Don Q’s Signature Release Single Barrel 2009 was hand selected by the master distiller from a selection of the Serrallés family’s private rum stocks, then laid to rest in charred American oak casks before bottling in 2019.
This limited edition light bodied aged rum is an expertly crafted noble spirit — a fine example of the Puerto Rican style.
It was designed following the trend of Don Q’s Signature Release Single Barrel Collection — after the 2005 and 2007 editions — as a light rum, distilled in a multi-column alembic still and then aged at 150 proof for a decade in single-use white oak barrels, previously used for Bourbon whiskey.
Tasting Notes
The medium amber color suggests a long resting period in oak. Aromas of fruit and spice with smokey oak dominate, before honey butter and vanilla over fruit cake and compote, with just a hint of molasses. On the palate, a bold entry of toasted oak leads to a creamy mouthfeel with butter cookie, accented by vanillin and Crème brûlée, before hints of bitter cocoa and charred oak linger in the medium long finish.
Enjoying Single Barrel 2009
For upscale cocktails like a Rum Old Fashioned, this light bodied, well-aged spirit is a great choice, or enjoy sipping it slowly on the rocks in a generous tumbler.
This 750ml bottle of Don Q Signature Release Single Barrel 2009, bottled at 40% abv, sells for about $49.
Rum has long played a role in celebrations and gatherings in Caribbean culture. The tradition of sharing coquito, a festive libation during the holiday season, continues to expand beyond the region with many home-grown recipes.
National Coquito Day is December 21
It’s a day to celebrate Holiday Coquito, a creamy rich and delicious rum concoction often compared to eggnog. Meant to be shared with family and friends, coquito is most often associated with the rums of Puerto Rico.
While there is no specific data as to the exact date of the creation of the first Coquito, historians place the birth of this drink around 1900. The first published Coquito recipes appeared in the Puerto Rican cookbooks, “Cocine a Gusto” and “The Puerto Rican Cookbook,” between 1950 and 1970.
a glass of holiday coquito
The Coquito has since evolved from its original version of rum and cream of coconut to include an array of flavors, ranging from almond to pistachio to chocolate. Puerto Rican Rum is always featured as the main ingredient in this distinctive cocktail.
It seems that every family has their own recipe with myriad variations on the theme of a creamy, tropical coconut inspired punch. Holiday Coquito is easy to make. It’s fun to share. It’s a seasonal delicacy that signals a return to simple pleasures and family gatherings.
Let’s start with a traditional recipe from the Serrallés family of Ponce, on the south shore of Puerto Rico. Known for making Don Q rums, they are one of America’s oldest family-owned businesses with a rum making tradition that spans six generations and more than 150 years.
The Serrallés Family Coquito Recipe
3 cans evaporated milk
1 can cream of coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Don Q Cristal rum
add cinnamon to garnish
Method: blend the liquid ingredients at high speed for two minutes, pour into empty bottle and refrigerate for at least four hours. It’s even better after two or three days). Serve in a small glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.
More recipes follow. Enjoy the variations on National Coquito Day. Happy holidays.
Be sure to share your favorite National Coquito Day recipes on social media and use the hashtag: #NationalCoquitoDay
Santaella Restaurant Coquito, San Juan
3 cups fresh coconut milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 15-ounce can cream of coconut
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups Don Q Gran Añejo
Method: combine the coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream of coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum in a blender and process on high speed until the mixture is foamy, about 2 minutes. Pour the coquito into a clean glass, bottle, or pitcher and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (It will keep, refrigerated, for at least 3 weeks.) To serve, pour into individual glasses and garnish with more cinnamon.
Silvia Santiago, Don Q’s Master Blender
6 egg yolks
1/4 lb sugar
1/4 cup vanilla
5 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
5 10-ounce cans coconut cream
6 cinnamon sticks with 6 lime peels (about 1 cup)
1.75 liters Don Q Añejo rum
Method: boil the cinnamon sticks with the lime peels in one cup of water. Let it cool and strain before adding to the mix. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients. Yields about 5 liters. Keep refrigerated.
