Legitimate son of the sugarcane, which presence goes back to the Antilles since the arrival of Europeans 500 years ago, the Rum is the liquor par excellence in big occasions and in everyday life.

The Spaniards introduced the sugarcane into the so-called New World after the arrival of Admiral Christopher Columbus; it then became part of the history of the future Caribbean nations. With the second trip of Colon in 1493, the first tubes of sugarcane entered La Española from the Canary Islands. That gramineous, considered to be original from Asia, had its first mill in Santo Domingo back to 1516 and it became the main source of life in the 16th century. Diego Velazquez took it to Cuba, founded the first seven villages and settled down as first governor (1511-1524). But it was not until the end of the century (1595) that the Crown authorized the construction of the first sugar mills to produce cane-juiced syrup and small quantities of sugar. From the 19th century on, it became the national industry par excellence. The liquor used in rituals of black slaves was also extracted from its molasses. From 1762 - 1792, Cuba already supplied aguardiente to the world. That same aguardiente became rum. However, time went slow for that process and it is supposed to be born between the 18th and the 19th centuries. In1827, Cuba had 300 establishments to produce that product. Aguardiente didn't stop existing, and rum did not arise all of a sudden. There have been many drinkers such as Francis drake , rude pirate who invaded Havana in the 16 th century amd was a true lover of aguardiente, and Nobel Prize winner in Literature ernest Hemingway who coined a very peculiar way of drinking rum beginning with Daiquiri.

MR. STRONG BOUQUET Lovers of complete impressions can never restrain from the pleasure of smoking a first class cigar accompanied with a drink of good rum. It is practically a ritual now, in fashion all over the world, especially in Europe. For example, at present, the rum is more sold in spain that in cuba; Italy, Germany and France are marked by a high demand of the liquor; a liquor with such a power that after passing throug the throat, produces a sensation of rigidity, causes goose-flesh and life is more pleasant. The main consumers of rum in the whole world are The United States, The Philippines and Mexico -in that order- although the second one really prefers local production. Seven million boxes of rum were sold in the Aztec country during 1995, what placed it in a position of 90 percent of the sales of drinks, in a nation where products so strong as tequila and mescal are tasted. There are rums of light body (Light rum), between 45 and 55 degrees of alcohol and of strong body, between 48 and 58 degrees. Cuba and Puerto Rico are the leaders of the first type of rum and Jamaica and other nations from the smallest Antilles lead the second. However, tradition, the constant tasting, its refinement and mainly the mixtures, made Cuban rums the most popular. Mixtures are common in Cuba, a place which nationality was formed from several origins in the 19th century; the first were Spanish and African, and there was also the presence of Chinese, Jews, Arabs, French, Haitian, Jamaicans and people from other regions of the Caribbean and the world that contributed to its culture and customs. The cocktail collection gained a lot of recognition with the Cuban rum. Cocktails as elemental as Mojito became from night to day the most important and well known allover the region. There are many brands but the leader is Havana Club; its label states created in 1878 because it compiles the rum traditions. The brand spread all over the world with the same process and the best honeys.

THE BIG INDUSTRY OF DELIGHT In 1919, an important distillery still used at present in the production of rum settled in Santa Cruz del Norte, a coastal town to the east of the Cuban capital. Experts consider this type of industry to be one of the biggest in the world, with a productive capacity of 30 million liters per year. It was in 1993 when the French firm Pernod Ricard (trading) entered the game; it associated with the local company Cuba Ron (producer) to supply capital, market and to reactivate this industry. That effort achieved a remarkable success in europe, where the new era of rum firt took place. One of the main objectives declared by its executives is to be placed among the 100 best sellers of its kind in a first stage; and in a second stage, among the 25. It is a goal they are facing with real optimist.

A MATTER OF "DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN" From near 56 million boxes of rum (with 12 bottles) that are produced annually in the world, the brand Bacardi monopolizes 40 percent of the commercialization at present but, today, its greatest problem is the"denomination of origin", a point of great importance in the productionof drinks and liquors. By the middle of the 19th century, Spanish, Facundo Bacardi Masso met a French vintner who would decide his life in front of the most popular rum of the moment: Jamaican. A rum with a secret formula, softer but stronger at the same time, very pleasant to the taste, challenged the aggressive taste of rums from the rest of the Antilles. Bacardi Masso arrived to Santiago de Cuba where the factories that produce that kind of rum still exist. When he was 30 -August 5th, 1843- he married Lucma Victoria Moreau, a beautiful 21-year-old mulatto woman -descendent from a French family- and so it began the legend of Bacardi, name of the rum that is today among the first in the market. By virtue of the Nationalization Law in 1960, Bacardi factory became state property as well as other brands as Rechabala in western Matanzas province (Cardenas City), and its heirs left to foreign countries. Experts say that to be Cuban, the rum has to be made with Cuban honeys, from sugarcane harvested in the island; it has to be produced in Cuba. It is the key to the perfect taste so that it prevails among the most demanding consumers, and Bacardi lost such privileges for elaborating his products outside this Caribbean island.