rum for baking.

Hoke, thanks for the explanation. It's interesting how the usage of the word "proof" in this instance has evolved. If "proof" started as the amount of alcohol which would keep a fire burning (so 60% or 120 proof), and anything over that is "overproof", then why isn't anything below that "underproof"? And really, it's hard to believe you ever had a misspent youth...

Cheers, Celia

And really, it's hard to believe you ever had a misspent youth...

Oh, you might be surprised. At times, I spent pretty heavily.

For a while I even had a 'reputation' (hollow, but nonetheless...)

Here's a slice of the finished fruitcake :

Now that's what I call a fruit cake. I love the way the fruit is so evenly distributed! I'm not much of a cake maker, and usually I get the consistency of the batter wrong so that the fruit ends up clumping or falling to the bottom. Yours looks delicious.

Matilda

Thanks Matilda, it's a good, old-fashioned Women's Weekly recipe. It's what's known as a boiled fruitcake - the fruit is boiled in the butter, sugar and rum, and then allowed to cool down completely in the covered pot (that bit's very important), before the eggs and flour are stirred in. I baked it in a sturdy heavy duty bundt pan, which meant it cooked much faster than normal. I think the boiling of the fruit plumps it all out and makes it much less likely to all clump at the bottom. If you feel brave enough to try again, recipe is here.

Good old Women's Weekly, where would we be without it?
One of these days when I am feeling bold I will try your recipe out. My friend the Francophile loves fruit cake and would be delighted to have one cooked for him.

Recollections from chemistry lesson at school (many moons ago) - where we distilled the wine we'd made into spirit. The cleaners took the final product for removing graffiti off the walls "better than any cleaning liquid!".

It's not the strength of the alcohol (though drinking 70+% alcohol regularly probably isn't going to be good for you), but the purity. The higher the alcohol % the more risk that you take a layer too high in the distillation process. I can't recall that layer, but suspect it's the methanol mentioned earlier. If you're accurate in distillation, then no issue.

I wonder if the rum works similar to cask strength whisky, in that mixed 50:50 with water (or for rum with mixers etc.) it releases a greater aroma than an equivalent strength drink made with 35-40% alc rum.

regards

Ian

Ian, ethanol forms volatile gaseous solutions with other chemical compounds called azeotropes. Each azeotrope has its own particular boiling point. For distilling alcoholic beverages, the primary azeotrope you want to capture consists of 95% ethanol and 5% water. As the still is heated, the temperature gradually rises, and at some point the temperature of the vapor will stay constant at the ethanol/water azeotrope's boiling point. This is the fraction of the distillate that you primarily want to collect. The azeotropes that evaporate at a lower temperature (the heads of the distillate) and those that evaporate at a higher temperature (the tails of the distillate) contain other volatile organic compounds, many of which (e.g., methanol) are quite toxic. So these fractions (collectively called fusel oils) are usually discarded.

Note that you can't get rid of that 5% of water just by more careful redistillation. If you want anhydrous ethanol, you have to do something like add benzene and then distill out the azeotrope consisting of 98% ethanol and 2% benzene (but no water). Of course it would be unwise to drink that one. Or you can filter the 95% ethanol/5% water fluid through a hygroscopic material such as calcium chloride to remove the water and leave 100% ethanol (such as is used in chemical laboratories and frat punches at nerdy colleges).

-Paul W.

Paul
Many thanks!
regards
Ian

Ian, ethanol forms volatile gaseous solutions with other chemical compounds called azeotropes. Each azeotrope has its own particular boiling point. For distilling alcoholic beverages, the primary azeotrope you want to capture consists of 95% ethanol and 5% water. As the still is heated, the temperature gradually rises, and at some point the temperature of the vapor will stay constant at the ethanol/water azeotrope's boiling point. This is the fraction of the distillate that you primarily want to collect. The azeotropes that evaporate at a lower temperature (the heads of the distillate) and those that evaporate at a higher temperature (the tails of the distillate) contain other volatile organic compounds, many of which (e.g., methanol) are quite toxic. So these fractions (collectively called fusel oils) are usually discarded.

Good explanation, Paul. To put the distillation problem into perspective: methanol boils at 64.2°C and the ethanol:water azeotrope at 78.2°C. That may sound like a big difference, but it's not unless you're very experienced at distillation.

Mark Lipton

Thanks Matilda, it's a good, old-fashioned Women's Weekly recipe. It's what's known as a boiled fruitcake - the fruit is boiled in the butter, sugar and rum, and then allowed to cool down completely in the covered pot (that bit's very important), before the eggs and flour are stirred in. I baked it in a sturdy heavy duty bundt pan, which meant it cooked much faster than normal. I think the boiling of the fruit plumps it all out and makes it much less likely to all clump at the bottom. If you feel brave enough to try again, recipe is here.

Hi "C"!
Currants are not widely available here (at least not where I live), do you have a clue as to what I might use and come close to the original as for looks and flavor? I am wondering if I couldn't just increase the black and golden raisins amounts and cheat that way.

Bobby, I've made this recipe dozens of times, and it's very flexible. When I first started making it, I used exactly the ingredients specified, but now I leave out the glace fruit and sometimes the mixed peel (Pete doesn't like peel, but I do). I think you could use any combination of mixed dried fruits, providing you kept the overall quantity about the same.

Some notes, in case you're thinking of making it :

- 250g butter is the same as 2 sticks/16 Tbsp butter (I always used salted in this recipe)

- I'm not sure if you get treacle in the States, but it's halfway between molasses and golden syrup. The treacle actually makes a big difference to the flavour.

- I only ever use lemon rind, never bother with orange

- bicarbonate of soda is baking soda, and I always sieve it as I'm adding it to the mix - the first time I didn't and there were bitter lumps in the final cake

- if you're planning to to bake it in either the round of square tins specified (which I think produces the best results - I wasn't as happy with the bundt pan I used last time) - the best bet is to line the pan with parchment paper. Try to bring the paper an inch or two above the top of the pan, as this affords the top of the cake some protection during the long baking time.

- 150C is 300F (I know I didn't need to tell you, Bob, but just in case anyone else was interested )

- it's important to let the mix cool to room temp after boiling, or you'll scramble the eggs when you add them. I mix the whole thing in one big pot - I simmer it over low heat (watch it doesn't burn), covered, then let it sit, covered, until it's lukewarm or cool (you won't believe how it smells when you take the lid off). Then I stir all the other ingredients in, straight in the pot, the scoop it into the pan to cook.

- lastly - and I swear by this with all fruitcakes - when the cake is cooked (start testing after a couple of hours - it's cooked with a thin sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean), I brush the hot cake with another couple of Tbsps of brandy, then cover it tightly with foil, and then wrap it in a tea towel. Then I let it sit until it's completely cool - usually overnight. This produces a lovely, moist cake. I keep them wrapped tightly in clingfilm and then foil, and store them in the fridge, where they keep for months and months. They cut really well out of the fridge, and come back to room temperature very quickly.

Sigh. Sorry, Bobby, that was probably far more information than you wanted to know, but having made hundreds of fruit cakes over the years, it's something that I got quite passionate about!

Cheers, Celia