CULTURE RHUM, the story of Men?
Breton journalist Patrick Mahé, former editor-in-chief of Paris Match, presents his latest book, Culture Rhum. Once upon a time, there was Rum... By Manon Parent
After writing Culture champagne, and Culture whisky why Culture rhum ? Whisky is a love story. I'm from Brittany, and whisky is a Celtic drink. I became interested in champagne when I learned that the Champagne region wanted to classify it as a Unesco heritage site. It's a very complicated process and I wanted to support them. For rum, I met the representative of the Reunionese rum distillery Savanna, whose father had started distilling rum in Mauritius. For a long time, however, cane plantations were the exclusive preserve of the Commonwealth. This revival of the cultureof la canne a m'donne envie talk about it. |
 |
|
|
Didyour inspiration for Culture Rhum emerge from the comics, films and stories which ont fait du rhum une entité aussi vieille les hommes? Rum is a universal drink like whisky, (West Indies, Caribbean, Philippines, Jamaica). Its universe is full of pirate stories and sailor songs, like Blackbeard, Long John Silver ( Treasure Island ) or Jack Sparrow ( Pirates of the Caribbean) . How did go about writing your book? First of all, I called in the specialists. The storesL'Art de Vivre aux Caraïbes (Paris), which has 700 rum references, La Maison du Whisky (Paris, La Réunion, Singapore) and la Cave Whisky et Rhum, which 'is the shop of a friend from Brittany. He is an expert in rums from the English and Spanish schools, which are often referred to as rhum agricole (their color is white). For the illustrations, I just asked the distilleries I visited for photos, old pubs and posters which retraced their heritage. | |
Rhum Guadeloupe ©Coll.P. MoreauAs you yourself say, rum is the 3rd most widely sold spirit in the world, after whisky and vodka. Why isn't first rank?
Rum suffers from an old-fashioned image. Its rustic composition was intended for people who didn't "know how to drink", sailors and roughnecks... With the arrival of whisky, it was pushed aside. It was also the drink of soldiers in the trenches, and left a certain mark on society. However, with the rise of mixology, rum is making a comeback at .
Who sont les célébrités qui ont contribuer a redorer l'image du rhum ? Ernest Hemingway! Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and a leading figure in Cuban rum. He contributed to the legend of the bar Floridita where he often came to drink his daiquiri without sugar (double dose of rum and lime ). For our internauts, do you have a rum favorite? One no, but many yeses! I particularly like Les Trois Rivièresfrom Martinique , la cuvée Océan. It goes perfectly with oysters from Brittany, with its slightly floral notes. The Neisson rum , whose plantations are at the foot of the Pelee Mountain. The tasteis plus suave. |
|
|
Floridita time © Havana Club-Laurence Winram
Can you tell us one of the things that struck you most during your "quest" for rum?
The most expensive bottle in the world! There isindeed a unique bottle of rum worth 100,000 euros: cuvée 1966 from Maison Clément ! Worth 4 carats en cristal baccarat d'un bouchon en joaillerie.
Afinal tiptoadd totaste the rumas itshould ?
Yes, of course. Rum is a question of timing. You should never drink dark rum at the beginning of a meal. Only at the end and neat, as with digestives. Otherwise, try a good white rum cocktail as an aperitif!
Havana Club Maestros del Ron Cubano © Havana Club-Laurence Winram.jpg
CULTURERHUM éditions du Chêne-E/P/A, written by Patrick Mahé and available in bookshops, 35 euros incl. VAT France
