For Christmas 2015, I treated myself to a bottle of Plantation Black Cask 1651 Rum. I have been very impressed with the rums produced by Plantation, such as Plantation 3 Stars Rum and Plantation Barbados XO Rum 20th Anniversary and the ‘black cask’ labeling intrigued me, so I had to try out the rum. In my opinion this rum is a very well balanced rum. Plantation have done a great job again, so I can certainly recommend it and Black Cask will have to become a permanent fixture in my drinks cabineton my back bar. My initial reaction was that it tasted like a Jamaican rum, but looking closely at the label, this black cask rum was a blend of rums from Barbados, Bélize and Trinidad. Mmm. Maybe, there is strong pot still rum in there that is reminding me of Jamaican rum. Then I thought that this blend may be ideal for a Mai Tai. So I had to try. And yes, it does work, making a very delicious variation on the Mai Tai.
BTW: Plantation rums are produced by Maison Ferrand which also produce the Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Triple Sec used in this Mai Tai.
| 2 oz | 60 ml | Plantation Black Cask 1651 Rum, 40% ABV |
| ½ oz | 15 ml | Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Triple Sec |
| ¼ oz | 7.5 ml | Monin Sirop d’Orgeat (almond syrup) |
| 1 oz | 30 ml | Fresh lime juice |
| ¼ oz | 7.5 ml | Bar syrup |
Shake together with crushed ice and pour contents including ice into a Tiki mug, garnish and serve.
Postscript (2016-03-13): Having compared the original Mai Tai recipe to my Black Cask Mai Tai, I think that the original recipe still has the edge. The Black Cask Mai Tai nevertheless is still a very delicious alternative!