Thursday, January 1, 2009

Oppose Bacardi's Cuba Policy With Flor de Caña

As this blog has recently received much drinking-related traffic, courtesy of the good Matthew Yglesias, I'll put up another drinking-related post.

A while ago I was looking to try a non-Bacardi rum, in part because Bacardi is run by Cuban exiles who give big money to Republicans so that we can have cruel and pointless sanctions on Cuba. (Charles Kuffner has a post that deals with some of this.) So I tried Flor de Caña, the Nicaraguan rum pictured on the right, and it proved to be cheaper and better. I particularly recommend the 4 year gold rum, which I got for $12 a fifth a couple days ago in Maryland where I'm hanging out with my friends. It's got a fairly rich flavor, makes a good rum and coke, and I sometimes drink it straight up or on the rocks. The clear version is pretty good too.

Update: Jan's interesting comments below, on Reagan blocking Flor de Caña importation to hurt the leftist Sandinista government, have been relayed to the happy friends currently drinking it around me.

5 comments:

janinsanfran said...

In the 1980s, Flor de Cana was denied entry to the US as part of Reagan's war on the Nicaraguan Sandinista government. Acquiring a bottle (however this came to be) was an occasion of progressive celebration, reserved for festive moments.

Poicephalus said...

Personally I find the 7 y.o. to be the best bang for the buck.

Good stuff.

Nick Beaudrot said...

Weren't the bacardi guys specifically big patrons of Tom DeLay? Were they involved in the "Tom DeLay's daughter in a hot tub with lobbyists" story?

Jacob said...

I hadn't seen this in my local Seattle store, but brought home a couple of bottles from Costa Rica after tasting it there. Very nice stuff! While I'm glad to stick it to the Bacardi family, I don't drink their mediocre stuff anyway. Glad to hear this is available in the US -- I'll keep an eye out for it!

Bruce said...

Thanks for the info, Bacardi is now off the buying list.

I wish FL was not a swing state and we could end this dumb and hurtful embargo.