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The romance, the danger, the inhumanness, the flavor… The good, the bad, and the ugly. Such is the history of this drink. No drink has the privilege of having such a rich past as rum. It is also the favorite drink of “The pirates of the Caribbean” (yes the true original pirates!).

Rum is a distilled spirit derived from a sugarcane by-product called molasses. Molasses is a thick brown sugar syrup that is prepared by pressing the juice of the sugarcane and then boiling it down to a thick concentration. This is then distilled at no more than 190 proof to give a clear white spirit called rum.

Bacardi is the best example of white rum. White rum is ready to be bottled and doesn’t need any maturing. However, some manufacturers do mature it for 6 months or so, but never for more than a year. This young, youthful drink is a great companion to most mixers and hence, finds its place in many cocktails. Rum is often enjoyed with coke. White rum (Bacardi in particular) when topped with coke and ice and garnished with a lime slice is known as Cuba libre. Next time you are at a bar, ask for a Cuba libre instead of a Bacardi with coke and make some heads turn. 🙂
Rum can also be dark. Dark rum is a rich full-bodied flavourful drink. The flavor is due to two factors. Firstly, Dark rum is matured in casks for a period ranging from 2 years to 12 years. Some premium dark rums are aged beyond this too. This causes the spirit to acquire a golden hue. Secondly, the addition of caramel into the spirit, causes it to have a dark deep tone. Caramel can be added since rum is a sugar-based spirit and hence, caramel does not interfere with the natural taste of rum. The most commonly drunk dark rum in the States is Captain Morgan.

Coming back to some rum trivia. Sugarcane was a vital commodity in the British empire. Its growth was confined to India first, but then cuttings of it were taken to America and grown there. Sugarcane was converted into molasses here and then sent to the Caribbean Islands for distillation into rum. But below the surface, this trade also encouraged one of the worse slave trades of the century. Molasses was sold in the Caribbean in exchange for slaves who were taken to America, where they were employed to cultivate sugarcane, which was again sent to the Caribbean to start the process once again.

The derivation of the word rum is another hotly debated topic. Some feel that it comes from the botanical name of sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum. Others credit the English for it. In 1745 Admiral Vernon’s men contracted scurvy. In an attempt, to try something different, the Admiral cut the daily ration of beer and replaced it with an obscure Caribbean drink. This conquered the disease and his men were extremely delighted with their captain. They started to call him by an English slang “Old Rummy”, which roughly translated into a great guy or jolly good fellow. And hence, the name Rum fell upon the drink as well. A great story isn’t it?

As far as the consumer trend of rum goes, white rum sells more, due to the inclination of the youth toward clear spirits. Dark rum is more enjoyed by the elderly and the armed forces around the world. There is another reason why dark rum is enjoyed by the above people, for it provides a great number of calories and also helps keep warm. Captain Morgan is the leading dark rum brand in the United States.

Bacardi is the market leader when it comes to white rum. It has also launched premixes sold under the Breezer brand. Bacardi Breezers are low in alcohol content and come in a variety of flavors to woo first-time drinkers and appeal to the feminine market. Orange, Lime, Melon, Blueberry, and Wildberry are some of the flavors that they offer. They come in different colors to fit in with the “cocktail culture”

While there are many great things to enjoy about Cuba, it is fair to say that the party atmosphere and social side of the island is a great attractions for many tourists. The weather, the culture, the music, and of course, the ability to party until the early hours make Cuba an ideal destination if you want to party with some class and style. Some many different components and elements help to make Cuba such an invigorating party destination but most great Cuban parties involve at least a dash of rum.

If you were to look into the history of rum in Cuba, you would find that it is a story that is as old as the colonization of Cuba. This is down to the fact that rum owes a lot to the sugar cane that arrived in Cuba thanks to Christopher Columbus. It was on the second visit to Cuba undertaken by Columbus that the sugar cane would arrive and this would change the nature of the island forever. Sugar cane flourished in the Cuban soil, which proved to be very fertile for this style of plant. Add in a very pleasant micro-culture and suddenly sugar cane was at the heart of Cuban industry and agriculture.

