What Makes a Rum Inherently Filipino? This New-School Spirits Maker Has a Few Ideas
The true Filipino drinker always has some spare beer, gin, or rum lying around. And there's always a friend at a nearby barangay to share them with. We've consistently made the top 10 in terms of consumption in the world, too. It's not that crazy, really. This is a tropical country and there has never been a drought of summer spirits.
We all know about Red Horse or Ginebra San Miguel or Tanduay, of course. But there's something to be said about the newer, smaller players in the game. They keep the big ones honest, you know. And for a spirit like rum, which has been around for centuries, it can be hard to find something new to say. That doesn't mean we can't try though.
Kasama Rum is one of the few new brands out there that does. The new kid on the block calls itself the sunshine spirit and we can understand why. It feels vibrant. It feels light. It feels youthful. It feels compelling.
A second-generaiton spirits maker, founder Alexandra Dorda practically grew up with good booze.
Its Filipino-Polish founder, Alexandra Dorda, is a second-generation spirits maker. Dorda's father, Tad, is a spirits man himself, but he's much more of a vodka kind of guy (he co-founded brands like Belvedere and Chopin, in case we haven't heard). Kasama, she says, has been in the works her entire life.
"I grew up in the spirits world and always knew I wanted to create my own brand. I’ve always loved rum, but didn’t feel like any of the existing rum brands were speaking to me," she claims.
"They were often focused on really tired nautical tropes like pirates, sailors, and sea monsters. Rums typically harken to the past, and I really felt like rum needed a breath of fresh air and a more modern approach."
So what exactly speaks to her? Maybe its her Filipino roots.
As one of the largest rum producers in the world, the Philippines is synonymous with nautical culture (think: the galleon trade or our seamen uncles). It's made for warmer places surrounded by blue seas. Rum has been around these islands for hundreds of years, thanks to our native sugarcane and the abundance of fruit (Philippine mangoes and coconuts are god-tier minus the bias). The Philippines, Dorda points out, also has the second highest rum consumption per capita in the world, behind only the Dominican Republic.
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Kasama is Dorda's interpretation of Filipino sensibilities, as well. "The inspiration for Kasama Rum is the vibrant and festive culture of the Philippines," she explains. "It is my interpretation of what it means to be Filipino, which is warm, friendly, convivial, and colorful."
Dorda chose the word Kasama because it speaks of the inclusiveness of Filipino hospitality, she says. "I always say that Filipinos will find any excuse to have a party, and Kasama embodies this ethos by encouraging people to celebrate the everyday." She's not wrong, is she?
In Kasama, we can also observe various nods to Filipino culture, such is the case with the winking sun and, of course, the "Mabuhay" stamp. We also get to see indigenous flora and fauna, like the sampaguita flower or the anahaw leaves. These capture the spirit of the Philippine tropics.
"It is actually bottled in Poland at my family’s vodka distillery, so it combines both my Filipino and Polish heritage as well as my family history in the hospitality business," she tells Esquire Philippines. Dorda credits Serious Studio for the packaging's design.
The Kasama founder is tired of those played-out images of the rum drinker.
"[I want to leave] behind the typical tropes associated with old school rum brands like sailors and pirates." These guys want the kind of rum that's heavily spiced or overly sweet on the palate. Dorda, on the other hand, hopes to build a modern and convivial brand for her drinkers. Her rum is that of a lighter and drier flavor.
Dorda was also kind enough to take us through the rum-making process. Their rum is distilled from sugar cane and is distilled and aged in the Philippines in ex-bourbon American oak barrels. This is what gives the rum its golden hue plus the mellowness of its overall flavor.
Kasama Rum, interestingly, has hints of vanilla and spice. It even has a pinch of sea salt. Once the rum is aged, it will now make its way to Poland for bottling. It's the only rum that is bottled in the Eastern European country. How about that? "I love that I get to connect my two cultures in this unique way," she expresses.
And we love it, too. Its vibrance and profile is giving us some original Philippine island vibes. A good rum is honest and takes from the place it was born, as we know. Kasama Rum is all that and then some.
