ZACAPA RUM NO.23
“Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, that’s life…”
Definitely it is a life, a good life, a perfect match. Combining Zacapa 23 together with chocolate.
PAIRING ZACAPA NO.23 WITH 85% DARK CHOCOLATE: The Non Bosnian Way
My friend who owes a small traditional coffee bar in Bosnia and Herzegovina taught me how to drink Bosnian coffee. First you have to soak the sugar cube into coffee, then you bite a small piece of sugar and then you take a sip of warm bitter coffee. Bittersweet symphonyon your palate, a joy!
Something similar but opposite is when you combine Ron Zacapa 23 and dark chocolate with. First you have to take small bite of chocolate with 85% cocoa, leave in the mouth, absorb the aroma from the chocolate, and let the bitterness of cocoa dominate the palate. Then take a sip of our number 23. Yes, that’s right. I told you. Bittersweet symphony. You start to hear violins of the song, the texture is intensive taste of leather and oak. Our player is not so sweet right now, and the guests in the living room would not love him probably. But who cares, this is my combination for a perfect night.
MILK CHOCOLATE 32% & ZACAPA NO.23: The Lady’s Way
But if you like to offer to your guests something that they will like, but slightly different, especially if your guests are mostly ladies, then you should combine Zacapa 23 and milk chocolate with 32% of cocoa. But this time opposite consummation, or the bosnian way. First sip of rum, then chocolate. Result: Long aftertaste full of caramel, toffee… Something similar to Bailys. But more sophisticated.
BUTTERCARAMEL CHOCOLATE 70 WITH ZACAPA NO.23: The 50 Cent´s Way
“I’m trying to explain, baby, the best way I can…
Speaking of Bailys…I added also to the tasting 50 Cent, I mean 70% cocoa chocolate with butter caramel crisps. When you let chocolate to melt down in the mouth you start to feel some saltines from butter caramel combination.
“I melt in your mouth, girl, not in your hand…”
Combining that with Zacapa 23 I get a little bit of whisky aftertaste. Some sort of highland notes. Saltines in combination with raisins. More fruity notes. Interesting but… I would rather stick to the real highland whisky, when I want that kind of experience.
And that was all about Ron Zacapa 23 and chocolate.
Wait! It isn’t.
Our player has more to offer, especially when he is in team with his cousin, 100% Guatemalan Arabica coffee. In this case she comes from Italy and her surname is Illy.
What a perfect combination! Smooth chocolate notes and the bitterness from illy espresso together with sweet notes from Zacapa… Wow!
I told you at the beginning that somewhere our player hides some coffee notes, and now they are showing. Wonderful. This will be definitive my combination for Sunday afternoon, after lunch.
As I told you at the beginning of this article:
“It’s a bittersweet symphony, that’s life…”
What more can offer us life and rum together in bittersweet symphony?
Maybe few cocktails?
Maybe next Sunday?
Maybe…
