The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023 - Issue 33

bitedrinks B acardí has existed since 1862 after Don Fa- cundo Bacardí Masó founded the brand in Santiago de Cuba. He revolutionised the spir- its industry after creating a light-bodied rum with an exceptionally smooth taste. It later inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world’s most famous recipes, including the Bacardí Mojito, Daiquiri, Cuba Libre, Piña Co- lada and Presidente. Today, it is the world’s most-awarded spirit, with over 1,000 awards for quality, taste, and innova- tion. The bat symbol with a red background on the bottle (that has changed over the years) stems from Facundo’s wife, Doña Amalia, noticing a colony of fruit bats hanging in the rafters of the distillery. She recognised their importance to the Span- ish and Cuban Taíno indigenous people as symbols of good health, family unity, and good fortune. She suggested using it as Bacardi rum’s symbol, and soon locals began asking for ‘el ron del murcielago’ - the ‘rum of the bat’. Don’s son Facundo Bacardí Moreau planted a coconut palm at the front of the distillery affectionately known as El Coco. It withstood a distillery fire, five earthquakes and countless hurricanes, symbolising strength and resilience. Eventually, a local prophecy grew around the palm tree: “The Bacardí com- pany will survive in Cuba as long as the coconut palm lives.” It survived until 1960 when Cuban revolutionary armed forces confiscated the company’s assets; the tree then withered and died. In 1888, Bacardí won a gold medal at the Exposición Uni- versal de Barcelona, was appointed ‘Purveyor to the Royal Spanish Household’ and established itself as the rich and famous favourite spirit. Each cocktail has a story: American mining engineer Jennings Stockton Cox invented the Bacardí daiquiri cocktail in 1898 on a hot day in Daiquirí, Cuba, as a refreshing treat for his copper-mining crews, using freshly squeezed lime juice, sugar, ice shavings and Bacardí Superior rum. Two years later, the world’s first Cuba Libre cocktail was cre- ated in Havana when American soldiers mixed Bacardí rum and Coca-Cola® with lime to celebrate the end of the Span- ish-American war. In the 1920s, prohibition in the United States affected the company’s bottling facility in New York. However, they turned adversity into success with a campaign promoting Cuba as a tropical escape from the ‘dry’ United States. The Americans flocked to the island to enjoy Bacardí rum, triggering tremendous growth. After expanding its networks globally, Bacardí eventually acquired other brands such as General Beverage Company which owned Martini and Rossi, Dewar’s blended Scotch whisky, and Bombay Sapphire gin in the 1990s. In 2004, it purchased Grey Goose, the world’s number one super-premi- um vodka. Five years later, Bacardí achieved ‘Triple Crown’ certification, making it the only major spirits company with facilities globally certified to operate according to quality, en- vironment and health and safety. Earlier this year, Bacardí® Rum launched its new Caribbean Spiced, the brand’s first premium spiced aged spirit. It uses the unique sweetness of coconut blossom combined with cinnamon, vanilla and the subtle oaky char from the barrel. It contains notes of juicy, caramelised pineapple and lightly toasted coconut to create a smooth, warming taste with a deep amber colour. The vanilla adds a sweet, rounded mouth- feel, while the cinnamon delivers a warm, aromatic flavour that cuts through the sweetness of vanilla. Bacardí Caribbean Spiced was expertly crafted by RumBlend- er Noidys Herrera, who has been honing her craft for over ten years and worked closely with Global Master Blender, Troy Arquiza. She was inspired by the love of her Caribbean home, where she grew up surrounded by coconut trees and became fascinated by their unique flavour qualities. “The coconut tree has always had a strong link to the Bacardi family, being the emblem symbolising the coconut palm (El Coco) planted at the original Bacardi Rum distillery.” Herrera continued, “It is also known in my culture as the tree of life. The magic of the new Bacardi Caribbean Spiced comes from the coconut sugar blossom, a unique and widely unused part of the coconut. Like the bartenders, I love to experiment and play with flavours, giving rum fans a sensory experience that will transport them to the Caribbean with every sip.” With over 160 years of spirit-making expertise, Bacardí Rum has utilised a unique production process to fuse rum, spice and Caribbean flavours into one well-balanced drink. It uses a heavy-aged rum base to provide the bold smokey flavours of molasses and a light-aged rum base to bring a drier and cleaner quality. Before and after its rested and filtered, with the flavours blended into the spirit, followed by another rest and a second polishing filter for clarity and colour. The new rum spirit can make cocktails such as Caribbean Co- lada with 50 ml of Caribbean Spiced, 50 ml pineapple juice, 25 ml Coco Real coconut drink, 5 ml cinnamon syrup, two pineapple leaves, coconut shavings and a sprinkle of cinna- mon. Add Bacardí Spiced, pineapple juice, Coco Real and cinnamon syrup into a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain over crushed ice and garnish with pineapple leaves, coconut shavings and a sprinkle of cinnamon, and serve. Another cocktail is Caribbean Cola, made with 50 ml Car- ibbean Spiced and 100 ml Coca-Cola. Firstly, fill a highball glass with cubed ice, pour in the Caribbean Spiced, add the chilled cola and give it a gentle stir. No garnish is required for this drink. Bacardí Caribbean Spiced is bottled at 40% ABV and availa- ble on Mixlab and Ocado, and retailers including Tesco and Waitrose nationwide. Fans can also try Caribbean Spiced at Revolucion de Cuba in Aberdeen, Belfast, Harrogate, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and other locations. https://www.bacardi.com/us/en/