Rum From Puerto Rico: Rum Capital Of The World

Rum, at its core, is a distilled spirit derived from sugar cane, syrup, juice, and molasses. Not just any sugar-cane based drink can call itself rum on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, however – the industry of rum production in Puerto Rico has some pretty strict standards: legally, Puerto Rican rum has to go through a rigorous aging process. After a series of studies, the process to generate the best rum was identified: all Puerto Rican rums must be aged a minimum of 1 year, gold rums must be aged at least 2 years, and premium rums no less than 6 years. And this spirit stands alone: no other liquors have these legal requirements anywhere in the world. These rigorous standards may be the reason that aged rums from the island are often compared to the best cognacs in the world.

In our video, Mario Pagan — one of Puerto Rico's finest chefs — makes cooking with rum fun and interactive. He incorporates both a Puerto Rican and American flare in a traditional African dish. Eric Morales makes cocktails to compliment these dishes, and showcases a couple of other easy ways to drink and serve the rums of Puerto Rico — drinks that are easy to make in your home bar: the OakHeart and Cola, Don Q Coco Splash, and Ron de Barrilito 3 Stars.