The Cornish coast is home to a lot of fantastic rum. One of the best is Dead Man’s Fingers from the Rum & Crab Shack in St. Ives, but there are plenty more options.

Cornish rum is a little bit different from the typical variety. It’s crafted from locally sourced fruit and honey and infused with a range of spices including vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.

BORA Botanical Rum

A new rum for gin lovers named after the Cornish word for dawn, BORA is distilled with natural, locally sourced botanicals to create a light, dry and aromatic spirit. Designed to be enjoyed with tonic, the distillery Penryn Spirits say it is “a spirit with Cornish spice.”

As a carbon negative product, it uses cutting-edge technology to distil sustainably and eco-friendly packaging. Any unavoidable emissions are offset by planting trees in Cornwall.

As well as being an excellent cocktail ingredient, rum also has many health benefits. Consuming a moderate amount of it has been shown to reduce the risk of developing kidney and lung cancers, as well as preventing autoimmune conditions such as thyroid cancer and lymphoma.

Coyaba

Coyaba is a funky fresh range of spiced rums, all made with carefully selected rums from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad blended with pure Cornish spring water, natural flavours and spices. They also use real flakes of Cornish Sea Salt and are committed to using local suppliers, bringing a taste of Cornwall to every bottle.

Born in the bottled in Cornwall, this delicious rum has bold notes of banana and a generous helping of toffee that smacks of banoffee pie with a kick of vanilla and cinnamon. It’s the perfect start to a feisty tiki cocktail!

Created by a husband and wife team, Curio Spirits Company, Coyaba is a fun and engaging rum that celebrates the natural ingredients of Cornwall. Distilled on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, they use only pure Cornish spring water and Cornish ingredients such as saffron, sea salt and nutmeg to add a true sense of place.

Heligan Pineapple

The Heligan pineapple, whose name comes from the garden in England’s Cornwall, costs around 1,000 pounds sterling (Rs 1 lakh) each, taking into account the hours of labour that goes into growing them.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan grow the pineapple in traditional pits heated by decomposing manure. The labour intensive process takes about seven years before a pineapple is ready to fruit.

When a pineapple is about to fruit it’s harvested and twisted off. It’s then placed in nutrient rich compost which helps promote new suckers to grow from the base of the plant.

These are the little shoots that come off of the base of the pineapple which can then be grown as a new plant. This means that it’s worth storing the pineapple plant after the harvest, as it may be able to produce a second crop of pineapples later on in its life.

Mainbrace

Mainbrace is a family run, multi award winning spirits company based on the Helford River in Cornwall. Its ethos is to celebrate the courage, teamwork and friendship of those who love being on or near the sea.

Inspired by naval traditions, this Cornish rum is a premium golden’spliced’ rum, crafted with a modern twist and a nod to its maritime roots. It’s a blend of 2 – 5 year old English Navy rums from 3 different stills in Guyana, plus unaged Agricole sourced from La Favorite Distillerie in Martinique.

The distillation is made in a traditional copper pot still, using Cornish water and local botanicals – lemon verbena harvested from St Michael’s Mount, along with three local seaweeds: kelp, dulse and sea spaghetti – sourced from the Cornish Seaweed Company in nearby Gweek. The botanicals create a subtle citrus flavour that is complimented by the local seaweeds.

Morvenna Spiced

A molasses-based premium spiced rum produced in Bude by The Cornish Distilling Co, this drier, more refined version of their Morvenna White rum is botanically driven with hints of apricot, lemongrass and saffron. The palate opens with these flavours, followed by a subtle hint of cardamom and oak leading to a complex, warming finish.

A unique rum that pairs perfectly with a ginger beer, cola or tonic water garnished with a slice of orange and a sprig of thyme. Produced by The Cornish Distilling Company, Cornwall’s first scratch rum distillery, this warm, warming and artisan rum is made from Cornish molasses.

The rum is made from the fermentation of molasses, yeast and water, which then goes through twice distillation to concentrate the flavour and retain it. The resulting product is clear, fresh and fruity with a buttery aftertaste.