A decade ago, I might've found the idea of a rum from Thailand, or anywhere else in Asia for that matter, a bit eyebrow raising. With the proliferation of spirits expanding across the globe in recent years, however, it seems only natural that a tropical climate with near perfect sugar cane growing conditions would be turning its eye toward rum. Phraya is a great example of rum from a non-traditional corner of the globe that hits all the high notes.Phraya's website cites the meaning of the name as "of higher rank." The marketing revolves around the four elements: water from the Ta Chin River, fire in the charred oak barrels the rum is aged in, etc. The bottle itself is nice to look at with a deco-esque gold pattern up the sides. Gimmicks aside, I credit the makers of Phraya for not rushing this product to the market. Phraya is aged from seven to twelve years, allowing it to mature and deepen its flavor. It picked up a double gold medal at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (and a silver in 2014).
From an aromatic perspective, Phraya promises much, hitting heavy on the burnt sugar notes and hinting of deeper, more obscure spices than most rums. Its flavor profile is smooth and lighter than most Carribean rums. Phraya's more delicate texture is almost similar to a rum from Martinique. It has spicy notes which are smooth, but subtle. With less of the vanilla overtones that characterise many modern rums, Phraya has delicate tones of nutmeg and flavors that are almost reminiscent of tropical fruits. Phraya sips well on its own, and mixes best with things that will not overwhelm its delicate flavor.
We tried a few cocktails with Phraya. BW found that it worked fairly well in a rum old fashioned, but we felt we wanted something to let the spirit shine a bit more. We tried the Siam Dew from the Phraya website (think sweet lassi here) with just a couple of tweaks (see below).
So if you see Phraya on the shelves of your local liquor store, be sure to pick up a bottle. Definitely worth trying, and you may find Phraya becomes a staple in your home bar.
Cheers! from the Bar Fly
Siam Dew (with Bar Fly's twist)
2oz Phraya
4oz Greek yoghurt
1 1/2 oz black pepper and ginger simple syrup*
2oz Water
A good pinch of ground cumin seed (not powder)
Add all to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake hard. Strain over ice in a 10oz tumbler. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cumin seed.
*Black pepper and ginger syrup: Steep 1 tbs fresh ground black pepper in 2 cups freshly boiled water for 3 minutes. Strain and dissolve 2 cups granulated cane sugar into mixture. Cool slightly before adding 3 oz fresh ginger juice. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
