WINE & SPIRITS

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Porfidio Anejo, a French Antilles distillate barreled and aged in Mexico, had a Scotch-like aroma but a tequila-like taste. And a 1977 Panama-born Rum Nation shot (aged in Scotland for 23-years) had a turpentine nose and a real single-malt finish.

Michael Schmidt, the scholarly man behind the Elbow Beach Veranda Bar, reserved his real heavy-hitter aged rums for last. Out came another 23-year-old bottle, a five-time gold medal winner from Ron Zacapa of Guatemala. Rich and complex, it had bold chocolate, butter and cherry notes. The next jewel, a $300-a-bottle Pyrat Cask 23—aged 40 years in Anguilla—displayed citrus aromas and a rush of Grand Marnier orange. The finale was that precious Havana Club Maximo, a blend of 15- to 25-year-old reserve rums offered by Schmidt in large brandy snifters.

Our fine rum onslaught was followed by—deep breath—a rum-pairing dinner, featuring a vibrant array of classic rum cocktails. Head-spinning aside, I was up for the challenge. First came the local favorite, Dark and Stormy, a drink invented in Bermuda featuring ginger beer and the island's own Gosling's rum in both light (Gold) and dark (Black Seal) varieties. This was followed by a lighter riff on the same theme, Light and Stormy, with 10 Cane as its base.

With the onslaught of daiquiris, mojitos, Cuba libres, flamingos, coladas, punches and swizzles, the rest of the night was, frankly, a blur. Still, I do recall the 10 Cane lime daiquiri, appropriately tart (not sweet) so the rum's fresh sugarcane taste still shined through. These were, as a package, civilized drinks—not for robbing and pillaging, but for settling quickly into a slow island pace.