via Copalli Rum
Audio By Carbonatix
Rum is having a moment. Again. Because rum is one of those spirits that’s always having a moment.
It seems like every few years, the spirit world puts down the whiskey and rediscovers this sugarcane magic. But this time is different. Really now.
For a while now, I’ve been all-in on the West Coast tiki bar scene, which itself is flirting with a punk rock renaissance across the country. These aren’t your grandparents’ kitschy mid-century time capsule basement bars; they’re vibrant, creative spaces where the craft of the cocktail is sacred. It’s in these temples of rum that you find the good stuff, the bottles people get excited about, the ones with a story worth telling. And right now, the story I can’t stop telling starts in the rainforests of Belize.
Belize might not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of rum, but the idea that great rum must come from an island is a myth. I extolled the praises of Nicaragua’s Flor de Caña in the past here on this website, following a 2018 trip to the distillery and a tasting of the difference that volcanic soils make to the spirit.
And they’re not alone—just look at other celebrated mainland spirits like Guatemala’s Ron Zacapa or Guyana’s legendary El Dorado. Besides, Belize is hot, wet, and south of the Tropic of Cancer’s longitudinal belt (…insert “your mom” joke here?), meaning it’s ideal for sugarcane. And so, the country is quickly becoming a hotbed for premium rum, driven by producers as passionate about the planet as they are about their product, once beloved by buccaneering pirates. At the forefront is a brand I’ve become obsessed with: Copalli Rum.
My introduction to Copalli wasn’t in some far-flung tropical paradise, but right in my own kitchen.. Hell, I’ve never even been to Belize.
I’d gotten my hands on a bottle of their Barrel Rested Rum and decided to mix up a Dark ‘n’ Stormy, that Bermudan classic of a cocktail. I’m not usually one to mess with a classic, but using Copalli instead of the classic Gosling’s hit the palate in all the right ways.
The rum was rich and complex, with creamy notes of vanilla, oak, and a hint of spice that cut through the ginger beer perfectly. It was, without a doubt, the best Dark ‘n’ Stormy I’d ever had.
“This Copalli stuff is pretty good,” I thought. So I did my homework.
Turns out, I’d stumbled into a rum brand that’s less ‘yo ho ho arrrrggggh me matey’ and more Captain Planet.
Copalli says they’re on a mission to preserve the Belizean rainforest as a sustainable alternative to the logging industry. They’ve built a whole ecosystem—farm, distillery, and eco-lodge—without clearing a single inch of rainforest. Their distillery is so “zero-impact,” running on biomass from the sugarcane, that it makes a hybrid look like a coal-rolling pickup truck.
via Copalli Rum
Copalli Rum White Rum
The rum itself is a world away from the sticky-sweet, molasses-based stuff you might remember from college. Copalli is crafted from just three ingredients: fresh-pressed organic sugarcane juice, pure rainforest rainwater, and yeast. The holy trinity. The result is a clean, vibrant spirit that’s a true expression of its origins.
They have three main acts. The White Rum is dangerously smooth and grassy, perfect for a happy hour daiquiri. The Cacao Rum is what happens when a distillery and a chocolate factory have a succesful first date. It’s infused with organic cacao nibs and makes a killer Espresso Martini. And then there’s the Barrel Rested Rum, my classic rum gateway drug to this brave new world of tropical spirits. Aged in old bourbon barrels, it’s got a complex, spicy kick of cinnamon and blackberry that could start a conversation or end one.
Look, people are getting smarter about their booze. We’re moving beyond just wanting something to mix with Coke. We want a story, and it’s somewhat comforting to know that the liquid in our drink didn’t ruin a fragile corner of the world.
And that brings me back to the tiki bar. While Belize isn’t Polynesia, the spirit of tiki is about discovery. And sometimes that discovery comes on an isthmus vs. an island, via a spirit that tastes like the very rainforest its actively trying to save it.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another Dark ‘n’ Stormy to attend to.
For research, of course.