Fashion trends can be fickle. After “Sex and the City” reruns started showing in Central Europe a few years back, suddenly every bar in Slovakia wanted to sell you a Cosmo or a Manhattan. Similarly, premium vodkas became white hot in the mid-1990s, as did flavored vodkas, as part of the “Clear” trend. There’s a marketing-driven whiff to much of this, but one new trend with old school street credibility is the increasing popularity of rums made from fresh sugar cane juice as opposed to rums made from molasses. The difference is noticeable.

To state the obvious, all rum is made from sugar cane, be it in the form of fresh juice, syrup, or molasses. An overwhelming 97 percent of the rums consumed in the world are made from molasses—call it industrial rum if you will, as it is an issue of convenience. To make rum on a grand scale without interruption, you need a steady supply and with fresh cane juice as a starting point, a distillery can only work four months of the year: with molasses, a distillery suddenly can produce rum year-round. The financial reason to make rum with molasses, then, is pretty clear. “If you have a whole lot of money tied up in an expensive distillery, you can see the attraction to making rum from molasses,” explains Ed Hamilton, a leading authority on rum, an importer, and the head and hand behind the excellent Ministry of Rum website (www.ministryofrum.com).

It’s also obviously a different product in terms of quality. As part of extracting the sugar to make molasses, byproducts such as potassium and sulfur concentrate in the molasses. As one can imagine, this does nothing to help the taste of the end product. With rum made from fresh cane juice, this is not an issue. In Martinique, for instance, where most of the agricultural rum—or rhum agricole, as it is called—is made, rum has a special AOC (Appelation d’origine controlee) designation that means the sugar cane must be harvested, processed, fermented, and distilled in Martinique according to strict government guidelines. If it doesn’t have AOC on the label, it is not rhum agricole. “Imagine the difference between fresh sugar cane wine and a molasses-based drink,” Hamilton continues. “You don’t make the best brandies out of the worst grapes.”

Accordingly, premium or boutique rums, many of which are aged and meticulously crafted, have more character and flavor than their “mixing” counterparts. They can stand alone, on the rocks, or with a small amount of water, much like a fine scotch or whiskey. Many of these premium brands like Clement, Neisson, and Depaz have only been available in the United States for the past couple of years. Though you can certainly use them for mixing, they are not the rums that fueled the piña coladas of yesteryear. And that is a good thing.

A Guide to Premium Rums

10 Cane
Part of the Moët Hennessey brand, this new entry to fresh cane rum is made from cane grown in Trinidad. With notes of vanilla and a lingering sweetness, it’s perfect for a mojito or daiquiri.

Clément
Of Martinique, Clément’s Premiere Canne White Rum is clear and clean, with touches of sugar cane and vanilla. VSOP, aged one year in cognac barrels, three in bourbon barrels, it has a sugary, even honeyed taste but is always elegant and sophisticated.

Depaz
Another Martinique rum, Depaz distinguishes itself from other rhum
agricoles by using 100 percent blue cane. Their Amber Rhum is aromatic with soft floral notes.

La Favorite
Along with Neisson, La Favorite is one of the only remaining family-owned distilleries on Martinique. While the blanc has citrus notes and a distinct sugar cane juice taste, try the vieux neat or with a drop of water and pick up on the smoky bits of fig and fruit in the nose.

Neisson
From Martinique, Neisson’s rhum agricole offerings are complex and delightful. Try the blanc for mixing or the vieux (aged more than three years) for sipping. The Réserve Spéciale (a blend of rums aged up to 10 years) has an aroma of roasted nuts with a spicy, smoky finish.

Oronoco
Made from mountain cane in Brazil, Oronoco is blended with aged South American rum and is known as much for its snazzy packaging as for its smooth finish.

Rhum J.M.
Distilled on the smallest estate in Martinique, this rhum agricole grows on the volcanic soil beneath Mount Pelée along the coast. The blanc is excellent, as is the vieux with its caramel notes on the nose and creamy finish. The Vieux Millésimé 1997 is an aged rhum to make your friends sit up and notice.

Ti’ Punch is the classic Martinique rum drink, popular in French-speaking Caribbean countries. Pour a splash (1/4 teaspoon) of sugar cane syrup in a glass. Cut a small slice of lime and squeeze the juice in the glass. Add your preferred white rum, stir, and add ice. As the ice chills the drink, the flavors will change and “blossom.”

For loyal rum-and-Coke fans, during Passover you can often get Coke made with sugar cane syrup rather than high fructose corn syrup. Bartenders stock up on it because it does make a difference.