Black Magic Rum Is Pure Voodoo In A Bottle

Sazerac may be best known for their whiskey but Black Magic Rum is the latest offering from their stable. This dark rum has one of the most elaborate and far fetched backstories that I have ever heard and, despite the ridiculousness of it, sums up the rums fun character to a tea. The label depicts an old pirate ship called the Sea Czar in what appears to be sailing through monster infested waters but when you look closely there are a couple of old sea dogs being served rum by scantily glad women up in the ships' crows nest. A cleverer individual than me also pointed out that the name Sea Czar is an anagram of Sazerac! I'm sure you are chomping at the bit to hear this elaborate tale but, as it's quite long, I thought we should look at the actual rum itself first. Black Magic is a crafty blend of light and dark rums with a top secret blend of spices to liven it up and make it a more versatile drink than many rums currently available. I found that it could be enjoyed in a variety of ways including sipping it neat (or in  a shooter if that's your preference) and it plays nicely with citrus flavours and cola. The nose offers buttery notes with coconut and the palate delivers the same with a smooth finish. For me though, it really shined when mixed with ginger beer in a  classic Dark and Stormy. Here's how you make it; Black Magic Dark & Stormy
Ingredients Ice A lime  cut into two thick slices, one for garnish and one to squeeze into the drink 2 1/2 oz. Black Magic Spiced Rum 3 oz. ginger beer (Gosling’s makes one just for this purpose) Instructions Simply Fill a tall glass with ice and Squeeze one of the lime slices into the drink. Add the Black Magic rum and then the ginger beer. Stir and taste every so often until it's to your liking. Use the other lime slice as garnish and kick back to enjoy thoroughly. The Story
So now it's time to tell this tale of mystic magic, lost islands and a drink that can make even the dullest individual the life and soul of the party. Legend tells that this elixir is responsible for the success of the Pharaohs in Egypt, the Chinese Dynasties and the outstanding fame gained by a struggling English poet who went by the name William Shakespeare.  A fourth bottle is said to have founds its way to the Caribbean and this is the story of how that came to pass. We must start at the beginning on the mystical isle of Atlantis before it was lost to the sea. Myth alludes that this island was off the coast of what we now know to be modern day Africa although it's said that it could not be found by compass or sexton. The residents of this island were full of charisma and were totally uninhibited, free of the oppression of the social shackles we feel we must adhere to in the modern world. Anyone who met these people were immediately enthralled by them and fell under their spell. Those few who were lucky enough to find the island never wanted to leave and hung on the indigenous peoples' every word. On the island lived a powerful sorceress who was powerful and well versed in a primal magic that preceded all others; it was the roots from which voodoo and all other types of conjuring originate. When it came to light that the island was to be swallowed by the sea she began to devise a desperate plan. Even with her tremendous power she couldn't prevent the island from sinking but she could save its soul and the legacy of her people. She wove a complex spell through the use of ancient and terrifying invocations and charms of great potency, drawing the very essence of her doomed race from them and infusing it with the local drink. This elixir was carefully transferred into bottles and, as the island started its descent into the raging waters, she escaped with many of them as she could carry in the terror and confusion. The sorceress vowed that no matter what the cost, she would ensure that the bottles found a worthy home so that her peoples' spirit would not be lost to the aeons of time. Traveling the length and breadth of the world, the sorceress remained true to her solemn vow and hunted for those who were worthy to receive a sip from the sacred bottles. Despite her proficiency in ancient magic the years began to catch up with her and she knew she could not hold off her death for much longer. Dooming her own spirit to uphold her vow, she used the last of her remaining strength to bind her soul to her bones so that she could remain in the world until her promise was fulfilled. Her body was lost to the ravages of time but her spirit still resided in her skull and was bound to the bottles by the vow. Across the millenniums that followed and throughout all nations there is evidence cited by believers as proof of the skull's continued quest to imbue her peoples' spirit unto those she deems worthy. Skull images form a central part of many ancient cultures and clues are abundant in history from the art of South America's El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) to the Jolly Roger that was flown from the mast of pirate vessels. These are believed to hint at the path she followed and the many who fell under her influence. Great men embarked on perilous expeditions in order to pursue the legends of these bottles including Marco Polo and his quest for "the bottle of the East" and Francisco Pizarro’s futile search for the "magic bottle of the Incas". These and countless other adventures ended in failure and often death for the participants. Whilst many failed there was one who succeeded, although he eventually let his prize slip away from him in the end; he was the captain of the mighty pirate vessel the Sea Czar. This captain found a skull on his travels that apparently possessed the power of speech. Before setting out to sea one day the skull implored him to return it to dry land, promising great power if he did so. The captain complied and the skull gave him specific co-ordinates off the coast of Africa. The captain set sail immediately but when he finally reached the exact location he found nothing, no treasure or glory just the loneliness of the vast ocean. Disgusted, he plotted a course for home but found a bottle marked with a skull seemingly following the Sea Czar. He fished it out of the ocean and tossed it to the side, unaware that this was the great prize the skull spoke of.  Little did he know of the great opportunity he had just squandered! A few days into the trip and the ships steward, a simple man who was slow of wit and speech, discovered the bottle and helped himself to a good mouthful. In nearly an instant the normally sullen and reserved steward became the most irrepressible entertainer on board, regaling the crew with anecdotes that were both witty and enthralling. His confidence  knew no bounds and, when the Sea Czar next docked, he arrived back on board with a host of beautiful women in tow, both shocking and delighting the crew in equal measure. With his transformation from bumbling idiot to charismatic socialite complete, the steward astutely realised that the bottle of elixir he had drunk from had to be one of the fabled skull bottles. He wisely concealed this information and bide his time until the captain returned the vessel home. Legend tells us that the steward’s bottle is only the fourth to have been granted by the sorceress; whether this was by accident or design it's hard to ascertain. Unfortunately this is where the steward's trail goes cold and no one can be sure what happened to him or the fourth bottle. Rumours cite that the potion appeared many years later in an area in California now famously known as Hollywood whereas other unsubstantial reports claim that it was Paris where the bottle was next seen. More of the legends tell that the kindly steward realised that the bottle should be used for the greater good and never took another sip, instead creating a home in the Caribbean and selling a mysterious spiced dark rum that was infused with a single drop of the precious elixir. The steward has long since met his demise but there are those who maintain his legacy lives on. So, if perchance you find a bottle marked with sign of the sorceress' skull, you would be wise to consume it for you will be imbued with the spirit of mythical Atlantis and the powerful magic that resided with the sorceress. A more enchanting and charismatic you awaits at the start of every bottle....
Conclusion
So that's the tale that, despite its lack of verisimilitude, really sums up this versatile Black Magic rum that makes one of the best Dark & Stormy's I've ever tasted. This is an excellent alternative to Gosling's Black Seal and the now obligatory bottle of Kraken that you will find in almost all drink cabinets. Dare to be different and let the Black Magic into your life, you never know the legends may be true!  You can swipe your bottle from the sea here.