August 16: National Rum Day

Avast, me hearties! Yes, today (Aug 16th) is National Rum Day.

How did this day in August come to have such a special recognition? I get the question all the time and have yet to find the answer. Was it a marketing ploy by one of the rum companies? I know it wasn’t Bacardi because I asked. Is it some tribute to rum’s early influence on the founding of America?  Was it the ingenious idea of some bar hoping to sell more Hurricanes and Mai Tais? That’s another possibility and it could have been picked up by others in hopes of increasing sales of Strawberry Daiquiri. Or was it some lone guy, belly up to the bar and a few too many Mojitos in, who declared for the country that that day would forever be known as National Rum Day?

National Rum Day countdown courtesy of Mount Gay Rum. Click on the chart (above) to make it bigger and enjoy your drinks in color.

So the question of the week is… Who started National Rum Day, when did it begin and why? If you know the answer I’d love to be enlightened. Let us not dwell on this mystery too much and instead grab a great bottle of rum, some fresh fruit and start shaking up a great rum cocktail, we have an excuse!

Nothing speaks of warm weather and relaxation quite like a rum cocktail, especially if it has a fruity garnish and a paper umbrella. With August being the height of summer, today (Aug. 16) is the perfect occasion to celebrate National Rum Day.

Click on photo below for a great RUM CAKE recipe

Click here for more fun Rum recipes

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