“There’s naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion.” — Lord Byron

British poet Lord Byron, born circa 1788, during the height of West Indian sugar and rum production, certainly knew what he was talking about, which is not particularly surprising considering the role of the British in the region’s history as sugar- and rum-producing societies.

Rum was first developed in the Caribbean at the height of slavery in the 17th century when it was discovered that by fermenting and distilling molasses, a by-product of sugar cane, rum could be made.

Under British colonial rule, it was a staple onboard the ships of the Royal Navy and it was soon discovered that when rum was transported back to the ‘motherland’ in barrels, the time spent in the barrel, and the gentle rocking of the ship, allowed for a smoother, tastier rum.

The British would soon learn that rum was truly one of the more popular, and profitable, by-products of sugar cane. In fact, rum was so popular that it became one of the highest-grossing commodities traded at that time and played a central role in the development of the triangular trade.

Since we never do anything in a small way, Jamaica’s success in rum production was notorious and led to the development of the debaucherous, and filthy rich, Port Royal, home to the world’s most infamous pirates and their wild rum-soaked shenanigans.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that we in the Caribbean love our rum — white, red, neat, on the rocks, with water, soda or juice — we take it any way. Imagine what a dull and boring world we would be living in without all the famous rum drinks that originated out of the Caribbean and now grace the most elite bar lists in the world: Cuba Libres, Daiquiris, Planters Punch and Mojitos are just the tip of the iceberg.

Jamaica is well-known for rum; in fact, visiors to the island often say that Jamaican rum ranks as some of the best in the world.

But it’s not just popular with the visitors. Despite the fact that the island of Barbados is documented as being the first producer of rum in the Caribbean, Jamaica has over 11 different locally produced rum brands with a wide variety of rum products for both the local and overseas markets ranging from premium aged fine rums to the aggressive and, quite frankly, damn dangerous rocket fuel called ‘John Crow batty’.

In any given community across the island you will find a neighbourhood rum bar (or two) and at any given time of day, on any day of the week, that bar will have patrons.

In fact, a favourite pastime for many locals is to stop by their neighbourhood rum bar to link with friends, have a drink, slap some dominoes and unwind. The rum bar was traditionally a meeting place for friends in rural communities. But the urban rum bar of 1970s Jamaica was such a phenomenon that it even helped to usher in a fashionable new era that marked the creation of a unique brand of urban Jamaican style in the realm of fashion, music and culture.

Pop into any rum bar today and you’ll still get that same authentic mix of island swag; the patrons will be friendly, loud and more than happy to share with you the myriad of preferred ways for drinking rum: straight or mixed with roots, beer (steel bottom), Boom, orange juice or Ting.

Always ready to learn more (especially when it comes to spirits), we took a trip out of town to visit the Worthy Park Estate, the island’s oldest sugar estate and home to Rum Bar rum. Worthy Park started producing sugar in 1670 and is documented as producing rum as far back 1741, which, contrary to popular belief, is actually the first recorded production of rum in Jamaica.

Considering Jamaica’s affinity for ‘rum bar’ culture, it makes perfect sense to us why Worthy Park chose to name their top-selling brand Rum Bar rum. Unsurprisingly, Rum Bar rum has grown to become a favourite around the island and holds a large part of the market share.

We thoroughly enjoyed our foray into the world of rum and were awed by the amount of work that goes into its production; once again it was an eye-opener to learn about the unique manufacturing process that takes a product from the field to the bottle.

To top it off, we even had an amazing new discovery — Rum Bar rum cream — hands down, in our opinion, the best rum cream in Jamaica. If you have never tried it, we suggest you head to the nearest supermarket, or rum bar, to get your taste; it’s worth every single sweet, creamy, delicious calorie! A good tip: Try it in your coffee for an extra-special kick.

After a wonderful day of wicked indulgence spent at Worthy Park hanging with Gordon Clarke, we headed for home, but not before stopping in at the local rum bar to check out the scene. Our journey ended in the way that we love best — laughing, chatting, connecting and hanging with new friends over a drink with some sweet tunes rocking in the background. Talk about island swag!

Fun Fact: National Rum Day is August 16.

Tune in next Sunday for a day of food, fun and family as we check out the CB Pan Chicken Competition on the beautiful Kingston waterfront! You’re not gong to want to miss this… Join us 5:30 pm on TVJ for a juicy and competitive episode of Two Sisters and a Meal!