To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, Diablesse Rum has launched limited-edition prints of two inspirational women, Kamala Harris and Emmeline Pankhurst, in support of The Pankhurst Trust.
Led by a team of women, Diablesse Rum, is an independent female-owned rum brand based in Manchester, disrupting the landscape of a predominantly male rum industry. Diablesse Rum is comprised of two distinct, small-batch expressions: Diablesse Caribbean Rum and Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum.
Owner & Managing Director, Cleo Farman, has an ethos to champion a more female-inclusive approach to rum, with Diablesse Rum the result of Farman’s year-long exploration of rums, personally creating and testing different blends and flavours.
The Diablesse IWD prints, designed by Manchester-based graphic designer and illustrator Alexandra Francis, embody the powerful female spirits of both Kamala Harris and Emmeline Pankhurst, both trailblazers and history makers in their own right.
Available to purchase from the Diablesse webshop from the 8th March (International Women’s Day), the prints have been designed in the official IWD colours of purple, green and white, featuring the green ribbon of hope. Proceeds of the print sales will be donated to The Pankhurst Trust.
The Pankhurst Trust was formed in 2014 as a merger between The Pankhurst Trust, which ran the iconic Pankhurst Centre with its museum and women-only activity space, and Manchester Women’s Aid, Manchester’s largest specialist provider of domestic abuse services. The two-fold mission reflects the charitable objects central to both organisations; to promote the equality of women, and to support women, suffering, or at risk of, domestic abuse, and their dependents.
Alongside the prints, female mixologist Sammie Cox has designed three International Women’s Day Diablesse cocktails, with each one representing the IWD colours and meanings. Plus, in collaboration with Femme Forward, male & female bartenders from around the UK have been invited to post their own Diablesse white, purple and green cocktails on the day to honour the occasion.
The perfect tipples to toast International Women’s Day and powerful females doing great things.
Purple – Justice & Dignity
- 25ml Diablesse Clementine Rum
- 25ml Grahams White Port
- 25ml Butterfly pea tea
- 10ml Butterfly pea syrup
- 15ml Orange and Lavender cordial
Garnish: Lavender sprig
Method: Stir down over ice
Glassware: Nick and Nora
Lotions and potions:
Butterfly pea tea – Brew 10 butterfly pea flowers into a mug (approx. 250ml)
Butterfly pea syrup – Make a 1:1 sugar syrup, add butterfly pea flowers (approx 15 – increase for larger batch) and allow to infuse whilst the sugar dissolves on a low heat. Once all the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat and leave to sit. Once cooled, strain off. Add 1-2 drops of citrus (I used lemon juice) and stir to create desired purple colour.
Lavender and orange cordial
250g sugar
- Zest of 4 oranges, in large pieces of peel
- 125ml of fresh orange juice
- 62.5ml water
- 4 stalks of lavender
Method: 4 oranges, in large pieces of peel and juiced. 4 stalks of lavender. In a large pot bring sugar, zest, juice, and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat then add the lavender and let it infuse for at least 15 minutes/ until cool.
Green – Hope
- 35ml Diablesse Golden Rum
- 20ml Green Chartreuse
- 10ml Velvet Falernum
- 20ml Pea Syrup
- 12.5 Lime juice
- 5ml Grapefruit Juice
Method: Shake over ice
Glassware: Coupe
Lotions and potions
Pea syrup – combine 250g sugar, 250g of water and 100g of sugar snap peas to a pan. Heat on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and peas have been heated to release flavour. Allow to sit until cool. Blend together in a processor, strain through a sieve and muslin cloth.
White – Purity – a throwback to the colours used by the Suffragettes in 1908
- 40ml Coconut fat washed Diablesse Golden rum
- 10ml Orgeat
- 10ml Lemon juice
- 5ml Saffron syrup
- 1 x Egg white
Garnish: Saffron
Method: Dry and Wet shake
Glassware: Nick and Nora
Potions and lotions
Coconut fat wash rum – Melt 50g of coconut oil into a pan, take off the heat once melted. Combine the coconut oil with 250ml of rum. Shake well and allow it to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours, then place the mixture in a freezer for 24 hours. The fat solidifies and will separate from the alcohol. Once ready, strain the alcohol you will be left with an infused spirit with a silky texture and oily mouth-feel.
Scale up measurements for larger batches.
With many rums featuring bullish or masculine branding, often in the shape of pirates, Sea Gods or seafaring Captains, Diablesse is named after the legend of La Diablesse, a dark, ancient and mythical temptress of Caribbean folklore, a strong female figurehead who now graces each bottle.
Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum (40% abv, £31.95 for 70cl) has a unique flavour profile that perfectly balances zesty clementine with notes of toffee apple & warm pimento, infused with 100% natural ingredients.
The rum, which is perfect over ice or mixed with everything from spiced orange ginger ale to prosecco to hot cloudy apple juice, has been distilled using centuries-old distillation methods in the famous Diamond Distillery in the Caribbean. It is also fantastic in your favourite cocktails. Try the Diablesse Chocolate Orange Negroni or Diablesse Clementine Espresso Daiquiri (serves on website).
Alternatively, Diablesse Caribbean Rum (40% abv, £37 for 70cl) is beautifully moreish with notes of chargrilled pineapple and butterscotch with a long, warm peppery finish. It is a blend of three different liquids: an eight-year-old Bajan rum from Foursquare Distillery, Barbados; a four-year-old Jamaican copper pot still rum from Worthy Park distillery; and a two-year-old Guyanese rum made in the famous, two hundred year old wooden Enmore Still at the Diamond Distillery, the only wooden still of its kind still in operation today.
The rum is tropically aged in ex-Bourbon whisky casks and, unlike many rums, it has no added sugar, colour, caramel or other adulteration letting this blend of pure rums speak for itself. Perfect served neat over ice, with ginger ale, coke or in a cocktail such as a Diablesse Caribbean Sour or a Diablesse Tajin Daiquiri (serves all on the website).
Sourced, blended and bottled by independent Manchester based company Farman and Son Ltd, Diablesse Rum is already award-winning. The team have created the new spirit by blending pure rums with excellent provenance to give new, undiscovered delicious flavour profiles, with the range available to buy online now.
The name heralds from the legend of La Diablesse, a well-known figure from Caribbean legend. Said to be a beautiful woman who had dealings with the devil, she was known to seduce unsuspecting men into the forest, casting spells on them never to be seen again. She is also a symbol of female empowerment in Caribbean culture.
The range is currently stocked nationally online at Master of Malt, Whisky Exchange, 31 Dover, Crafty Connoisseur and Amazon, and is already available in Selfridges and a number of independent wine & spirits retailers across the North West. It is also served in a number of bars across Manchester, London, Liverpool & Leeds, including Cottonopolis, Refuge, Wood & Co, Liars Club and Trailer Happiness to name a few.
The Diablesse Rum International Women’s Day prints will be available to purchase from the Diablesse webshop from 8th March, with all proceeds going to The Pankhurst Trust.
For more information on the rum and for innovative cocktail ideas click here.
