Yo Ho Ho Ho…

Happy National Rum Day!

I think one of the best parts about rum is that either you’re enjoying it while someplace tropical or, when you can’t be some place tropical, one sip will transport you there.

Rum has a very dark and stormy past—and I’m not just talking about the drink! It is believed to have been created in Barbados in 1600s. As more slaves and sugarcane plantations popped up throughout the Caribbean, the rum distilleries followed. Apparently, it was initially referred to as “kill devil” (because that bodes well for something you’re about to consume!). Often times, alcohol was used to purchase slaves and rum allowed slave owners something potent and—with all the sugarcane in production—cheaper and easier to access than other forms of alcohol.

It was the American colonists drink of choice and was often supplied by politicians (ummm…hello…why did that stop?!?). In fact, in during one election for the Virginia House of Burgesses, George Washington handed out 28 gallons of rum and 50 gallons of rum punch! It wasn’t until after the American Revolution and access to rum was disrupted that we, as a country, slowly made the switch to whisky as our liquor of choice.

If you want to read more about it—and I highly recommend it, since it’s fascinating and I just glossed over 98% of it—you can find the articles I read here and here.

And now, back to the drinks! What better time than a pandemic to try out a few new drinks? Not sure what there is out there other than rum and coke? Esquire kindly created a list of 12 rum drinks to help you dive in and be transported to a tropical state of mind. Click here for the full article and recipes.

Piña Colada—rum, coconut cream, and pineapple. If I could be at a beach bar in Kailua-Kona—like in the picture below—then this would be my favorite way to enjoy rum.

Daiquiri—this is probably one of the most popular ways to enjoy rum. However, the blended fruit drink that just popped into your head is not the classic daiquiri. The classic daiquiri is just rum, sugar, and a baby bit of lime. To me, much more appealing!

Hot Buttered Rum—I mean, it’s hot rum with butter and sugar. What better way to keep you warm on a cold winter night? I haven’t yet researched the history of who decided this would be a great idea. But adding butter—why the hell not?

Dark and Stormy—rum, ginger beer, and lime. It’s delicious and less sweet that a lot of rum drinks. If you like Moscow Mules, definitely give this a try!

Air Mail—rum, honey, lime, and champagne. Yes, champagne. I feel like a complete FAILURE for not knowing that this existed. CHAMPAGNE!

Rum Runner—light and dark rums, banana liqueur, blackberry liqueur, orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine. Pretty sure I had one of these in Key West. Maybe it was just a sip of Christi’s…either way, I don’t have a picture. But like most of the drinks on this list, it goes down really easily.

Mojito—rum, sugar, lime, and mint. It is my go-to summer drink, especially at our brunch spot around the corner.

Mai Tai—You can’t go to Hawaii and not have a Mai Tai, which is why I’ve written several posts about about and/or referencing Mai Tais. Like this one, that one, or this other one to share a few.

Painkiller—rum, pineapple, orange juice, and coconut cream. I can’t recall having one, but it sounds like they go down easily and the next morning isn’t going to be so fun.

Hurricane—rum, passion fruit syrup, lemon, orange slices, and maraschino cherries. Like Mai Tais in Hawaii, I don’t think you can go to New Orleans and not have a hurricane. For the record this was THE first drink I ever ordered…because well, we were in New Orleans (a destination picked because it wasn’t too far of a drive and had a lower drinking age!). Of course, way back then they didn’t even have cell phones—only car phones—and they certainly didn’t have cameras!

Bushwacker—rum, Kahlúa, crème de cacao, cream of coconut, and milk. I think Esquire sums it up nicely when they comment that it’s “basically a milkshake. An alcoholic milkshake.” And really, who doesn’t want to say “bushwacker” to the bartender or the dog (as in: “move out of the way, Luna, Momma’s gotta make a bushwacker!”

Zombie—ummm 4 types of rum, sugar, lime, pineapple, papaya, and the added flare of being on fire? This promises to be a drink you won’t forget. Although perhaps after having a few, you might want to hand the matches over to someone a bit more sober…

I don’t know about you, but I just learned that I drink a lot more rum than I realized. Did your favorite make the list? If not, please share! And regardless of how you drink it—enjoy!