OmNomNom!

DOUBLE SERENDIPITY CARAMEL SAUCE
1 cup granulated sugar [200 g caster sugar]
1/4 cup [60 ml] water
1 very heaping tablespoonful of Lyle's Golden Syrup(*)
Have ready by the stove:
1 cup [240 ml] very hot water
3 tablespoons [45 ml] dark rum (I use Appleton's Jamaica Rum, which is very flavorful)
1 tablespoon [15 ml] pure vanilla extract

Place the sugar, the smaller amount of water, and the syrup in a heavy saucepan with a capacity of at least 1 quart [1 liter]. Cook and stir over moderately high heat until everything is thoroughly dissolved, then stop stirring and watch it until it turns a deep golden color, but don't let it get too dark or it will start to taste bitter. Remove the pan from the head and slowly and carefully add the larger amonut of water - it will boil up in a great hissing, bubbling fuss. Stir a bit, then add the rum and vanilla, which will probably bubble up a little more. Return the pot to the stove, reduce the heat a little, and stir until everything is dissolved again. Bring it back to the boil and stop stirring. Boil it until it has reduced to 1 cup [240 ml] in volume; I periodically pour it into the heatproof cup I measured the water in, and then pour it back into the pan if it needs to cook more. When it's done, let it cool in the heatproof cup until it's just warm, then pour it into a jar with a lid. Store, covered, at room temperature. (If your room is chilly, after a couple of days the syrup may start to form crystals around the edges; if they bother you, reheat it gently while stirring.)

(*) Lyle's Golden Syrup is a British product that is now found in many US supermarkets. It's "refiner's syrup", the thick, golden, slightly brown-sugar flavored syrup that's left at the end of the sugar-refining process. It not only adds color and flavor, it helps prevent candies and sauces from crystallizing.