This Might Be The Best Rum To Mix With Coke

A rum and Coke is a classic cocktail available just about anywhere you might think to order an alcoholic beverage. While some mixed drinks depend on preparation styles and can taste completely different if not crafted with a skilled hand, a rum and Coke almost always serves as a safe bet because it's incredibly simple to make. There are some ways to level up your rum and Coke experience, including deciding on what type of spirit to use in the cocktail.  You certainly can whip up a cocktail with your average well rum, but consider treating yourself to a slightly more elevated experience with a bottle that has a little something extra.

Ryan Sutton, the chief food critic for Eater New York, gave one particular suggestion to Food52 — the eight-year-old Rhum Barbancourt. According to Sutton, that particular type of rum is ideal for the cocktail because of its dry taste and has an alcohol content that's high enough to make your drink potent without completely overpowering the other elements in the beverage.

If you're a huge fan of rum and Coke and you decide to follow Sutton's recommendation, you need to know one thing about the particular rum he recommends. Rhum Barbancourt qualifies as an agricole-style rum, which means it's crafted from pressed cane sugar. Many other rums without that particular designation are made from fermented juice or cane byproducts and most commonly molasses, as Vinepair explains. This process of distilling ties back to Rhum Barbancourt's long history, as it was first crafted in 1862, with the ingredients gathered from a 600-hectare plantation (via Crillon Importers Ltd.). It uses a particular yeast that is exclusive to the style, which works its magic on the pressed cane juice, and then the rum is aged in oak barrels for added flavor.

You end up with a product that features notes of dark chocolate, baking spices, caramel, a slight herbaceous quality, and a pleasant finish with sweetness and nuttiness, according to Drinkhacker. This perfect Coke pairing has an added bonus — while you may worry that the eight-year aging designation yields a pricy product, the rum's true price varies slightly between retailers and you can typically pick up a bottle for between $25 and $50 (via Triphammer Wines & Spirits). Next time you need to whip up this classic cocktail, don't forget to add a splash of Rhum Barbancourt for a decadent experience.