Sailor Jerry Rum – Latest Prices and Guide

About Sailor Jerry

Sailor Jerry, born Norman Keith Collins in 1911, is a household name for his tattoos and art, all of which are bold, precise, and authentic. So it’s no surprise that this namesake rum is imbued with the same qualities.

History

Sailor Jerry rum is made with the same attention to authenticity that Sailor Jerry himself was known for in his art. Using his iconic hula-girl american traditional artwork as the label, the rum harkens back to his days sailing from the west coast to Hawaii. Before his time in Hawaii, though, Sailor Jerry was born in Reno and raised in Northern California. In his late teens he developed a passion for the artform that is tattooing and began an internship with a tattooer named “Big Mike” from Alaska.

Background

The makers of the rum studied rum styles around the world, the history of the drink, and how sailors across the seas historically made the beverage palatable. Using this information, Sailor Jerry became a “navy strength” rum with a high alcohol content and a smooth flavor, imitating the spices sailors would use to enhance the flavor of their daily rum rations.

Composition

The brand, Sailor Jerry, produces its rum using a blend of Caribbean rums with added spices and caramel and vanilla flavors, producing a historically accurate high proof recipe. Before governments banned rum rations for their sailors, captains would ignite a sample of the rum with the sailors as witnesses to provide “proof” the rum wasn’t watered down, hence the word “proof” being used to this day as a measurement for alcohol content. Sailor Jerry comes in at a whopping 92 proof, or 46% alcohol by volume.

Where to Buy

Sailor Jerry Rum isn’t one of the big-box alcohol brands found in every grocery and liquor store, but it’s not impossible to find and you might stumble upon it in your local liquor supplier. There are several online suppliers who consistently stock the rum like WineChateau.com and TheBottleHaus.com. It can also periodically be found at Costco when they’re lucky enough to get their hands on it, and larger liquor stores carry Sailor Jerry rum consistently. You can head over to Sailor Jerry Rum’s website to see if your local store carries Sailor Jerry.

Sailor Jerry Rum Prices

Item Alcohol (ABV) Size Price
Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum 46% (92 proof) 750ml $24.00
1L $32.00
1.75L $40.00
Sailor Jerry Savage Apple Rum (limited edition) 35% (70 proof) 750ml $28.00

Sailor Jerry Rum Buying Guide

Sailor Jerry produces two rums: its Spiced Navy Rum and its limited edition Savage Apple Rum, both of which are currently available at Sailor Jerry retailers.

Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum

This is the Sailor Jerry rum you want to purchase if your palate prefers strong, bold, and smooth. This high proof rum will burn on the way down but the added spices, vanilla, and caramel make it smooth at the same time. It’s perfect for mixing into Mai Tais, Mojitos, and Long Islands thanks to its high alcohol content, so buy this if you’re a fan of high alcohol and a buttery smooth balance.

Sailor Jerry Savage Apple Rum (limited edition)

Sailor Jerry Savage Apple Rum uses the original Sailor Jerry recipe with added flavors of sour apple. It’s like a caramel apple with cinnamon and spice and everything nice, perfect for shooting or making simple apple rum recipes. Perfect for early fall, this rum is as seasonal as it comes. Buy this if you have a specific apple rum recipe in mind or if you like to shake up ice cold apple rum shots.

The Best Way(s) to Drink Sailor Jerry

Sailor Jerry is designed to drink straight, but the fact that it’s high-proof yet smooth makes it the perfect mixing rum. Here are some recipes perfect for this rum.

1) Root Beer Floatilla

  • 2 oz Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
  • 2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Root Beer

First pour Sailor Jerry rum in dessert glass and add ice cream on top. Then, fill dessert glass with root beer and serve.

2) Bahama Papa

  • 1 ½ part Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
  • ¼ part Coffee Liqueur
  • 3 parts Pineapple Juice
  • ½ part Lemon Juice
  • ½ part Coconut Milk

Shake all ingredients hard until frothy and cold. Pour over ice in a highball glass and garnish with pineapple and a cherry.

3) Savage 75

  • 1 ¼ parts Sailor Jerry Savage Apple
  • ¾ part Lemon Juice
  • ½ part Simple Syrup
  • 2 parts Champagne

Shake simple syrup, rum, and lemon juice until icy cold. Strain into coupe and fill with champagne or white bubbly. Garnish with a lemon twist.

4) The Heart Cracker

  • Handful of cinnamon candy hearts
  • 1 ½ parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
  • ¼ part grenadine
  • 2 ½ parts ginger beer

Rim rocks glass with crushed cinnamon candy hearts and fill with ice. Shake rum and grenadine hard with ice and strain over ice in rocks glass. Top with ginger beer and serve with a cherry garnish.

5 Best Things to Mix with Sailor Jerry

For a simpler drink, Sailor Jerry can be mixed with single mixers for an on-the-go cocktail.

  • Coke- Sailor Jerry is made to be simple, and regular cola is as easy as it comes. You can find it in every grocery store, bar, and restaurant to mix with your Sailor Jerry.
  • Soda water- For people who love to taste the strength and flavor of the rum, soda water is an excellent mixer to turn your drink into a pure rum cocktail.
  • Pineapple Juice- For a tropical compliment to the liquor, add pineapple juice. It enhances the flavor of the spice, caramel, and vanilla but pineapple is known to cut through the strong alcohol flavor.
  • Ginger beer- To enhance the spice in Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum, pour it with ginger beer.
  • Grapefruit juice- To cut through the flavor of the rum and add some antioxidants and vitamins, think about adding a splash of grapefruit to your Sailor Jerry on the rocks.

FAQs

What is the tattoo on Sailor Jerry rum?

Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins was and is best known for his contributions to traditional American tattooing, and the Hawaiian girl on the Sailor Jerry rum labeling is one of Sailor Jerry’s most well-known tattoo designs.

Is Sailor Jerry rum dark?

Sailor Jerry rum is spiced but not dark. It has a high alcohol content, but doesn’t have that syrupy flavor of a dark rum.

Who started Sailor Jerry rum?

Sailor Jerry Ltd. was created in the late 1990’s by Quaker City Mercantile of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a way to market traditional Sailor Jerry art. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that Sailor Jerry Ltd. created and produced its Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum recipe

Is Sailor Jerry rum sold at Costco?

Sailor Jerry rum can be found occasionally at Costco, but don’t count on it.

How long has Sailor Jerry rum been in production?

Sailor Jerry rums have been in production for almost 20 years.

Is Sailor Jerry rum aged?

Sailor Jerry rum isn’t aged, but spiced instead. This is because in order to be historically accurate the brand opted to make something unaged, as sailors rarely bothered to take the time to age in casks.

How strong is Sailor Jerry rum?

Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum has 41% alcohol by volume, or 92 proof.

Alternatives to Sailor Jerry Rum

  • Sailor’s Superstition Red Blend Rum- $18.00
  • The Kraken Black Spiced Rum– $23.00
  • Lemon Hart Blackpool Spiced Rum- $30.00
  • Ron Zacapa Rum- $73.00
  • Admiral Redney Formidable Rum- $100.00

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