Today is National Rum Day, a day celebrated to help quench your thirst with your favorite rum drink. Rum is made by distilling by products of sugarcane, such as molasses or sugarcane juice, and is then aged in oak barrels. A majority of rum is produced in the Caribbean and in Latin American nations and territories.
About Rum Day:
While the precursors of rum date back thousands of years, tradition suggests that rum didn’t originate until sometime in the 1600′s on the island of Barbados. The drink quickly became a favorite of the locals. It didn’t take long for the drink to make its way to the colonies, and in 1664 the first distillery was built at what is now Staten Island. Three years later a distillery was constructed in Boston and rum quickly became Colonial New England’s largest and most prosperous industry. Perhaps the most famous part of rums history though, is its association with piracy. The relationship began after the trading of rum boomed in the mid 1600′s when the Royal Navy captured the island of Jamaica. The sailors quickly fell in love with the taste of rum, and the rest is history.
Recipe:
The Blueberry Rum Smash makes 1 cocktail 
Fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces rum
Ginger ale
Cover the bottom of a mason jar with blueberries. (If you’re using a smaller glass, make a double layer.) Add the brown sugar, lemon juice & muddle until the sugar is melted. The idea is to break the skins of the blueberries, but not to mash them into a pulp. Fill the glass with crushed ice & then add the rum. Top with ginger ale and stir.
