Spirits Rum-Aging In The Caribbean

In 1976, the University of Pittsburgh was well on its probably derives its name from saccharum. For way to winning the national championship for centuries this beverage was considered a drink for football. Like most of the freshmen class that year, ruffians with an image of bootlegging and I faithfully sat in the stands of old “Pitt Stadium” rum-running. Not until the 20th century was it and participated in perhaps the biggest party held enthusiastically accepted as a cocktail ingredient. on any campus in the United States. That’s where it happened, my first experience with rum. Much Bacardi rum is currently the world’s best selling like the Pirates of old, we found its attraction brand and ownership is still claimed by similar; it was cheap, easy to smuggle and even approximately 300 descendants of the company’s easier to carry. If the game became lopsided, as founder Don Facundo Bacardi Maso. From 1862 often was the case, we even had a cheer. It was a through 1960, the family built their business from a rhythmic chant of B-A-C-A-R-D-I. Cuban headquarters. Once Fidel Castro came to power, however, Bacardi left and has since Times certainly have changed. Pitt football has established a holding company in Bermuda. not been the same since Tony switched the pronunciation of his name from Dorsett to These days, rums are refined all over the Caribbean Dor-SETT. Computers no longer require and various other parts of the world. With all due programming cards and most of all; my college respect to Bacardi, there are more exotic and lesser fraternity brothers and I have matured. Well . . . at known rums that may be better for sipping. least we do not sit around and chant names of Westerhall Plantation Rum of Grenada offers a liquor any more. smooth alternative. Some other award winning possibilities come from such distillers as Captain Like most Americans who manage to survive their Morgan Rum of Puerto Rico, Hanschell Inniss of youth, we understand how to sound sophisticated Barbados and Myers of Jamaica. In any case, there while ordering a special vodka martini but put us in are alternatives to imbibe in when the sun gives the tropics and the trouble starts. What do you do way to night in the sultry tropics. with rum? Somehow it seems hard to imagine those same pirates of yesteryear, placing fruit in Good sipping, Mon. their mugs and swilling it down with a yo ho ho let’s have another peach daiquiri. Not that there is anything wrong with that! Sugarcane was introduced to the Caribbean during one of Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the West Indies. It was not long until settlers discovered that distilling the molasses, which is a byproduct of processing sugarcane, could make liquor. Since it was economical to make and easy to carry, rum became associated with sailors and pirates.