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Substitutions · 32 dishes here use it
The widest spirit on the shelf. White rum is clean and lets lime lead; aged rum brings oak and dried fruit; funky pot-still rum is a flavor in its own right and will take over a drink built for the others.
Everything below is judged against that job. A swap that covers it is a swap; one that only looks similar is not.
Functional substitution system
For rum, the page's working definition is: The widest spirit on the shelf. White rum is clean and lets lime lead; aged rum brings oak and dried fruit; funky pot-still rum is a flavor in its own right and will take over a drink built for the others. The swap cards below are judged against that job rather than visual resemblance.
Job → candidate → side effects → small test → correct.
1 · Job
What is the missing ingredient doing?
2 · Candidate
Choose the shelf item that replaces that function.
3 · Side effects
Check water, fat, salt, acid, sweetness, and texture.
4 · Small test
Change a spoonful or small portion first when possible.
5 · Correct
Taste again and move only the axis that is still wrong.
What the missing thing was doing
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A substitution is easier to judge once you have watched the job being done properly.
Instead · 1
one for one
Instead · 2
one for one
Instead · 3
one for one, with a quarter ounce of syrup
These need it and are short enough that nothing hides: 4 required ingredients or fewer. Make the swap a decision rather than a repair.
The company rum keeps in this library, counted off required ingredients. A swap that argues with the top two is the wrong swap, whatever a chart says.