Mara-Amu

The second most common juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; 4% from citric and 2% from malic, with small amounts of succinic acid (this is what gives it a little bloody taste). Lime juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A citrus juice used in many cocktails, both for its sweet and tart taste and its color. Orange juice, unlike lemon and lime, can be kept fresh for days. In a blind taste test, most people liked day-old orange juice.

A juice used in some cocktails for its tart and acidic properties. Grapefruit juice can be pre-squeezed and kept fresh for many days like orange juice, unlike lemon and lime juice.

A concentrated fruit syrup made from the pulp or 'juice' of passion fruits. You can make it by combining equal parts (by mass) pasison fruit purée to simple syrup. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

Often referred to as silver or white, these rums are actually lightly aged (1-3 years), but have had any color filtered out. They are typically molasses based (as opposed to the cane juice-based rhum agricole, clairin, or cachaça). Flavors range from light (Bacardi, Caña Brava, Plantation 3 Star, El Dorado 3) to more flavorful blended options (Probitas, Ten-To-One).

Although a nebulous term, gold rum most often refers to molasses-based rums influenced by moderate aging (3-8 years). Flavor profiles vary. Unless noted otherwise, recipes usually call for something on the lighter end of the spectrum so that other ingredients can shine through.

Produced at the traditional sugarcane farms and distilleries of Jamaica, these molasses-based rums are beloved for their funky notes of tropical fruit. These can be bottled as a blend of pot and column-still rums (e.g., Appleton Signature) or as 100% pot still (e.g., Smith & Cross). Many recipes specifically call for Smith & Cross, which is elevated in both ABV and funky flavors. These rums are usually aged between 5 and 12 years, often in the tropical climate of Jamaica.