The legacies of rum and chocolate are intertwined, with cacao trees and sugar cane playing an intrinsic role in Jamaica’s rich agricultural heritage.

The flavours of rum and chocolate also make an exceptional pairing; the intense notes of premium-aged rum lend themselves well to chocolate’s fruity undertones.

It was only right then, that Worthy Park Estate’s pot-still aged rum range was presented alongside Pure Chocolate’s artisanal Jamaican chocolate for the ‘Pot-still and Pods’ seminar at the Jamaica Rum Festival.

Guided by Craig Nicholson, Worthy Park Estate’s senior blender and quality control manager, and Pure Chocolate’s chocolatier Jamalia Wright, guests experienced a carefully curated tasting exercise with five pot-still distilled rum products from their extensive Rum-Bar and Worthy Park rum portfolios with premium hand-made chocolates. Guests enjoyed this tasting experience while learning about the history and art of pot-still rum-making.

Some of the guests included content creators Wesley Hylton and Suetanya McHorgh.

“Dark chocolate is the best accompaniment to aged rum, generating a sensory spectrum that is difficult to match. This rum tasting combined five delectable premium chocolates from Pure Chocolate Jamaica. And I’m telling you, the mixture of flavours is one-of-a-kind!” Nicholson explained to Our Today.

So how did this collaboration come about?

“Food and drink pairings are always in the eye of the beholder, but during an impromptu session with Pure Chocolate Jamaica at their newly opened facility at Island Village in Ocho Rios, we tested many variations and felt that the selection that was presented paired the absolute best,” he said.

“We found that the unique characteristics of Worthy Park’s authentic 100 per cent copper pot-still distilled rums match well with the earthiness and richness of the chocolates produced by Pure Chocolate Jamaica. With the variety of chocolates they create it was relatively easy finding ones that matched with our variety of expressions,” the senior blender added.

The Jamaica Rum Festival ‘Pot-still and Pods’ seminar included these combinations:

• Pure Chocolate Jamaica dark chocolate coupled with aged Worthy Park Single Estate 2007 barrel series exclusively created for Half Moon resort.
• Cinnamon-flavoured Pure Chocolate Jamaica Dark chocolate yoked well with full-bodied dark rum Worthy Park 109.
• Pure Chocolate Jamaica White Chocolate flavoured with beetroot and cranberry matched with fan-favourite Rum-Bar White Overproof rum.
• Pure Chocolate Jamaica Dark chocolate with medium-bodied 4-12 year aged Worthy Park Select Jamaica Rum made a perfect duo.
• Pure Chocolate Jamaica Milk Chocolate infused with ginger and speculaas with recently launched premium Worthy Park Rum Cream was a match made in heaven.

Pure Chocolate Jamaica’s Rennae Johnson explains the genesis of the collaboration based on both brands’ values.

“Rum and chocolate are no strangers, oftentimes you will find truffles and bonbons filled with liquor. What made this collaboration different is the fact that both companies are proud Jamaican single-estate producers with strong values towards building our local communities and supporting our farmers. Together we came up with the idea to create a signature Worthy Park Select rum chocolate that highlights the best of both worlds,” Johnson told Our Today.

“JRF’s rum seminar participants loved the flavours and the combination of the cocoa nibs and the kick of rum in the Worthy Park Select chocolate and we love the synergy and vibes we have with Worthy Park Estate.” Johnson shared excitedly.

Pure Jamaica Chocolate is sold online and at local retailers island-wide.