A rumtopf (literal translation is "rum pot") is an interesting earthenware container designed to hold fruit and strong rum (some add sugar, I don't) until the fruit is completely saturated with rum. The fruit along with rum is then spooned over vanilla ice cream (at least in my family history). Tonight I opened my pot to sample some of the nectar.
Here's my pot. 14 years ago (yes, that's not a typo), I filled the pot with strawberries and rum. Every 6 months or so (or maybe a few years), I top it off with more rum, depending on evaporation - the rum liquor actually seeps ever so slowly through the wall of the vessel. You can see the black seepage in the plate and on the walls.
This is what it looks like inside the pot tonight - I have not topped it off in at least two years. The berries you see are 14 years old, as is at least some of the rum
I had to try a glass...
... with some Bradley smoked Gouda and extra crisp crackers...
... and to finish the experience, a Toll House cookie baked in a 4-inch cast iron pan - nothing like a fresh, gooey cookie with a glass of fine spirit.
This rum is like none other I have ever tasted - the fruity notes from the berries on the palate has developed over the past 14 years, subtle notes of honey, berries, and tropical fruits.