Railean Dark Rum - Bright Prospects
SAN LEON — With Galveston County home to such a large concentration of boats and boating enthusiasts, it’s not surprising that the only distillery in the county produces rum, a liquor historically associated with sailors and the open seas.
“We’re sailors, and rum is our passion,” Kelly Railean said.
She and her husband, Matt, are the owners of Railean Distillers in San Leon, producers of Railean Handmade Texas Rum.
The Raileans recently released their second product, a dark rum that joins their original light rum on the shelves of restaurants, bars and liquor stores throughout the state.
“We’re in 200 liquor stores in Texas now, including major retailers such as Spec’s,” Railean said, “and more restaurants around here are getting on board.”
Both light and dark rum get their characteristic flavor from molasses. While the light rum is distilled to be less sweet, or “dry,” dark rum’s aging process develops more complex flavors that hold up in cooked desserts as well as in drinks.
“Dark rum gets its color from the barrels,” Railean explained. “Our barrels are new oak that has been charred. A lot of mass-produced rum is aged in old whiskey barrels. That’s good for color, but we want our rum to taste like rum, not whiskey. Nothing but rum has been in our barrels.”
Aging the rum requires frequent monitoring.
“That’s the fun part,” she laughed. “We smell and taste, and check the colors. Even though the barrels are all the same wood, they age differently, and there are subtle differences in the rum from barrel to barrel.”
The differences are smoothed out in the blending process.
“We blend it in large tanks to get a consistent premium product, and then bottle it,” Railean said.
Railean cooks with rum often.
“A lot of people are afraid to cook with rum because of the alcohol, but most of the alcohol burns off. Dark rum has a caramelized flavor, so it goes well in desserts and tropical fruit,” she said.
A career in food and wine, most recently as a wine sommelier and then as a distributor, added to the Raileans’ repertoire of rum-flavored dishes.
“I like to cook, and I’m always on the lookout for recipes. I use epicurious.com as well as cookbooks, and over time I’ve tweaked the recipes for our tastes.”
While the recipes the Raileans developed to showcase their rum have concentrated on classic rum drinks with a local twist (with names like the Kemah Libre, Texas Rum Punch and Clear Lake Shores Sunset), at home, Kelly Railean often serves rum-laced desserts. “Caramel bread pudding with rum sauce is one of my favorites, and I make rum balls and tropical crepes with rum sauce.”
In addition to cooking at home, the Raileans enjoy eating out at the local restaurants that now feature their rum, in its distinctive bottles adorned with one of San Leon’s most colorful residents, the Monk Parakeet.
“Our rum is served at Bailey’s Tommy’s, the Green Parrot, the Terrace, Noah’s Ark, Clifton by the Sea and others in the area. I think there’s always something a little special about a local product.”
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Coconut Rum Balls
1 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/4 cup rum 1/8 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 cup coconut (for coating)
In a large bowl, combine crumbs, coconut and nuts. Add sweetened condensed milk and rum; mix well. Chill four hours.
Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in coconut. Store in covered container in refrigerator 24 hours before serving.
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Peach-rum Sauce
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 6 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced thinly 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons dark rum
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Add peaches and vanilla. Sauté until peaches are tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in rum. Return skillet to heat and cook until sauce thickens, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over ice cream or pound cake.
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Galveston Island Iced Tea
One part Railean Reserve XO Dark Rum One part Vodka One part Tequila One part Gin Juice of ½ lemon Splash of Cola
Serve over cracked ice and garnish with slice of lemon.
— Recipe courtesy of Railean Rum
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Gooey Chocolate Butterscotch/Caramel Bread Pudding With Railean Rum Sauce
Two loaves egg bread, crusts trimmed, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 cup purchased butterscotch or caramel sauce plus more for serving 4 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons dark rum 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 3 tablespoons sugar Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place bread in large bowl. Drizzle with 5 tablespoons melted butter; toss. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bread begins to color, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Cool. Brush 11-by-7-by-2-inch glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
Stir whipping cream and 1 cup butterscotch or caramel sauce in medium saucepan over medium heat until blended and bubbling. Remove from heat. Whisk eggs and yolks in large bowl. Add Railean Reserve XO dark rum, vanilla, and salt; gradually whisk in warm sauce mixture. Stir in bread cubes. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mix chocolate chips into custard mixture. Pour into prepared dish. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Bake pudding until puffed and set in center, about 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm, passing more butterscotch or caramel sauce topping alongside.
— Recipe courtesy of Kelly Railean
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Molten Chocolate Spiced Cakes With Ginger-Railean Rum Ice Cream
Ice Cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger 11/2 tablespoon Railean Reserve XO dark rum
Cakes
14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 6 large eggs 6 large egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups powdered sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour
For Ice Cream
Place softened ice cream in medium bowl. Using plastic spatula, fold ginger and Railean Reserve XO dark rum into ice cream. Transfer to airtight container. Freeze ice cream mixture until firm, about four hours. (Can be made one day ahead. Keep frozen.)
For Cakes
Butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes. Stir chocolate, butter, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and white pepper in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in 3 cups powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top and dividing equally. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bake cakes until batter has risen above dish, top edges are dark brown, and centers are still soft and runny, about 15 minutes, or about 18 minutes for refrigerated batter. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Allow cakes to rest in dishes 5 minutes. Using hot pad and holding dish very firmly, place plate gently atop 1 cake and invert onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Serve cakes with rum-ginger ice cream.
— Recipe courtesy of Kelly Railean






