Most travelers know that the Caribbean islands are well-versed in rum, but Barbados goes one better because that’s where rum was discovered. One day early in the 17th century, a tavern owner in Bridgetown was searching for an empty shipping barrel when he inadvertently stumbled across one filled with sugar cane that had fermented over time.
Mr. Rumball—the tavern owner—knew a good thing when he tasted it, and soon, the Caribbean’s signature beverage was being served and sold all over the island and beyond.
Presumably asking for a “tot” of Rumball’s elixir was too cumbersome, and the name was shortened to “rum.” The drink’s popularity was so pervasive that George Washington insisted that a barrel be available at his 1789 inauguration.
It seemed only natural that I should head to the world’s oldest rum distillery for a tasting: Mount Gay, founded in 1703. I had recently come from the Scottish Highlands, where I had sampled some of its famous Scotch whiskys. Not being a whisky connoisseur, I couldn’t tell any difference among the several “drams.” But I like rum. I drink rum. I know rum.
The distillery tour started with a welcoming rum punch. Then we had to go through a two-hour introduction to the whole history of rum and the very intricate process of making it to finally earn the right to actually taste some.
Romal, our guide, instructed us on how to hold the glass, to twist it to reveal “legs,” to smell it. One rum, aged for three to seven years, was “robust and bold.” The second, older, was “more complex with a more definitive ’mouth feel.'” This time, my quasi-sophisticated familiarity with rum (after all, I had been in Barbados for almost two weeks) told me that the second rum was smoother than the first. Did I taste the hints of salted caramel, cinnamon, and fruitcake? Well, no.
After even a moderate imbibing of the smooth golden liquid, sustenance is required. And in keeping with Barbadian tradition, a food tour exploring typical Bajan specialties is called for. The first stop was—not food. Before and during our ingesting of island edibles, 400 years of Bridgetown history had also to be digested. The conquest by the British, the thriving slave trade along the Careenage, the UNESCO World Heritage Site House of Parliament, one of the oldest synagogues in the Americas, and, of course, Roebuck Street, where Rumball first introduced the world to rum.
Paulette, our guide, led us on an enthusiastic journey, warning us that upon completion, it was possible that they would have to roll us back to the bus.
With an emphasis on spices, seasonings, and sugar, we stopped first at “Crumbz,” because, according to Paulette, after eating Bajan food, that’s all that’s left. After a minced beef roll, coconut bread, and the Caribbean’s famous rum Christmas specialty, Black Cake, about which a New York Times bestselling book has recently been written, I could have gone home sufficiently satiated.
Next, we went on to a “hole in the wall” restaurant, the kind that locals frequent, for chicken, macaroni pie, and cassava. This was a full meal masquerading as a midday snack. At the thought of the fish cakes to come, my stomach started to rebel. Then I tasted them and realized I wasn’t done after all.
At the food market, we sampled locally grown fruits and juices before moving on to another mini-meal of fish, peas and rice, and more root vegetables. As delicious as everything was, I wasn’t disappointed to hear that we had only one stop left. For the first time since I had arrived in Barbados, I wasn’t thinking about where I wanted to go for dinner.
But travelers cannot live by food and drink alone. A little island culture is also in order, and many tours offer this experience. But don’t even think about taking THIS tour after eating and drinking. This would be the Island Safari tour—part sightseeing, part adrenaline rush. As we got into the open-air van, our driver-guide, Wayne, casually mentioned that we should be prepared for a bumpy ride, mud, and water. He was right.
Yes, again, lots of history, punctuated by panoramic views of the island. Then he casually mentioned that we might go off-road a bit.
We experienced a mile of hair-raising, terrifying, mud-driven insanity just for the sake of adventure. Then we went on to more sightseeing. But as soon as my various organs had returned to their normal locations, we were off again. Wayne delighted in leaving the rough, potholed, winding, supposedly paved roads to take rough, potholed, winding muddy dirt paths that cut through sugar cane fields. Incredibly harrowing—but oh, so much fun.
My favorite stop among many was an array of colorful, carved animals sculpted into a mountainside along the road. A life-size giraffe, elephant, baboon, rhino, hippo, and zebra legitimized the safari part of the tour name.
So much to see and do, and with a 2:1 ratio of Barbadian dollar to that of the U.S. dollar and very reasonable prices throughout the island, you can afford to do almost all of it. And yes, there are also beaches—lots of beautiful sand beaches, if that’s what you’re into.
