Diplomático teams up with one of Sydney’s best-loved bars to officially call time on Australia’s most popular rum drink – the classic rum & cola…
When it comes to pairing your preferred tipple with a mixer, few partnerships have endured like rum and cola. The duo first came together in the early 1900s at the hottest spot in Havana when Cuban rum met imported American Coca-Cola. Rum and cola spread like wildfire through the American South during the Prohibition era as the perfect mixer to disguise the taste of low-grade backyard rums. A century later, cola is still the mixer of choice for seven in 10 Australians who drink dark rum.
For high end brands like Diplomático, who have continued to refine the art of master rum, mixing with cola is the equivalent of putting Heinz tomato sauce on Kobe Beef. “Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva is one of the most awarded dark rums in the world – a complex, versatile spirit that deserves more than the same old basic mixer,” brand manager Eulalie Lazaro tells us.
In an inspired partnership, they’ve teamed up with one of Sydney’s best-loved bars, Old Love’s, to officially call time on rum and cola.
The duo is kicking off a bold month-long break-up that swaps cola for a line-up of five refined “Rebound Cocktails” designed to help Aussies discover a better match. The Cola Break Up will see cola dropped from the menu at Old Love’s, replaced with a rotating series of premium rum cocktails that showcase the versatility and complexity of Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva.
Callum Marra, General Manager of Old Love’s, thinks it’s a case of finally doing rum right, saying, “We’ve always loved rum – Old Love’s is dedicated to celebrating the spirit – but we think that it deserves better than the old-school cola stereotype it’s become known for. We’re so excited to be joining forces with the masters at Diplomático rum to be calling time on the basic mixer and rewriting a love letter to rum done right.”
In place of rum and cola, Old Love’s will be introducing the “Café Venezuela”, a rich and zesty take on an Espresso Martini inspired by a guarapo – a traditional Venezuelan drink made with coffee, lime and papelón. There are also four additional “rebound” rum cocktails that will roll-out weekly throughout the month of September ranging from fresh takes on iconic serves to unexpected flavour flings. “Together with Old Love’s, we’re hoping to rewrite the rules and encourage Aussies to rethink what a rum cocktail can be: stylish, unexpected and full of flavour – no sugary sidekick required,” Lazaro adds.
The Cola Break Up is happening now exclusively at Old Love’s until September 26. FHM readers can get in on the action by asking for the “secret menu” to discover their next rum match.
For more information or to make a booking and join the cola break up, head to www.oldloves.syd
By REILLY SULLIVAN
