This zero proof rum from Strykk gave us strong notes of mint, and ginger, with subtler hints of black tea, orange, vanilla and oak.

As I’ve continued to spend time with our lineup of zero-proof rums I’ve begun projecting certain rum personalities onto them, a bit like a castaway on a deserted island would draw a face on a volleyball to keep themselves company (for example, Lyre’s Dark Cane Spirit is a bit like a young, dosed Demerara). In this light Strykk is a bit like a column still overproof—it has a burn, but not too much complexity. The burn indexes on menthol and ginger, but if a bit of a kick is something you’re missing during dry January, Strykk has it in spades. Beyond the kick it’s relatively light on the palate; their bottle mentions notes of raisin, vanilla, and warming oakwood, and while none of those seems wrong they’re all very subtle. We also got notes of orange and black tea, but again, very subtle. In our taste test, everyone agreed it made a good mixer, but as a neat sipper the panel was divided (it’s worth noting it got better neat ratings from those who regularly sip spirits neat). For cocktail nerds, one exciting aspect of its focused profile is that it’s great to play around with in recipes; you can make a halfway decent Zombie using Strykk as your overproof and something like Monday as your Puerto Rican rum (as of yet, nothing I’ve tried even resembles a high ester Jamaican). As the novelty of zero-proof tipples wears off, that specificity is something I increasingly appreciate.