7 y Miel

When you have a great rum, you have a lot of different options as to what you can do with it. There are times when we like a cocktail that has a lot of complexity to it. There are other times when we want something simple. Frankly, there are also many times when just drink rum neat, but we are going to focus on a simple drink with the 7 y Miel. This is a cocktail that is designed to showcase Havana Club Añejo 7 años, an aged rum that is one of the most popular from the brand’s lineup, and it is drink that we really enjoy sipping when we want to keep things simple and have a easy night at home.

The drink is warm and spicy, with just the right touch of sweetness from the honey syrup – made with equal parts honey and water – to bring out the dried fruit and tobacco notes in the rum without being overly sweet in any way. One of the things that makes this such an enjoyable drink is that this rum, although it is aged for 7 years, is not heavily oaked and it doesn’t end up tasting like a bourbon (though this can easily be adapted to be a good bourbon drink) in your glass. A light dusting of freshly grated cinnamon gives the drink a wonderful aroma as you go to take that first sip. We have a cinnamon grater, but you can get away with a fine microplane and it is worth the effort to grate fresh, rather than using preground cinnamon in this case.

One of the reasons that we like to keep things simple when we use this rum is that it isn’t easy for us to get. We have to wait until we have an international trip scheduled and a chance to stop by a duty free store – or the chance to convince a friend who is traveling internationally that s/he really wants to carry a bottle or two of Havana Club back to us. If we offer to make them a drink (or buy them a bottle), they usually take us up on the offer, so try that strategy the next time you need someone to pick up some for you!

7 y Miel
1 3/4 oz Havana Club Añejo 7 años
1/2 oz honey syrup
cinnamon sticks

In an old fashioned glass, stir together Havana Club 7 Anos and honey syrup. Add one or two large ice cubes. Grate a bit of fresh cinnamon on top.

Serves 1.