What is Maman Brigitte?

From whisky to dark rum

In 2009, Bert Bruyneel officially founded his company and pursued his passion for fine spirits. One year later, the first bottling was a fact. What started out as Asta Morris whisky has now become a broad and high quality offer of whiskies and rums, and some carefully selected French spirits. In 2018, his flagship amongst rums ‘Maman Brigitte’ was born.

Bert started his search for the best rum by blending different components he liked himself. Three rums were selected: an 8 year old Barbados rum, a 5 year old Dominican rum and a 3 year old Jamaican rum. After this selection, Bert pinpointed the perfect proportions and created the final blend with an alcohol percentage of 43 percent. He chose to add a very low amount of sugar, only 3 grams per liter, to contribute to the roundness of the rum. 

Origin and future of Maman Brigitte

The name ‘Maman Brigitte’ originates from the Haitian voodoo goddess of the living dead. Every year, on the day she is celebrated, people come together to offer heavily pigmented rum to the deceased goddess. That is where Bert got his idea to name his spicy rum with a typical Jamaican Dunder style.

The Maman Brigitte rum is a complex, sophisticated and delicate dark rum. It is a sipping rum as well as a spirit to be mixed in a rum cocktail. The goal for the future? To let everyone all over the world enjoy this delicious rum.

Curious to try this rum? Maman Brigitte can be bought in specialized liquor stores, at Colruyt or tasted in various restaurants and bars.

 11 January 2022 

Fun facts for rum dummies

We love rum and so should you. We will explain to you why you should love rum through three fun facts. There are facts about rum that most people don’t know,  in honor of what we think is one of the best spirits.

1. Rum-believable: rum is the oldest spirit in the world

Rum is the first premium drink ever and has a really interesting history if you dive in. The first rum distillation took place in the Caribbean in the 1620s. This led to rum being the first liquor to be manufactured and distilled. It became the first spirit to be consumed and manufactured for non-medical purposes.

2. Rum used to be really valuable

Rum was so valuable in the 18th century that it has been used as a type of currency. In fact, sailors would receive rum as a form of payment as part of their benefits package. I’m sure Captain Jack Sparrow would have loved this extra perk.

3. Rum – because you’re worth it…

As if you needed another reason to drink rum, there are some suggestions that this liquor can actually help prevent hair loss. In the 1800s, it was used by many to clean their hair, in the belief that it would result in thicker hair. Even today some people still think that this magical spirit still helps to prevent hair loss.

As you can see, there’s a lot to learn about rum! This delicious drink fits great in a wide variety of cocktails and is the essential liquor for any event. So why not take your time exploring the world of rum?

 11 January 2022 

When do you drink rum?

On what occasions?

Maman Brigitte is a dark rum for people who are looking for price-quality deliciousness without reaching to the sugar bowl.

The best time to drink rum is entirely up to you. Bert does not like rules when it comes to spirits. It all depends from person to person and desire. So in short, drink rum when you have the mind-set for it.

With which dishes?

Bert doesn’t like to pair spirits with food, why? Because those spirits tend to dominate the food too much.but if he has to choose something to pair rum with: definitely with desserts.

In which places?

Rum is best drunk in the distilleries in the Caribbean, or in the Hotel bars in the Caribbean. It does not get any better than that. Another great place to drink rum is Cuba. Did you know cuban rum was discovered in the 16th century by the Spanish colonists?

When that is not possible, people drink it mainly when they are among friends, in cozy places and so on... but in a brown pub you will not immediately find good rum.

When is rum consumed?

Cocktails with rum

Maman Brigitte is a dark rum that is ideal as a sipping rum, as well as sprit for rum cocktails. Below is a list of some rum based cocktails, which are delicious with the Maman Brigitte rum from the Asta Morris brand.

1. Cuba Libre or rather Maman Brigitte Cola

what do you need for a rum cola?:

• 45 ml Maman Brigitte rum
• Cola
• Lemon

How to make a rum cola?

1. Squeeze half a lemon into the glass
2. Fill the glass with crushed ice
3. Add 45 ml Maman Brigitte rum
4. Fill the rest of your glass with cola
5. Stir and finish with a subtle wedge of lime

2. Rum Old Fashioned

What do you need for a rum old fashioned?

• Angostura Bitters
• Ice cubes
• Maman Brigitte rum
• Maybe an orange for the enthusiasts

How to make a rum old fashioned?

1. Add Angostura Bitters (2-3 drops) to a rocks glass with a single ice cube
2. Add 3 to 4 more ice cubes and 50 ml Maman Brigitte rum
3. Stir for about 60 seconds
4. Ready. You can finish it off with an orange peel if you like!

3. Mojito

Although many people make mojitos with white rum, the brown Maman brigitte rum in a mojito is highly recommended! It gives an extra dimension to the mojito. Knowing that Maman Brigitte does not contain much sugar, this is definitely a winner!

What do you need for a rum Mojito?

• Cane sugar
• Limes
• Mint leaves
• Maman Brigitte rum
• Crushed ice
• Sparkling water

How to make a rum Mojito?

1. Empty 2 tablespoons of cane sugar into your glass
2. Squeeze 6 pieces of lime into your glass
3. Put 5 to 6 mint leaves in your glass
4. Mash everything up, making sure to release a lot of juice
5. Sprinkle a small spoonful of cane sugar over the juices
6. Fill the glass with crushed ice
7. Pour 45ml Maman Brigitte into your glass
8. Top it off with a splash of sparkling water
9. Ready, but add maybe just a straw!

4. The Zombie

Let’s end with Bert’s personal favorite: the Zombie!

What do you need to make the Zombie rum cocktail?

• 30 ml Maman Brigitte rum
• 30 ml white rum
• 5 ml Maraschino liqueur
• 5 ml absinth
• 30 ml of passion fruit juice
• 30 ml pineapple juice
• 10 ml lemon juice
• a piece of passion fruit to decorate
• a shaker
• ice cubes
  
  

How to make a rum Zombie cocktail?

1. Take the shaker and make sure there are some ice cubes in it
2. Add all the ingredients listed above expect the absynth
3. Shake it!
4. Pour it into the cocktail glass
5. Add the absinth
6. Decorate it with a piece of passion fruit

Rum with desserts

Bert his personal favorite is the one and only: dame blanche. But Maman Brigitte dark rum with a chocolate dessert (with maybe some dried fruit) is also a winner!

Rum as aperitif

An aperitif is an alcoholic drink taken before dinner to whet the appetite. The custom of drinking an aperitif before eating was adopted from France. Rum as an aperitif goes too, think of a cuba libre or just neat.

Rum as a digestive or rum as a sleeping cap

A digestif is a drink drunk after a meal that advances the digestion. It is thus the opposite of an aperitif, a drink one consumes before eating. It is drunk separately or with a coffee.