Situated on the lush green hills on the South Western side of Mauritius is the Chamarel area. Hills filled with sugar cane as far as you can see, clumps of pineapples and coconut trees and colourful hibiscus dot the landscape. Spots of yellow and purple flowers transform the dense green sugar cane fields into a patchwork of colour.

The main focal point in the area is Little Black River Peak, the highest point in Mauritius at 828m above sea level.  During my trip to the picture-perfect tropical Island of Mauritius in April, I managed to work in a trip to the Chamarel Rum Distillery.

Visiting Chamarel Rum Distillery

On a beautiful sunny day, we ventured into the hills for some exploring and our first stop was the Chamarel Rum Distillery. The distillery logo represents the surrounding area, with the towering Black River Peak and the slopes of the sugar cane fields.

Established in 2008, Chamarel Rum distillery makes use of red and yellow sugar cane.  To ensure the best quality they cultivate their own sugar cane.  The cane is harvested by hand.

Yellow sugar cane in Mauritius

The red and yellow sugar cane has different harvesting times that extends from July to December. Unfortunately, I visited during the offseason when they were cleaning and maintaining the equipment and there was no sugar cane coming it, but it allowed me ample time to poke my nose into all the nooks and crannies.

Red sugar cane in Mauritius

The Rum Distilling Process

Our tour started with the history of Chamarel and led us to the beautiful forecourt  area. From here he took us through the process from where the sugar cane comes in, get stamped and the sugar cane syrup extracted and filtered. I suspect that in season, this can be a rather loud operation.

We moved on to the distilling area. Chamarel has 2 distilling method with a Barbet type plate column that allows for a continuous process as well as  2 copper pot still units.

From the distilling, we moved to the ageing warehouse. Chamarel mainly uses French Oak to age the rum. In the warehouse, there are a few barrels that have been ageing for over 5 years and a few barrels even close to 10 years – several in a variety of interesting casks.

The angel’s share in Mauritius is rather low, only about 2.5% due to the moist mild climate in the hills.

Tasting the Chamarel Rum Releases

And from here we moved to the best part of the visit, the tasting. The range starts with the Chamarel Classic. Other releases include the Chamarel Double Distilled, the Chamarel Gold, Chamarel Spices. The Liqueur range includes a Chamarel Vanilla Liqueur, Mandarin Liqueur as well as Coffee Liqueur and Coconut Liqueur.

The Chamarel Classic is great rum for cocktails and we started with a Ti-Punch, which is a mix of the Classic, some lime slices and raw sugar syrup.

The Chamarel Double Distilled not aged and very smooth due to the double pot still distillation with notes of vanilla, pear and citrus.

Chamarel Gold has been aged for 18 months in oak barrels.  The Gold has flavour notes of oak, spices and pepper.

The Chamarel Spices is aged for 18 months and then finished for a further 3 months in oak.  This release is infused with various spices including cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and coriander.  Delicious as an aperitif.

Next up was the Chamarel Premium Range including the VS, VSOP and XO.

The VS release has been aged for 3 to 4 years in French Oak and has distinct hints of coconut and banana. The VSOP release has been aged for between 4 and 6 years in a combination of French Oak and American oak.  It has notes of dried fruits, pepper and cloves.

Lastly, they have the XO, which has been aged between 6 and 8 years in a special combination of French Oak, new French Oak, Ex-Cognac and Ex-Wine.

Also Read: Rhumarie de Saint Aubin

The Chamarel Limited Edition Range was something different.  I have whisky finished in many different barrels including Rum. At Chamarel they have been finishing rum in various barrels including whisky barrels.

I tasted the Chamarel Single Cask Finish aged for 6 years in French Oak and finished for 1 year in Macallan 10 yo casks. They also have a Sauternes cask finish as well as a Moscatel cask finish. This I just had to add to my collection.

Chamarel Rum Cocktails

We ended the tour with some delicious cocktails. There are many similarities to the whisky distilling process and also many differences. It gave me a new appreciation for rum. Also a better understanding of how rum is made.  Also what good quality rum should taste like.  This is a spirit I will probably be exploring a bit more in future.

And on that note, we hopped back into our taxi and went on to further explore this beautiful Island.  We made a stop at the Chamarel waterfall and the world-famous 7 colours Earth. The rest of the time we spent lounging on the beach, drinking rum cocktails. What more can you ask for in a holiday?

Also Read: Rum vs Wiskey

In December I started with a series on boozy desserts with my tiramisu with whisky recipe. This recipe proved to be very popular. Also, towards the end of 2017, Backsberg Winery invited a few food and wine bloggers to join in a #MyBacksbergRecipe campaign. The goal was to create the ultimate recipe to pair with the Pinotage Rosé.

My friend Roelia from Boozy Foodie made a Backsberg Pinotage Rosé panna cotta with cranberries and I was inspired.  It looked so beautiful; the white creamy panna cotta with the bright red cranberries. I had to try a panna cotta myself. It had to be my first boozy dessert for 2018!