There Are Different Views On The Origins Of Rum In Cuba

Although there are arguments about the true origins of rum on the island, one of the strongest stories dates back to 1650. It was said that a group of pirates who roamed the Caribbean Sea developed a drink called rum billion, which set the tone for what would later be known as rum. Other people believe that rum developed from the slaves, who created a drink from yucca and maize, which was called garapo.
People looking to market the history of rum may be keen to move away from the slave aspect but there is proof that this drink was later mixed with the extract from the juice of the sugar cane. After a period of fermentation, this created a potent drink, which was converted into alcohol.

With a sweet smell and clarity not provided by many other drinks, rums became a popular drink on the island but its real popularity came to the fore in the 19th century. Distilleries were cropping up all over Cuba and many of the big-name brands loved across the world started to open up and operate in the rum industry. Two huge names in the industry which developed at this time were Bacardi and Havana Club. Anyone taking a trip to Cuba is likely to be familiar with the products of these firms and getting the chance to experience the history and story of these businesses is something that can add to the excitement of a Cuban holiday. Like most things in Cuba, the Revolution of the late 1950s and early 1960s changed a lot about the way that these companies operate, but the quality and distinction of Cuban rum have never wavered. A holiday to Cuba is not complete without rum.

I have returned from a three week visit to one of the Trujillo Honduras hotels and bars, on the north coast of Honduras, with a passion for the local rum. This isn’t a strange occurrence for a recent returnee from the Caribbean!

So what is so great about Caribbean rum?

Part of what I love about rum is the taste, but part of it is the culture surrounding it. Rum, as you may know, was invented in the Caribbean and is rightfully the national drink of the region. It works fantastically with the flavors and textures of the local cuisine, probably because it is made from the juice of sugar cane, a crop grown in most Caribbean destinations. Since I’ve come back I’ve heard from friends that rum recipes differ greatly in different parts of the Caribbean but the brand I have fallen in love with is Flor De Cana (flower of sugar cane).

Flor De Cana, is originally from Nicaragua, but has been taken deeply into the busom of Honduran culture since moving a large distillery there in the 1960s. Hardcore rum buffs will be appalled by this, but before my stay at the Banana Beach hotel and resort in Trujillo Bay I had never come across the stuff. I didn’t know what I was missing!

What I loved most is it completes the Caribbean experience:

• Beautiful beach… check
• Relaxed beach bar… check
• Amazing weather… check
• Service with a smile… check
• Complete relaxation… check
• Lovely Caribbean rum… check!

My experience of the Caribbean has probably been colored slightly by my stay at what I think is the best offering of Trujillo Honduras hotels and bars!

Another lesser known local beverage, is without doubt an experience I will not repeat! Whilst visiting San Antonio, a nearby Garifuna town, I was advised to visit the mayor at his beach bar. A great recommendation, lovely few hours spent talking to interesting and friendly people. While there I was convinced to try a local brew called Guifity.

Locals also argue that it leaves you with virtually no hangover the next day and that one shot of Guifity can cure a hangover! While the healing powers of Guifity may be impressive, the taste is a little hard to take – I found out later it is much improved by lime!

So now I have given you the pitch, go for a Caribbean journey of your own, it is well worth the experience.

Alcohol is part of the lifestyle in some countries. A lot of people like drinking it during any special occasion. Yet, alcohol contains some level of carbohydrate. If you go on a carbohydrate diet, it will be a dilemma. There are some ways that allow you to drink alcohol even when you go on a carbohydrate diet.

Low-carbohydrate dieting is an excellent way to stay healthy and fit. You can still drink alcohol on a low carbohydrate diet. Therefore, you have to make a wise choice and consume it moderately. Also, you have to recognize all the facts about alcohol so that you can pick it wisely. You can also navigate the list of the cocktail for your favorite bar.

Step one: read all the options of drinking with low carbohydrates.

