National Rum Day 2015

Today is National Rum Day. Rum had been around for decades if not centuries and how it’s made and where are certainly vast in their locales and types. For my choices, I’ve always liked a light rum, which mixes well in just about any cocktail that calls for rum as the main spirit.

Since I can first remember drinking back in my high school days, Bacardi was my first hard alcohol. My friend Danny would sneak into his dad’s liquor cabinet and grab the bottle of Bacardi Dark and then when it was low enough, we used his mom’s iced tea to replace it. Yeah, not the best judgement for a couple of 14 year olds.

As the years progressed into adulthood, I came back to Bacardi, but in the light form and enjoyed my rum and colas when going out.

For the past 10 years, I’ve developed a like for mojitos, which are just a nice refreshing drink to have on a hot summer day. Not too sweet, the ones I make at home are liked not only by myself but anyone who has been to my house for BBQs and parties.

Not too long ago, a friend of mine told me about the Dark n Stormy, a simple mixed drink of dark rum and ginger beer. This drink has been around for years, but here I am just discovering it. It’s a great drink and easy to make. Heavy on the dark rum is the key so that the ginger beer doesn’t overtake the flavor of the rum. For this round of Dark n Stormys, we used Zaya Rum, which is nice and heavy and carries a good flavor. And at 80 proof, it’s not as strong as say a Jamaican rum, but strong enough to make it tasty.

So get out there and enjoy National Rum day. Do you have a go-to rum cocktail? Share it below.