However, I wanted to put an alcoholic spin on it. Something a bit different. I looked around my spirit cabinet, but nothing jumped out at me. Then I had a flashback to my parent’s drinks trolley. There was this funny white bottle which every fashionable hostess in the 70s had – Malibu rum liqueur.

Whatever happened to Malibu? I had to go and look for it. Malibu is a coconut flavoured liqueur, made with Caribbean rum. The basis for a pina colada. I have not tasted it since somewhere in the 80s, but as soon as I nosed it, it was familiar. And the perfect accompaniment for my panna cotta.

To continue on the tropical theme, I made the panna cotta with coconut milk. panna cotta is a very basic pudding that is made of dairy thickened with gelatin. It originated in Italy, and the name means “cooked cream”. You can eat it straight out of a cup, but it’s often drizzled with some sauce and garnished with fruit.

A classic panna cotta is flavoured using vanilla, but I modified the recipe to make it a coconut panna cotta with Malibu rum liqueur. I chose a mixed berry compote to serve with the coconut panna cotta. Not only does the colour looks gorgeous, but the creamy coconut and the mixed berries make a great combination.

Also Read: Whisky Chocolate Truffles

Coconut Panna Cotta Recipe

• 400ml can of coconut milk
• 1 ½ teaspoon of gelatin powder
• 45 ml Malibu Rum Liqueur
• 2 Tablespoons honey

1. Gently heat half the coconut milk in a small pan until hot, but not boiling. Add the gelatin and whisk together to dissolve.  Take off the heat.
2. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir in the honey.
3. Let the mixture cool down a bit and then add the Malibu Rum Liqueur.
4.  Pour into ramekins or glasses.
5. Refrigerate until set.

Coconut Berry Compote Recipe

• 150 g fresh or frozen mixed berries (I used the frozen mix from Woolworths which include blueberries and raspberries)
• 100 g frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of Malibu rum liqueur

1. Defrost the frozen berries first if using the frozen ones.
2. Combine all the berries in a medium saucepan with the sugar and bring gently to a simmer. Allow the sugar to dissolve. Cook gently for about 5 minutes to allow the fruit to start breaking down.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Add the Malibu coconut rum liqueur.
4. Let the berry compote cool properly.
5. Spoon over coconut panna cotta just before serving.

How beautiful does the white coconut panna cotta look with the red berry compote as a topping? And it tastes delicious too!

Also Read: Mango Mimosa Cocktail

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I have been trying to pair whisky and olives for ages. I found this small little olive shop online. Tapenade has a big selection of the best olive products from the numerous South African olive estates.

I ordered a few different olive products and paired them with various kinds of whisky. But no luck. It did not work. There were a few OK pairings, but nothing that blew my mind.

Whisky is not made for olives. I did, however, want to pair the olive products I found with something, so I did some more research And the answer just jumped out at me as soon as I typed olives and alcohol into Google. A dirty Martini. Of course.

Gin might make the perfect pairing for olives. A Dirty Martini contains a splash of olive brine or olive juice and is traditionally garnished with an olive.

I started to experiment and found some fantastic pairings. What can be better? A refreshing G&T paired with some delicious South African olives. I kept it local with  Gauteng based gin distilleries. All this gin is made right here in the city of Gold.

Gauteng Gin and Olives Pairing 

Westcliff gin and Darling olive marmalade pairing

Made by the Angel Heart distillery in Sandton, the Westcliff gin is inspired by the beautiful suburb and the rich gold history of this city. Westcliff is full of soft green and floral notes, hints of vanilla, passionfruit and African ginger. 

I paired it with the Darling Olive Marmalade. This delicious marmalade is the perfect balance between sweet and sun-ripened olives; a delectable pairing.

Time Anchor London Dry gin and Chaloner Olive and Almond Tapenade

Distilled in the Maboneng Precinct, this Time Anchor London Dry gin has notes of juniper, angelica root and citrus. Chaloner’s Olive & Almond Tapenade has a base of toasted almonds, olive oil, capers, anchovies and makes an interesting snack when you spread it thinly onto parma ham slices and wrap them around steamed asparagus spears.

Also Read: Bourbon Coffee

The Capital Gin Indigo and Willow Creek Rosemary and garlic olives<

Made in the heart of Pretoria, the Capital Gin Indigo is flavoured with lavender and rosemary from and balanced by notes of orange. This gin is big and bold and fantastic in gin-based cocktails. And what better pairing than Willow Creek black mission olives flavoured Greek style with garlic and rosemary.

The Capital Gin Alchemist and Kloovenburg Smoked black olives

The Capital Gin Alchemist is spicy and has notes of cinnamon, cloves and roasted citrus. Spicy and vibrant, this gin can stand up to more robust food and pairs wonderfully with the Kloovenburg black olives with a slightly smokey flavour.

So grab your favourite gin and tonic over the weekend and add a plate of olives for the perfect Saturday afternoon snack. Make it a gin and olives weekend!

Also Read: Bloody Mary Cocktail