Rum Varadero Elixir (Cuba)

The history of Cuban rum forms an inseparable part of the history of Cuba.

Columbus brought sugarcane roots to the island of Cipango during his second voyage to the New World.  The climatic conditions of Cipango: its fertile lands, its water and sun, made it possible for this new plant to flourish and created the unique type of Cuban sugarcane.

The cunyaya, an Indian tribe, created the first instrument for extracting the guarapo (the juice from the sugarcane). The aboriginal work by hand was substituted by the slaves brought from Africa, who were an important factor in the development of the sugarcane industry. In 1539 there were already many products made from this sugarcane industry: white sugar, curdled and purified, refined sugar, foams, and honeys.

The pope Jean Baptiste Labat observed that "the slaves and the small population of the island fabricate a strong and brutal drink from the syrup of the sugarcane". It is this drink that was well known in Europe at the beginning of the 18th century, so well known that various pirates and merchants came to the island. One of the pirates that attacked was Francis Drake, who took this drink and created the Drake, another drink which was the fundamental base of brandy.
 

VARADERO ELIXIR

A blend of aged cuban rum and grape juice pepped up by macerating raisins in the liquid for a sweet and punchy liqueur. Made at Cuba's oldest distillery, Varadero, founded in 1862.

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