Beverage Supervisor Chase Lanier isn’t only a rum fanatic; he’s a “rummelier,” a title that displays his deep experience on this planet of rum.
Images by Sorry Charlie’s
Very like a sommelier guides friends via wine, Lanier gives insights into rum’s numerous regional types, manufacturing methods, and taste profiles. At The Bamboo Room in Savannah, Georgia, Lanier is redefining how we expertise this often-overlooked spirit.
Lanier’s journey into rum was born out of alternative. “Truthfully, it was all about circumstances. Sorry Charlie’s opened numerous doorways,” he shares. His time at The Bamboo Room Tiki Bar, the place his basic supervisor noticed his potential, allowed him the liberty to discover rum’s complexities. “That have gave me the house to dive deeper into rum,” Lanier explains.
With over 200 rums behind the bar, Lanier’s strategy to curating the gathering balances tried-and-true favorites with adventurous new choices. Whereas he’s a fan of established manufacturers like Foursquare and Ten to One, he additionally welcomes uncommon and funky bottles.
“Having that range is a part of the enjoyable when friends are available in – if they are saying they don’t like rum, then I can flip it round and present them a rum they might like as a result of we’ve got so many various taste profiles in home,” Lanier says.
To assist friends discover their good rum, Lanier has developed a sequence of questions based mostly on their preferences. For those who’re a bourbon drinker, he suggests Barbados rums like The Actual McCoy 12, identified for his or her complexity and spice notes. Tequila lovers will get pleasure from Blanc rums from Martinique, whereas these with a candy tooth can strive Ron Zacapa Centenario. Lanier additionally highlights the “funky” Jamaican Hampden Property rum for adventurous friends.
One false impression Lanier typically encounters is that rum is overly candy or solely appropriate for frozen seashore drinks. “Rum is way completely different than some other spirit – the range and wide selection of style and flavors that you simply get out of rum units it aside,” he says.
“Particularly alongside tequilas or bourbon, if a visitor blind exams rum, they may simply mistake it for an additional kind of spirit.”
Although tiki is a central theme at The Bamboo Room, Lanier’s cocktails transcend typical tiki fare. One standout creation was a rum-based Previous Customary, made with mezcal, Japanese chili, lime bitters, and cherry wooden smoke, a deceptively easy drink with a posh taste profile.
Lanier’s ardour for rum additionally extends to its historical past. He’s a self-proclaimed historical past nerd, and he gravitates towards merchandise with compelling backstories. However above all, he values the visitor expertise. “It’s about serving to somebody discover one thing they like and perhaps introducing them to a brand new favourite,” he explains.
Trying forward, Lanier is optimistic about rum’s future. He predicts that, very similar to tequila’s latest rise, rum will expertise the same surge in recognition.
“I feel the way forward for rum is vast open,” Lanier says. “Rums that we’ve been carrying since day one are popping up in bars, and I count on to see them extra on cocktail menus in advantageous eating and chain eating places.”
Along with his deep information of the spirit and a laid-back, guest-first strategy, Lanier helps to shift perceptions round rum, one cocktail at a time. At The Bamboo Room, each pour tells a narrative, and due to Lanier’s ardour and palate, extra persons are discovering that rum isn’t simply price sipping, however price celebrating.
