Palm Springs Life talked to a few local cocktail connoisseurs about how to navigate the rum revolution. Here’s their advice.

Know the difference between light and dark. The longer the rum ages, the darker it gets. “Rum will take on flavors from the barrels it’s aged in. Anything that touches the rum is going to affect the taste,” Snyder says. That’s why light rums, like white and silver, have more subtle flavors, while gold, black, and dark rums are bolder. “The majority of tiki drinks use some kind of gold rum because they have more of a flavor profile to them,” he adds. “So, you’re really tasting your rum. The fruit juices aren’t the highlight of the drink. The rum is the highlight and meant to enhance the other flavors.”

Layer up. Because flavor profiles of different rums vary so widely — impacted by aging, the distilling process, and the terrain of where the sugar is grown (which is why Jamaican rum tastes different than Cuban rum, which tastes different from Panamanian rum) — using several in one drink can create the perfect concoction. “It’s super fun to layer rums. Think of it as a wine blend with different varietals from different vineyards all complementing each other,” says Brandon Glass, bar manager of The Reef, who points to the venue’s take on a classic Navy Grog, which incorporates a trio of rums. “We use a dark Jamaican, where you get a rich molasses; a Demerara — all Demerara rums come from the country of Guyana — where you get those maple notes; and then you add a silver rum for heat and dryness. With all of them working in conjunction with the grapefruit, lime, and honey, it’s perfect.”