One year into its bold mission to host Scotland’s largest collection of rum, Edinburgh cocktail bar Ruma has revealed plans to broaden its offer.
The Broughton street bar currently plays host to over 170 bottles of the spirit – more than any bar in Scotland ever has – but in acknowledgement of the capital’s ‘rapidly-evolving cocktail scene’, it is now introducing a new menu including non-rum and non-alcoholic options.
Ruma co-owner, Jamie Shields, said: “We opened Ruma one year ago to welcome the largest collection of Rum to Scotland. The response from our loyal guests has been amazing.
“A thirst for knowledge and interest in where each rum comes from and tastes like is what our staff love talking about,” said Shields.
“In our first year we have seen a demand for cocktails and drinks of all types. At our heart we will always be a rum bar, but we also thought ‘why can’t we offer a range of other drinks too?’
“Non-alcoholic options are now key in hospitality. Rather than relegating these to a section at the back of the menu, we believe that guests who are not drinking alcohol should have the same menu experience as those who are, as each has been crafted with as much care as the drinks with alcohol.”
Ruma’s brand-new menu is split into five sections based on each drink’s flavour profile – Fresh, Fruity, Short, Smoke & Savoury, and Classics – the idea is to make it as easy as possible for guests to navigate, learn & discover new cocktails, whether alcoholic or not.
There is also a fresh drive to reduce waste throughout, with each ingredient used to its fullest. For example, Ruma’s most popular drink, the Spiced Pear Mule, which uses a poached pear syrup from fresh pears, now has a spin-off drink.
Any wasted fruit from the Spiced Pear Mule is being blended with spent wine, to create the ‘Mrs Kenmore’, which is carbonated alongside a gentian liqueur and Brugal 1888 Rum, to create a fresh, fizzy cocktail reminiscent of sparkling wine.
To highlight its extraordinary rum range, Ruma will now be providing ‘Rum Experiences’, bookable each week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, involving tasting flights of three rums, with different categories available such as ‘Taste of the Caribbean’ or ‘Intro to Scottish Rum’.
The bar is also hosting ‘Passport Sessions’, a world tour of rum tastings specialising in a different country each month and sampling six hard to find or rare bottlings, taking guests to the likes of Guyana, Haiti, Barbados, and Martinique.
Another innovation is a new online bottle shop, launching at the beginning of May, offering all 170 varieties of its rum range for customers to enjoy in 30ml sample bottles at home.
In a similar spirit of opening up its offer, the bar is also launching a range of canned cocktails from its the new menu – and handing them out to local businesses and bars to ‘create comradery’ among independent business owners.
“We love championing local,” added Shields. “That’s why we serve local beer from Campervan Brewery, and we also have a great wine list by the glass too.
“Ruma’s goal is to serve the widest range of rum in the country through unforgettable experiences, but also offer deliciously alternative drinks to ensure guests leave with a satisfied smile on their face, and always come back for more.”
