A pair of Caribbean twin sisters, a Victorian pastor and a grilled pineapple - by Jan Ohrt

Rum blogger Jan Ohrt delves into Charles Dickens' hypocritical Reverend Stiggins, who loved rum with pineapple, hot water and sugar cubes but was too cheap to pay for it himself. At the same time, he explains how to make a suitable dessert, with grilled pineapple, mango sauce and vanilla ice cream. The dessert is delicious with a glass or two of rum, so Jan Ohrt recommends choosing Plantation Rum. And he can't resist sharing his opinion on pineapple on pizza.

Blogpost by Jan Ohrt

We all have an opinion about the sweet exotic fruit pineapple and especially whether it belongs on top of a pizza can really get people talking and has almost divided the country into two irreconcilable camps. Personally, I think pineapple has no place on a pizza, especially when it's lifted up like slimy little squares from a can filled with syrup of questionable quality and shame on the Greek-Canadian moron who first did it in 1962 at his so-called restaurant in Ontario, Canada. Not that I have anything against pineapple, not at all, and I've tasted examples from both Caribbean and Southeast Asian cuisine where this glorious fruit can really elevate a meal to great heights. When it's fresh, that is.

Of course, pineapples are abundant on virtually all of the Caribbean islands, it is believed that the fruit was introduced by seafaring Indians from the South American mainland and some of the island states have adopted it as their own and elevated it to national fruit. So it's almost inevitable that at some point it would be paired with rum in one way or another.

Plantation Pine Apple Rum Original Dark 40%
One of these more successful pairings comes in the form of the two sisters, Plantation Pine Apple Rum Original Dark and Plantation Pineapple Rum Smoky Formula Limited Edition, both surnamed Stiggins' Fancy after a character from Charles Dickins' Pickwick Papers. Reverend Stiggins is a somewhat pathetic and pathetic person whose diet consists primarily of alcohol, which he hypocritically begs for from Mrs. Weller whenever Mr. Weller is even remotely absent. Reverend Stiggins' absolute favorite is pineapple rum with a little hot water and a few lumps of sugar(!), which is why he has these two rum sisters named after him.

Let's start our Victorian journey with the mild sister, Plantation Pineapple Rum Original Dark, where pineapple is added twice, first in the form of hand-peeled peels infused in three-star plantation rum, which in turn is distilled and blended with a Original Dark infused with the pure pulp. All this work, according to the producer, should give us a rich and delicate pineapple bouquet.

In my opinion, it's actually hit the mark quite well. The aroma of good dark rum and pineapple is mild, well-balanced and delicate with notes of cloves and toffee, without any of them being too intrusive. On the tongue, the good times continue, where it fortunately tastes more like classic dark rum than pineapple and where you can quickly spend a Saturday afternoon sipping half a bottle only to realize that you only have half a bottle left. As a mixer, it really comes into its own and should be a staple ingredient in any party bar. I first tried a Dark and Stormy and found that ginger suits this rum bitch quite well, after which I walked the plank and poured a good splash into a glass of Diet Coke, which I never drink even fortified. This brutal test was also passed with flying colors.

Would I buy another bottle Plantation Pineapple Rum Original Dark 40%?
I don't think so Maybe, maybe, maybe Probably Yes Probably Yes

Pineapple Rum Smoky Formula Limited Edition Plantation 40%
I don't know who at the manufacturer came up with the idea of pouring the original Stiggins' Fancy into 200 liter old oak whiskey barrels and leaving it there to see what happened, but it was a good idea. The result is a clear upgrade of a product that is actually quite good from the start and it turns out that smoke and oak suits Stiggins' Fancy and gives her a whole new leg up with the logical and bite-sized name Plantation Pineapple Rum Smoky Formula Limited Edition.

The producer doesn't say how long this rum has been barrel-aged, but it can't have been very long. Of course, you get a little smoke in the nose alongside the notes from the original variant, but no campfire. In the mouth, it's still mild and sweet without losing any of the fruity nuances, but it seems that the finishing has toned down the sweet ingredients a bit and that's actually an improvement. However, there's not much new flavor under the sun other than a palate like a freshly struck match for a brief moment, but all in all, it's a bit more nuanced than the original and therefore an improvement.
I have no idea how it will work as a mixer, probably quite well but I didn't try it. I did, however, enjoy it neat with a good Central American cigar and it worked fine.

Plantation Pineapple Rum Smoky Formula Limited Edition Plantation 40%?
I don't think so Maybe, maybe, maybe Probably, Probably, Probably Probably Yes

And of course, for the non-cigarette smoking crowd, I have a sweet alternative to accompany these two excellent sisters from Plantation:
Grilled pineapple with mango sauce and vanilla ice cream:
1 fresh pineapple peeled and cut into 1 cm thick slices.
1 ripe mango.
1 tbsp. vanilla sugar.
1 tbsp. cane sugar.
1 tsp. cinnamon.
Your best vanilla ice cream.

1. Place pineapple slices on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
2. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle over the fruit.
3. Peel and finely dice the mango, place in a saucepan with a little water and vanilla sugar and bring to a slow boil. Add cane sugar and lemon juice to taste and allow to cool.
3. Place the fruit in a 200 degree oven and give it a turn until the sugar is caramelized.
4. Remove your pineapple and let it cool down, scoop ice cream on top and pour the mango sauce over it.

Serve with a nice dram of one of the two sisters. Or try them both just in case.

Cheers and enjoy!

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