Enjoy a safe buzz by sipping on rum with moderate rum proof levels
Your adventure into the world of rum will remain heady in a comfortable manner only if you learn to enjoy a safe buzz by sipping on rum with moderate rum proof levels. There are several types of rum that are available with different alcohol strength or proof levels and your body as well as mind should be prepared to handle the punch delivered by some strong rums.
Rum is derived from sugarcane and this potent liquor requires passing through fermentation and sometimes repeated distillation and aging to reward you with light, amber, or dark rum that is truly nectar to the lips. However, amber and dark rum are quite strong and can thus affect your senses very quickly if you are a novice in the world of strong rum. The proof levels in rum indicate the amount of alcohol present in the particular rum. Thus, it would be wise to read the labels posted on various rum bottles before you start drinking it straight from the bottle or even enjoy it on the rocks.
Light or white rum usually has around 30 to 40 percent alcohol strength that is also known as 40 to 80 rum proof since proof levels are double the displayed alcohol strength. These rums are usually mixed in several rum recipes including mojito recipes and cocktails since the rum itself does not have a distinct character other than a little sweetness that might impress you on its own. Some rum brands such as parrot bay rum and bacardi also offer readymade flavored rum in this variant that will simply stun your palate with its fruity flavor with the very first sip.
Gold or amber rum variants contain roughly around 40 to 55 percent alcohol strength or 80 to 110 rum proof levels. Since sugarcane prefers tropical climate that is mostly prevalent in countries such as Jamaica and Barbados, amongst several such countries, you will truly find most variants of rum originating from these countries. You will also find several jamaican drinks and several unique recipes that use barbados rum in light, gold, and dark variants that will dilute your rum to just the right extent to help you enjoy a heady buzz instead of keeling over after a few gulps of rum or waking up with a massive hangover.
Dark or black rum contains proof levels that again range between 80 and 150 proof or strength levels between 40 and 75 percent. These rums are aged for a longer time and can be enjoyed straight or on the rocks to decipher its rich body and character, but only if your system can handle such strong rum liquor. Another variant of rum known as overproof rum is so strong that it is best enjoyed only after sufficient dilution. Overproof rum such as bacardi 151 rum amongst a few others are 151 proof or contain 75.5 percent alcohol strength that can bring down any novice with just a few sips. You should thus enjoy this variant only when it is diluted by blending it into different rum recipes.
There are various brands of rum such as don q rum, old monk rum, el dorado rum, pyrat rum, etc that offer various types of rum with different proof levels. You should firstly calculate the limits of your own system before you attempt to sip on extremely strong rum and until then should only enjoy a safe buzz by sipping on rum with moderate rum proof levels.