Urban Rum Distillers BRIX
Born in Surry Hills, amongst Sydney’s vibrant creative hub, this small urban distillery pushes the boundaries of rum making forward.
Rum is made of only three components: Molasses, Yeast, and Water.
With this in mind, Brix believes in using top-quality ingredients and following a four-stage process to create high-quality rum.
- Elevating the raw materials:
Brix uses Australian single-origin molasses, sourced from the highest-quality local supplier, Bundaberg Sugar Refinery, ensuring a clean, rich flavor profile. - Using a great Yeast:
Yeast must be carefully selected to achieve a balanced range of esters, aromas, and flavors. These local Sydneysiders use a combination of champagne yeast and rum yeast to ensure a balanced, bold, and smooth result. - Using the best equipment:
Molly, this is the name of the still, is a hybrid 1800L copper pot with a 5-plate column, designed and built right here in Australia, in Ballarat, VIC, for our Melburnian friends! She’s a beauty, and boy, can she make some good juice! - Sourcing the best wood:
The barrels are viewed as another essential ingredient, chosen for their quality and flavor potential.
Once again, the Urban Distillers prefer to support local!
At Brix, everything carries a genuine Australian signature, from the raw materials to the final product.
The Cocktail
For our latest collaboration with one of Australia’s finest rum makers, we have decided to delve into their small batch Australian Rum in more detail.
This straight column blend is matured for 2.5-3.5 years in Australian red wine barrels and bottled at 42.2% ABV. Its delightful caramel, toffee, and vanilla notes are complemented by subtle hints of red cherries, orange peel, and stone fruit undertones. I particularly enjoyed its viscosity on the palate and its full-bodied character.
Those characteristics make this rum the perfect ingredient for a Mai Tai or even a classic Rum Old Fashioned. However, today we decided to try something a little different by proposing an original twist on one of my personal favorite rum cocktails: The Jungle Bird.
The Origins Of The Classic
The origins of this classic come from Kuala Lumpur Hilton Hotel, at the Aviary Bar, where it was created as the welcome drink for the hotel’s opening in 1973 by the Beverage Manager Jeffrey Ong.
The Recipe
– 45ml Dark Rum
– 15ml Campari
– 45ml Pineapple Juice
– 15ml lime
– 15ml simple syrup/demerara syrup
Shake and double strain into a rock glass over a large ice cube.
Garnish with fresh pineapple or pineapple leaves.
In this recipe, I’ve decided to swap the pineapple juice for a lacto-fermented peach juice. This allows for a more funky approach and a better balance of the bitter compounds inputted by the Campari and offset by the saltiness of the lacto-ferment. For a bit of extra fun, I’ve infused the Campari in this recipe with cocoa husks to add some chocolate flavours, which pairs incredibly well with the peaches and the rum.
The Cocoa Husk Campari:
1. Pour 700ml of Campari to a container;
2. Add 5g of cocoa husks;
3. Shake well and allow the mixture to rest for 12-24 hours, depending on the desired outcome;
4. Strain solids and keep in the fridge.
Brix Australian Rum truly shines in this drink, enhancing the stone fruit undertones and fruity characters.
I’ve been experimenting quite a bit with lacto-fermentation lately, so, if you’re interested in recreating this recipe, make sure to check out this piece on lacto-fermentation.
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