Today offers several celebrations. It’s National Tell a Joke Day, National Roller Coaster Day, and National Airborne Day. If you know anyone who was in the Airborne division of the military, thank them for their service and offer to listen to a story they’re willing to tell. If you don’t know what Airborne means, I recommend you look it up. Today is also National Rum Day and that’s what I want to discuss. Of all the liquors, rum is my favorite followed by whiskey. I’m specific about the kind of rum I drink, however.
My rum of choice is the Kraken Black Spiced Rum. There are many dark rums but they’re often not black. Of the few black rums I’ve found, the Kraken has the best flavor in my opinion. I’ve even learned they have a rum infused with coffee which I plan to buy in celebration of National Rum Day. If you’ve never tried it, I recommend the Kraken. If rum isn’t your thing, then we can’t be friends.
Did you know rum has been produced since the third century BCE? It didn’t become popular until the 17th Century when colonizers began growing sugarcane in the Caribbean. Molasses came from sugarcane and was used to make rum as well as contribute to the slave trade. In 1764, the British Crown placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and rum on the American colonies. This tax was called The Sugar Act of 1764. It was instrumental in the unrest that finally became the American Revolution.
Have yourself a rum cocktail this evening in celebration of rum. Also celebrate that rum today is slave free. I enjoy having rum on the rocks with nothing else added. How do you enjoy your rum or other cocktails? Did I mention I wrote a poem about the Kraken and it was featured on the Kraken Rum Instagram page? Check it our below.
Dead Men Tell No Tales
The large arm lifted higher
Than the masthead
Shiny and black with
Hooks pushing out of each sucker
The ship crushed in twine
A large beak like a bird
Rose from the water
Catching the crew of the lost vessel
The rest of the beast hidden
We watched from the safety of our ship
As our sister ship was devoured
By the merciless black titan
James Pack 