Rhubarb Hiball

I have a big love affair with Goldstone Rum. The owners, John & Georgina, are absolute diamonds and produce some fantastic Rum unique to the British scene. Why? Well, they use Cane Juice.

Now I know what's coming here...

The old school will immediately think that we haven't got Cane Juice in the UK as we don't grow sugar cane. And, certain Caribbean distillers will have you think that Cane HAS to be juiced within hours of it being Harvested. Now, I'm not here to say they're right or wrong. After all, I have no expertise in that field. However, what I can testify to are 2 things;

Firstly, as a result, the Rum they produce definitely has that Juice twang and tastes amazing.
Secondly, certain other Caribbean Cane Juice Distillers make no secret of Cane being laid down in the Sun for weeks, so the water content evaporates, therefore leaving the Cane Juice more concentrated and more flavourful when they do eventually Juice it. Now Martinique AOC prevents this. But then to flip your thinking here, to relate this to Cognac or even Champagne who also have very strict rules. There is some fantastic Brandy in France produced outside of the Cognac AOC. Also, certain British Sparkling Wine Producers actually officially produce better "Sparkling Wine" than some Champagne Houses according to international awards and experts in blind tasting! Champagne and Cognac can/are no longer considered the best of the best.

My own personal take...

I'd actually say in this day and age, there is no right or wrong. Believe what you want. But the simple fact that can not be argued is that distilling technology and storage solutions are vastly different in 2023 to what they were in 2015, let alone in 1950 when the whole "Cane must be juiced immediately" became a thing. Some people will always live in the dark ages and never question it. Others will simply challenge and find a new way of doing things. It's simply called evolution.

But John sources his juice from London, from a wholesaler who imports whole Sugar Cane for his Juice Bar. This Cane is juiced to Order, and John has it fermenting back in Brighton within hours. So the Juice itself is as fresh as the actual juice in Martinique or Guadeloupe.

Anyway... when it comes to their Rum, we all agree, that a simple Fizzy Rhubarb is one of the best combos. I've opted for a Rhubarb Syrup and Soda. But try it with Luscombe Rhubarb or if you can find it, Frittz Rhubarb Soda.