Overproof Rum

Overproof rum does exactly what it says on the tin – it is a category of rum bottled at an usually high ABV, or over standard proof. Back in the day, Brits would measure alcohol proof by mixing it with gunpowder and seeing if it would still light. Rums over 57.15% would burn and were deemed ‘overproof’; those that were lower strength wouldn’t, and were named ‘underproof’. Don’t try this at home. Obviously. (Over in the US ‘proof’ simply equates to 1% ABV. A much safer, less explosive way of measuring alcohol. You can see why the British version was dropped.) Today, higher ABV rums work beautifully in cocktails. A robustly characterful overproof rum can be wonderfully balanced in an array of serves. Why not try your overproof tipple in a Rum Old Fashioned, a punchy Daiquiri, or even simply a Rum Punch?