In the latest installment in our long-running series on what to pair with Mexican craft spirits, Tess Rose introduces an exciting rum from Jalisco. Like all of our content, this is 100% independent and we receive no kick-back for recommendations.
The new year has us feeling experimental, including playing around with other types of Mexican craft spirits as a way to mix things up. One spirit that has captured our attention for its pairing potential is Pelacañas Rum Agricola made in Jalisco near the Volcan de Tequila. Whether enjoyed neat or in a simple cocktail like a daiquiri, Rum is often a surprisingly friendly companion for food–thanks to its sweet aromatics and rounded texture. Cheese is one of the first items I reach for when pairing spirits. I will forever loudly proclaim that it is easier (and often so much tastier) to pair cheese with spirits than it is with wine. This is especially with spirits that have a touch of sweetness because cheese makes quick work of creating an umami and savory counterpoint. If you do it right, these pairings enhance both components and pack a ton of flavor into a tight package, and we are definitely going for maximum bang for our buck in 2026.
Pelacañas is a small operation that uses estate grown sugarcane to make rum from 100% cane juice. The brand currently offers three expressions, an unaged blanco, a single barrel aged rum, and the Llamarada, an unaged rum bottled at still strength. The exact alcohol by volume varies by batch, but the relatively higher ABV translates to a spirit that has a fiery punch that can stand up to richer textures and flavors, making it ideal for cheese that also has some thickness. The flavors are tropical, heady, with a touch of caramelized toastiness.
The importers of the brand love pairing this with Prairie Breeze, a cheddar from Iowa that has a dense fudgy texture, sweet caramelized grassy notes, and undertones of pineapple toasted nuts. It’s a popular cheese that is surprisingly easy to find at many quality cheese shops across the United States, and easily recognizable by many experienced cheesemongers, who will likely be able to offer a similar cheese if not available. I ran with this inspiration and tried it with some other easily accessible cheddars from big chain grocery stores to see how the pairing would hold, fancy bespoke cheese notwithstanding. Even with big brand cheeses with nonspecific designations like Irish Mature Cheddar and Extra Sharp New York Cheddar, the results were good across the board. The fruitiness and spiciness are highlighted and balanced at once, and the dense creaminess of the cheese balanced out the piquancy of the high proof spirit. The moral of the story is that even with mediocre cheese, this rum sings next to a chunk of cheddar.
When tasting spirits and cheese, the question of where to start comes up often. The goal is to blend the flavors together, and usually calls for what cheese professionals call the “milkshake” method. The first step is to take a small bit of cheese, followed by a small sip of the beverage, allowing both to be in your mouth at the same time. If this sounds offputting, you can do them one at a time. You can also reverse the order–starting with a sip followed by a bite, to see if any preference of difference emerges. At the end of the day, follow your intuition as you sip and snack.
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