Caribbean Cooking With Angostura Rum And Aromatic Bitters

In Angostura’s home country of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), bitters and rums have been used in the kitchen prolifically for decades – in everything from starters to desserts, breads, soups, and marinades.

Not at all bitter when added to food dishes, Angostura aromatic bitters intensifies and enhances the characteristics of other ingredients; adding an extra depth of flavour with just a few dashes. Similarly, cooking with rum can be just as tasty.

White rum is more often used for seafood and poultry whilst dark rums are best for dishes with strong flavours, lending caramel notes to the likes of red meat and stews. Thinking sweet treats? Use a nicely spiced rum.

Both are ingredients that no home kitchen should be without! So, here are a couple of our Island favourites should you still have rum and bitters at home:

Eat

Spicy Rum Chicken Wings

Ingredients

  • ¾ cups dark rum
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 5 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 – 2 habanero chillies, seeded and minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
  • 12 jumbo chicken wings, split at the joints
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Make the marinade by combining rum, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, spring onions, chillies, ginger, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
  2. Place the chicken wings and the marinade in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out of the bag and seal tightly, then shake to coat the wings. Refrigerate for no less than four hours.
  3. Drain the wings but keep the marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium-high heat until reduced by about half. Meanwhile, fire up your grill.
  4. Place chicken wings on the grill, cover with a lid and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.
  5. Remove the wings from the grill and toss with the reduced marinade. Then place back on the grill until the sauce has caramelized.

Caribbean Steaks With Rum And Mangoes

* OR SUBSTITUTE FOR A FLESHY SEASONAL FRUIT LIKE PAPAYA, NECTARINE, PEACH OR APRICOT

Ingredients

  • 4 beef steaks
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and sliced
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

  1. Make the marinade by combining aromatic bitters, rum, garlic and cayenne pepper.
  2. Place steaks in a shallow baking dish and add marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Start up your grill, place steaks and turn until they’re done to your liking.

Season with salt and pepper, and serve with slices of mango

Rum Spiked Doughnuts

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cake flour
  • 1 sachet dry yeast
  • 5ml salt
  • 25ml sugar
  • 10ml oil
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • 5 cups water 4 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups dark rum
  • 2 tablespoons Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

  1. Make your dough by combining warm water, buttermilk, beaten eggs and melted butter. Then add the dry ingredients, except for the yeast. Make a small well in the middle of dry ingredients and add the yeast. Mix and knead until a soft dough forms, then cover and set aside until it doubles in size. Once it has risen, knead lightly again. Divide into balls and let them rise slightly. Heat oil to the point that mixture start frying immediately. Drop the yeast doughnuts into the hot oil and remove when golden brown.
  2. To make rum syrup combine sugar, rum and 5 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat and continue cooking until liquid is clear. Remove from the heat, fill a pipette with rum syrup and insert into a doughnut.

Drink

Rum drinks are perfect for rounding off an evening of Island style flavours.

In T&T, a simple favourite is the combination of your choice of Angostura rum with coconut water.

For more creative cocktails try:

Queens Park Swizzle

Ingredients

  • 60ml dark rum
  • 30ml simple syrup
  • 30ml fresh lime juice
  • 12 – 14 mint leaves
  • 6 – 8 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

  1. Muddle mint leaves in lime juice and simple syrup, then fill the glass with crushed ice. Pour rum over crushed ice and swizzle well until glass is ice-cold and frosted. Pack glass with more crushed ice and top with bitters. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Trinidad Rum Punch

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 – 2½ cups dark rum
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • ½ cup other citrus juice of choice
  • 1 tablespoon Angostura aromatic bitters
  • Nutmeg
  • Orange

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, dissolve water and sugar on medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool.  In a pitcher, combine rum, juices, bitters and syrup. Pour over a half-filled glass of ice and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg and an orange wedge.