Bamboo Door is a brand new bar located in the trendy Leopold Square in Sheffield centre, and is the city's first tiki bar. All about a laid back atmosphere and good vibes, it's helping to bring a much needed indie injection to the area. Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend the taster edition of their upcoming rum sessions, and find out about their new Rum Club, a loyalty scheme with loads of benefits such as permanent happy hour*!
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| The bar - just look at that rum selection! |
Our host for the evening, Tom, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and wearing a fetching Hawaiian shirt - what more could you wish for?! I started the night with Tom's recommendation, the Pisco Flower Sour. Made with top quality ingredients (Capel Pisco, elderflower liqueur, Aperol, pink grapefruit juice, lemon, sugar syrup, an egg white, and a dash of Amargo Chunco bitters), it was sharp, refreshing and original. It was also almost too pretty to drink!
We then settled down to our session. Beginning with a brief overview of the history of rum and how it's made, we moved on to look at the chosen range - Ron Zacapa. This wasn't a rum I was previously familiar with, and I was impressed that something a little out of the ordinary was chosen for this event.
We sipped on a delicious Spiced Daiquiri, made from Zacapa 23, Green Chartreuse and sugar syrup, whilst Tom explained the ageing process of the rum (at 2,300 feet above sea level!) including the complicated but traditional "solera" system used, whereby bottles are filled from the bottom barrel of a pyramid, with the empty space filled from the cask above, and so on, all the way to the top.
Then on to the rum itself! A signature Ron Zacapa 23 was first. Made only with first press sugar cane honey, it could be said to be the extra virgin olive oil of the rum world! A long fermentation with pineapple yeast produces a wonderful tropical fruit feel. There's also tons of vanilla in the nose, and a smooth woodiness on the palate. The rum was served with a little cube of organic dark chocolate, which really brought out the cocoa elements in the drink. I really enjoyed this - a brilliant summery alternative to my usual whisky-based choices.
We were also treated to a taster of the Zacapa XO. This rum spends the first 23 years of its life in the exact same way as the previous rum sampled, but is then finished in cognac casks for a further two years, which gives it a much richer, deeper flavour. The aroma was full of demerara sugar, with a hint of leather and tobacco underneath. The flavour was full of fruit again, but more reminiscent of dark fruits such as cherries alongside just a hint of pineapple. A very long, tinglingly sweet finish became gradually spicier as I sipped away.
The tasting event as a whole was really enjoyable, and was entertainingly informative. Being an independent bar, there's a relatively small number of people working at Bamboo Door, which means the bar retains much more personality and it's clear that the staff are passionate about what they do. The Sunday Rum Sessions will run on the first Sunday of each month, and cost £25 (£15 for Rum Club members) which will include at least two rums and a cocktail, plus food pairings. Each month will focus on a different brand of rum, ensuring that the bar is able to showcase everything it has to offer (and there's a lot of it!). Anybody who thinks that rum is just Bacardi or Sailor Jerry's, you'd be in for a real surprise - and a massive treat!
Cheers,
Laura
*Happy hour runs all the time for Rum Club members, excluding Saturday nights
