Review: Hum Botanical Spirit Liqueur
A unique liqueur on the market today, Hum has been available for a few years, but I rarely see it on cocktail menus. It’s made from pot-distilled rum and infused with fair trade hibiscus, ginger root, green cardamom, and kaffir lime. Sounds simple. It is anything but.
This is a complicated liqueur. The color and consistency are Robitussin maroon. The nose, intensely floral, features an undercurrent of raisins and wild cherries. The body is a powerhouse: The floral elements build and build until (mercifully) the ginger root takes over, cutting the sweetness with that unmistakable bite. Cardamom is clear, but it’s not as powerful as I was expecting — perhaps being “green” makes a difference.
Hum is frankly difficult to process; there’s so much going on in this spirit that “balance” is an utter impossibility. The ginger element really grows on you though, which really surprised me. Use in cocktails, one drop at a time.
70 proof.
B- / $47 [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
Hum Botanical Spirit Liqueur
$47
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I met the guy who makes this stuff last year. You’re right, Hum needs to be used sparingly in cocktails, not just because it can dominate other ingredients, but because it may be the only way for its individual flavors to be clearly displayed one-by-one.