The many faces of demon rum

You know that feeling you have after a long race under the summer sun - in the case of New England in August suffering from humidity, light air, the overripe scent of your mate next to you on the rail. Moments like these the thirst for rum crawls forth from deep in the throat, a bitterness on the tongue slaked only by rum & tonic, a rum and grapefruit, maybe a rum rocks with a wedge of lime, an ice cold Mojito... Rum and sailing are synonymous and even if I disdain those ugly red Mount Gay caps, thousands of sailors covet them, swear by Mount Gay, etc. Put Mount Gay aside. Many, particularly those who have enjoyed the USVI or BVI, have discovered the delights of Pussers Rum (made famous by the Painkiller). The recipe for Pussers stems from the original “grog” rations distributed to the sailors in the British Navy. Always nice to combine drinking with history. I’m a fan of Cruzan Rum from St. Croix (the dark not the light). Goslings is another must for the rum locker, particularly tasty when mixed “dark & stormy” with ginger beer. Cockspur from Barbados deserves a mention. If you get down to the Windward Islands (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) keep your pirate eye out for a rum called Captain Bligh. Anybody have a favorite?

Headed downwind to dock (and drink) after a long hot summer afternoon off Watch Hill, RI - August '04