July 11th Is World Rum Day

So, who really need another excuse to drink during this pandemic and shelter in place period?

Essence magazine says: As if we needed another reason to celebrate summer with a cocktail in hand, July 11th is World Rum Day — a global celebration of rum and all of its distilleries. What better way to ring in the occasion then taste testing rums from across the globe when we can’t be there to taste them in person?

Truth be known, rum was the first alcoholic beverage I tried when I got to college. My buddies on the 8th floor at Ehrman Hall at U.C. Berkeley were already “hard core” drinkers from high school. So, they suggested starting easy with rum and Coke. Bacardi rum was my first alcoholic drink. No telling what happened later that evening!

Today, rum is often overlooked in the phantasmagoria of alcoholic beverages. Seltzers have taken some of the niche that rum held for many years, in my humble opinion.

But I do enjoy a little Malibu Caribbean Rum with Coconut Liqueur (only $15) in some Diet Coke once every few months, or even at a tailgate party. Though a bit on the sweet side, it serves its purpose, a sociable drink with some tasty interest, if you like coconut.

Moving to the higher end, I did not realize that rums can cost into the hundreds, and are aged from 6 to 25 years. Such a rum is the Ron Zacapa Centenario XO Rum, at a mere $123. And the bottle can be custom etched. It is aged in French oak barrels that previously held cognac.

If you cannot decide, you can always rely on the Captain (not Kangaroo). That is, Captain Morgan (no relation to Denise?) Original Spiced Rum at a mere $16. If nothing else, the bottle is interesting with the Captain leaning on a cask of rum.

If all else fails, just sing the rum song:

Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

My conclusion, rum is a good change of pace, good as a summer time cooler, quite versatile, and definitely affordable. Enjoy National Rum Day! Bonzai or should I say, “Ships Ahoy!”

If your goal is to reach ninety (90) years of age, check this out! The equivalent of 4-ounces of wine consumed per day offers the highest probability of reaching 90 years of age. A study conducted at Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has found that men and women who drank an average of one glass of wine or beer per day had a longer life expectancy than abstainers and heavy drinkers. The authors of the study emphasize that its results should not be used as motivation to start drinking. So, if I have more than 4 ounces, will I live longer?

Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon?

Great food, no atmosphere. (haha!)