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4 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t THE PARALLELS BETWEEN CRAFTING a killer cocktail and put- ting together an exceptional and thoughtful dish are obvious: Both require a high level of attention to detail, love of the process and the best ingredients one can get their hands on. We joined New Zealander Sai Charan Hamsala, winner of the Diplomático World Tournament 2015, to experience first-hand the union of chef and bartender at his stop in Los Angeles, CA. Hosting an intimate group of Angelenos, Hamsala crafted four libations to be paired with the meticulous dishes of Chef Cindy Tran of Lock & Key restaurant. But before jumping into the events of the evening, we should turn our attention to what goes into the making of Diplomático, and why it is, as Hamsala notes, "an exceptional rum." Nestled at the foot of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela, the Diplomático distillery was established in this location due to the ideal weather conditions for sugar cane growth and rum aging, but also for its proximity to the Terepaima National Park, which pro- vides the pure waters used in the production of Diplomático rums. For the creation of its rums, Diplomático uses sugar cane molas- ses (for light rums) and sugar cane honeys (for medium-bodied and complex rums), which are fermented at the distillery using a yeast strain that has been cultivated and maintained in-house. Lighter rums take about a day to ferment, while medium-bodied and complex rums ferment at a slower rate, taking about two days. Once the sugars have been converted to alcohol, Diplomático rums are distilled one of three ways: continuous column stills for the lighter rums, batch kettle stills for medium-bodied rums and pot stills for the more complex rums. After distillation, Diplomático rums are aged in different types of casks, predominantly former bourbon and malt whisky barrels. Once the rums have reached their optimal maturity, Diplomático's Mae- stros Roneros Tito Cordero and Gilberto Briceño blend the rums to create unique and characterful expressions. A selection of Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks are used to age Single Vintage and Ambassador rums, respectively. For both of these Prestige offerings, the rums are placed back into these barrels after the blending, to achieve a perfect finish. The result is an exceptional line-up of rums, driven by Diplomático's Reserva Exclusiva and ranging from Blanco and Reserva in the Traditional range, to Diplomático's Single Vintage 2002 and Ambassador in their Prestige range. RUM DIPLOMÁTICO BRINGS CHEFS TO THE BAR by Karen Moneymaker / photos by Dustin Downing One of Diplomático's sugar cane planta- tions, tucked into the foot of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela. PHOTO: COURTESY OF RUM DIPLOMÁTICO After a period of aging in cask, the Distillery's Maestro Ronero, Tito Cordero, and his team combine the matured spirit coming from the distinct distillation methods, to create unique and complex rums. PHOTO: COURTESY OF RUM DIPLOMÁTICO Ingredient DRIVEN Pot stills are used for the distillation of complex rums.