While my son was home on break, he ran across my prized bottle of rum cream. He knew that sometimes when I return home from Jamaica, the only thing I bring back is a bottle of this magical elixir. I’m sure he wondered what was so special about it that of all the things I could have brought back, I chose to bring back rum cream. So one day he asked me an important question: “Why?”
Ironically, it was a similar question that led to me being introduced to this beverage. Flashback to 2002. It was my first time in Jamaica and I was more than happy about being there. Our group was staying at an all-inclusive resort. One day my roomies and I took a walk along the beach. As soon as we got outside of the hotel property, a couple of the local residents called us over to them. They asked each of us to bring them back a different, specific drink. They also told us that there would be no problem taking the drinks off the grounds. (Yeah, right. But what did we know?) The guy that approached me asked for something called a “rum cream”. I had never heard of it but it must exist because he asked for it, right?
Busted!
We walked back to the hotel, straight to the nearest bar, and got the drinks our new-found “friends” had asked for. Returning back down the beach, we walked past the security guard at the gate, who, unbeknownst to us, had seen the entire exchange with our “friends”. They were patiently waiting for us a few yards down the beach. Having delivered the drinks, we headed back to the hotel again, but this time we were stopped by the guard. He calmly yet firmly explained that what we had just done was not allowed, and if we did it again, our all-inclusive wristbands would be cut off. If that happened, we’d end up having to pay for everything — food, drinks, hotel’s watersports, etc. — from that point forward. This happened on the second day of a week-long stay. Lesson learned.
Sometimes first-hand experience is the best teacher. Actually, I learned a few lessons from that experience: 1) obviously, you can’t take drinks off the grounds of an all-inclusive resort and give them to anyone not staying there, 2) ok, so now I know that this is how some locals get over, how they get what they want from tourists, 3) that security guard gave us a break. He could easily have cut off our wristbands right then and there, and 4) that all-inclusive wristband is like a neon sign instantly marking you as a touri$t, whether or not you are seen actually entering or leaving the resort.
What is rum cream?
After recovering from nearly losing my all-inclusive privileges, I began wondering: Just what is rum cream? What is so special about it? And why would someone jeopardize another person’s vacation for it? (Never mind, don’t answer that.) I had just avoided some serious trouble over something I had no idea what it even was. So that afternoon, I bellied up to one of the outdoor bars and ordered one for myself. This time I stayed on the premises with it.
Rum cream, it turns out, is a liqueur. The bartender served it to me in a cup over ice. Just like the name suggests, it is cream with rum in it; usually rich cream and premium, aged rum. Rum and cream. Sounds simple, right? But, my goodness, that stuff tastes incredibly delicious! Cool and refreshing on a hot afternoon. Enough rum to do the job if you’re not careful. Sweet and creamy enough to be a perfect after-dinner beverage. I do not remember how many of those things I had during the course of my stay, but it was a LOT.
At the airport on the way back to the States, I picked up a bottle to share with my wife at home. (She loved it, too!) Since then, every trip back to Jamaica, except one, has found me returning with a bottle or two of this delightful, exquisite, creamy concoction.
Rum cream flavors
I learned over the course of these subsequent trips that there are several makers of rum cream: O’Rileys, Appleton, World’s End, Sangster’s, Wray and Nephew, and Lillifield, to name a few. In addition to the original, there are flavored versions like coffee, Blue Mountain (JABLUM) coffee, banana, coconut, and rum raisin. After trying many of these, my favorite, by far, is still the original made by Lillifield; the one I first had during that 2002 trip. It is a bit sweeter than some of the others, and seems to have a bit less rum. At home, all it takes is to pour some in a tumbler over ice, and a few sips later I am relaxed and mentally back in Ocho Rios.
I also found out not only is rum cream sublime to drink on its own, it is great to bake with. One day, out of the blue, I got this idea to add some to a cheesecake I was planning to bake. Intending to ensure the flavor of the rum came through without clashing, I changed out a few of the ingredients called for in the original recipe. I ended up with a completely new cheesecake recipe based on rum cream. The end result was delicious! Everyone who tasted it fell in love with it. No one could identify the “secret ingredient”.
Can you buy rum cream in the US?
What happened the time I didn’t bring any rum cream back? We were rushed to get to our flight and there was no time to stop at the airport shop and pick up any. When I arrived back home, I scoured the internet looking for a place that carried it. Eventually, I found a company that would ship a bottle direct from Jamaica. Due to the various restrictions on shipping the product, the total price to have it delivered here ended up being three or four times as much as it would have cost had I bought a bottle at the airport. Was it worth all that trouble? Absolutely! Although I have found and tried a couple of other imitations versions of the liqueur here in the States, none come close to Jamaican rum cream.
Apparently, rum cream is not sold here in the United States. One site says that is because preservatives have to be added to imports like this. Another site says it is prohibited to ship it here. I suggest if you find some while you’re in the Caribbean, especially rum cream from Jamaica, buy it there and bring it back home in your checked suitcase. Trust me. Having TSA confiscate this stuff from a carry-on bag has caused grown men to cry. There are many stories about this happening. It almost happened to me on my last trip to Jamaica.
When I tried to explain to my son why rum cream is so special to me, I gave him the nutshell version. Basically, I just told him how good it tastes and that you can’t get it here. I didn’t tell him exactly how I found out about this wonderful drink. I didn’t tell him about getting busted by the security guard. I didn’t tell him how just a couple of sips takes me right back to my beloved Jamaica. Maybe one day he’ll read this and understand the history behind my obsession with this magnificent beverage. Maybe one day he’ll enjoy a glass of his own, in Jamaica, and become a fan just like his dad.
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