Zhumir (Aguardiente)

Enjoying Zhumir at the Bar

Have you been looking for something new and exciting to have at your bar to leave all of your friends talking? Flavored vodkas and rums aren't going to do the trick – you need something international. That particular item is Zhumir. A bottle of this and you can make all sorts of exciting cocktails. Plus, you can educate everyone else on what it is since it's not very common.

What Zhumir Is

Zhumir is an Ecuadorian bottled liquor that is made from sugar cane juice. While many people call it rum outside of Ecuador, they would be incorrect. It is completely different because it uses the juice of a sugar cane instead of fermenting the cane itself. In addition, the distillation process is slightly modified. It falls into the same family as rum as well as aguardiente, however it is completely unique at the same time. The company that produces Zhumir wasn't legally founded until 1966, however it's been produced since about 1780, when Francisco Cabeza de Vaca began cultivating the sugar cane plant.

Where to Buy Your Own Bottle of Zhumir

You aren't going to be able to buy a bottle of Zhumir just anywhere, which adds to the excitement once you do get your hands on a bottle. You may be able to find it in a liquor store locally to you if there is a great enough demand – which means that you must live in a fairly South American populated area of the United States. If you don't, then you need to look at a larger liquor store or go online and purchase it at an online liquor store. It's going to be in the same area as rum and the price will be roughly the same, too. You do want to pay attention to shipping and handling charges as many of the online liquor stores can vary significantly in chargers.

What to Make with Zhumir

There are a lot of things you can make with Zhumir or you can consume it all on its own, served chilled. It is up to you how you want to mix your liquor, so the best idea is to chill a little and take a sip, just like you would sip a fine wine. You can then understand the flavor profile a little more and know what flavors you want to mix in.

 

Almost anything that you would make with aguardiente or rum can be made with Zhumir, though it will taste slightly different. A mojito is an excellent choice. For this, you need fresh mint leaves, ice, simple syrup (sugar and water) and club soda or lemon lime soda. Muddle the mint leaves with the liquor and syrup, then add ice and top off the glass with the soda. You can also mix the Zhumir with coke and a lime for a Cuba Libra or make any number of "modified" daiquiris where you'll add fruit and ice to the blender and mix it until it's the consistency of a smoothie.