You can find and read those options in low-carb diet books. They usually provide you with thorough information about the level of carbohydrates in alcoholic beverages. It will help you recognize what you can have and what you should not have.

Step two: drink alcoholic beverages with a “low-carb” label.

Common alcoholic beverages such as beers are packed with carbs. You have to choose the low-carb brew so that you can keep yourself away from the carbohydrates of around five up to ten grams.

Step three: choose a glass of dry wines

Another thing you can do is to choose the dry white or red wine yet not ones with the sweet taste. Every five ounces of chardonnay or Shiraz has carbs at around three grams and in every five ounces of dessert wine has carbs at around twenty grams.

Step four: choose the right mixers

There are some types of beverages that contain zero carbohydrates such as straight liquor including vodka or rum and gin. Inappropriate mixers such as sweet and sour can lead the count of the carbs through the roof. As an alternative, you can mix diet cola, club soda, lime juice, or fresh lemon.

Furthermore, there are some other things you have to consider. When you are at a bar, try to order the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages alternatively. Club soda with lime squeeze can be a wise option. Another important thing is that you have to drink responsibly based on the standard of alcohol level in your blood.

Making homemade wine is a tough enterprise, but it can be so intoxicating, pun intended, to savor your very own glass of wine. It’s not terribly difficult to make your own wine, but you’ll need lots of utensils and ingredients. Some of the tools include a fermentation container, rubber cork, nylon mesh straining bag, plastic tubing, thermometer, acid titration kit, etc. Some of the ingredients you’ll need, depending on the kind of wine you want to make causing a variance of course, include campden tablets, wine yeast, grape tannin, and acid blend.

Most novice wine makers should start with grape wine. It is simplest. Simply select some grapes from the store that have the most suitable taste for you and stick to those. Make sure all your equipment is sanitary and clean all the equipment before you begin the process of making wine. If any bottles were used, they should be sterilized. You should begin to extract the aroma, flavor, and other elements of the fruit by going through a process of crushing, chopping, soaking, pressing, and boiling the grapes until they are perfectly crushed down to their most basest elements. The extracted fruit at this point is called must. You must then place this must in a fermentation container.

For the awesome flavor, superb quality, and long-term shelf life of your vintage, make sure you add a lot of additives because wine is more than just the fruit itself. There are also the additives to think about. It is best to add the yeast several days afterward. Campden tablets are a must-have additive for every wine recipe. This sulfite can prevent oxidation and growth of wild yeast. This also promotes the growth of cultured yeast too. Another additive used in fruit wines is pectic enzyme. This adds the flavor, aroma, and helps in the acid extraction from the fruit. Tannin is also added to white wines if you’re making white wine, but most people choose to just make simple grape wine, which is a red wine. The sugar and yeast will be used to produce the wine’s alcohol. Granulated sugar is superior to other forms of sugar like brown sugar or powdered sugar. Some recipes even call for honey, but most people don’t use that. The yeast that you use will be different than bread yeast so make sure to check with your winemaking retailer. The fermentation process lasts 3 to 10 days, with the average being about a week.

After the wine has finished fermenting, you will need to place the wine into a glass jug called a carboy. You will first strain the pulp from the liquid and then pour the liquid through a funnel into the container. After the wine has been poured, the container must be fitted with a fermentation cap or the wine can go wrong inside. This is called an airlock. The wine will then ferment in this container for several weeks longer. After you have done this, you will need to start the process of racking the wine. Racking is the process of siphoning the wine off the sediments into a secondary fermentation container for an additional round of fermentation.

After all these steps have been completed, it will be time to bottle your wine. Siphon the wine using the same tubing that you used for racking to transfer the wine into bottles. Don’t overfill the bottles and secure the corks tightly. Storing it is very important and requires several key precautions. Wine that is bottled new should be stored upright for 3 days. Once that is over with, turn the wine on its side and store it at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is white wine, it should be aged for 6 months. If it is red wine, it should be aged for 1 year.