Chef Mario Pagan, San Juan – Pumpkin Coquito
14 oz cream of coconut
25 oz coconut milk
15 oz sweetened condensed milk
12 oz evaporated milk
6 oz steamed and pureed pumpkin
1 stick of cinnamon
1 star annise
3 cloves
1 tsp fresh nutmeg
Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum to taste
Method: heat up the milks with the spices in a heavy bottom pan, stirring constantly to prevent burning. When a rolling boil is reached, shut off heat and let steep with a properly fitting lid. After 20 minutes, remove spices, add the pumpkin and process in a blender until smooth. Add the rum to taste, cover and let chill from 6 to 24 hours.
Chef Wilo Benet, San Juan
3 cinnamon sticks (ground finely)
7 star anise pods (ground finely)
2 pints of premium vanilla ice cream
5 cans of coconut cream
3 cans of condensed milk
3 cans of evaporated milk
1 750ml bottle of Don Q Cristal rum
1 cup of Baileys
1 cup of Cognac
Method: mix all the ingredients with an immersion blender thoroughly and refrigerate. Serve cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
Chef Jose Enrique, San Juan
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 can cream of coconut
3 ounces Don Q Cristal
3 ounces Don Q Añejo
Method: mix in blender, and add cinnamon stick. Place in fridge and enjoy!
Roberto Berdecia from La Factoria (World’s 50 Best Bars), San Juan
15 ounces coconut cream
14 ounces condensed milk
16 ounces evaporated milk
16 ounces Don Q Gold rum
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
6 cloves
6 balls of malagueta (allspice)
1 pinch of nutmeg powder
2 drops of vanilla extract
grated coconut (optional to taste)
Method: in a pot, put the evaporated milk together with cinnamon, anise, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes stirring constantly, but do not let it boil. Remove from the heat, strain the spices and put the liquid in a blender with condensed milk, coconut cream, Don Q Gold rum, vanilla and optional grated coconut. Blend until all the ingredients are well mixed. Place in bottles and refrigerate before consuming.
The iconic lifestyle guru most often associated with the ocean, beaches, fishing, boating and scuba diving — Guy Harvey — today announced a new spiced rum expression: Guy Harvey Spiced Rum, developed with Shaw-Ross International.
The new Guy Harvey Spiced Rum, produced in Puerto Rico reflects this famous marine artist’s ocean lifestyle, with funds going to protect marine wildlife.
Initial distribution of the new product is scheduled to begin in Florida immediately.
This renowned marine wildlife artist, scientist and conservationist visited the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival last April to study the expanding market for flavorful expressions among the burgeoning population of rum enthusiasts.
“Given the rich heritage of rum with sailors, boaters and fishermen, adding a quality rum product like Guy Harvey Spiced Rum is a logical extension of my lifestyle brand,” said Guy Harvey.
The Rum
Distilled in Puerto Rico, Guy Harvey Spiced Rum is an amber colored rum that contains spices and warm flavors of vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon at 35 abv (70 proof). The 750ml bottle will retail at approximately $15.
Plans to take the product to markets outside of Florida in 2015 are currently in the works. A second Guy Harvey branded rum offering — an aged blended Jamaican rum — is in development, expected to be introduced in the spring of 2015.
renowned marine wildlife artist, scientist and conservationist Guy Harvey
Additionally, rum is a growing category and spiced rum in particular is the driving force behind this growth so the timing is right for the launch of Guy Harvey Spiced Rum. We are very excited.”
Guy Harvey’s depictions of marine life, especially of sportfish such as marlin, are very popular with sport fishermen and have been reproduced in prints, posters, t-shirts, jewelry, clothing and other consumer items.
A significant portion of the net proceeds from Guy Harvey Spiced Rum will be used to fund the various projects of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, a non-profit that funds scientific marine research and conservation programs. In particular, the proceeds from Guy Harvey Spiced Rum will fund marine science and outreach programs.
The new spiced rum will be actively promoted in a version of a traditional rum cocktail known as the Shark Bite.
Shark Bite
3/4 oz Guy Harvey Spiced Rum 1/4 oz light rum 1/2 oz blue Curaçao 1.5 oz sweet and sour mix 3 drops of grenadine