Barbados is the Birthplace of Rum! An island specialty dating back nearly 400 years due to its plethora of sugar cane, the buttery sweet beverage gives a tongue-tingling kick to cocktails like Mojitos and Mai Tais (no wonder they begin with an M ...mmmmmm!), not to mention Pina Coladas, Daiquiris, and Diet Coke!

In fact, Mount Gay, the island's own, is renowned as the world's oldest and finest rum—so it makes sense that it just won the 2007 Luxury Institute "Luxury Brand Status Index" (LBSI) survey for Premium Rum. Take a tour and tasting on their premises, but then you must visit a local outpost.

Rum shacks dot the island (about a thousand!), usually filled with locals relaxing with a Barbadian beer (Banks is the island brew) or a bottle of rum—you're missing out if you miss experiencing one.
1. Braddies' Bar Dover (Christ Church)
  2. Mapp's Rum Shop, Eagle Hall (St. Michael)  
  3. Lexie's Bar, Oistins  
  4. Linton's Bar (St. Philip)  
  5. June's Bar (St. James)  
  6. Moon Town (St. Lucy)  
  7. John Moore's Bar (St. James)  
  8. Fisherman's Pub  
  9. Marshall's Bar  
  10. Absolut — across the road from the entrance to St Lawrence Gap  
  11. Bird's Nest — a late night/early morning haunt on Bay Street  


Watering Hole, a small rum shop near St. Lawrence Gap on the southern end of the island, was about as perfect a place to spend the evening as my partner, Louise, and I might have found on the island. Every culture seems to have a gathering spot where both local residents and travelers can be themselves, places where all are at ease and visitors are unsure if they're the observers or the observed. In Barbados, those places are the rum shops. — from NYTimes

Whisper: To be in-the- know when ordering: the rum comes in bottles either "mini"(small), "flask" (medium) or "pint & half" (large); or order a Black and Coke, a blend of the high-end black-label Extra Old Mount Gay rum and Coca-Cola; after a straight shot of rum, order a chaser (usually water or Coke). So, "fire one"(have a drink) and enjoy!