My first day on the island of Barbados continued in Holetown on the island’s western side, where I’d get my first taste of Bajan food infused with Barbados rum! I’d also going to stop at some rum shops!
Taking me around Barbados is my good friend Craig, a local pilot and musician. He and his girlfriend Nerissa had an action-packed week planned for me on the island. My second food adventure would focus on food infused with Barbados’ world-famous rum!
Our first stop was Rum Stop, a restaurant where every they infuse every dish with Barbados rum! It’s located on the second floor of a beautiful building with a terrace and nice views. I could see lots of Mount Gay rum, which is the most famous brand of rum on the island.
They’d be making several different dishes for us, including rum-infused ribs, Bajan macaroni pie, codfish and crackers, Bajan fish cakes, fried pork nuggets, deep-fried breadfruit chips, and flying fish! The wait staff serves them with rum-infused vinaigrettes, including a strawberry one, and a balsamic reduction!
Rum Stop carries roughly 40 different rums across six different brands. They even have some rum punch in barrels that they’d charred on the inside. It creates a flavor you can’t get anywhere else!
The fried breadfruit reminded me of a soft tostone. I really liked them! Meanwhile, I watched them cook their special rum-infused barbecue sauce and the ribs. Then, they pour the sauce over the ribs and the macaroni pie before topping it with a vinaigrette and the balsamic reduction. Next, I tried some delicious rum!
Then, finally, it was time to eat! On the terrace, we started with the Bajan fish cakes, which reminded me of fishy hush puppies. They were crispy on the outside and a little salty. I loved the tomato-rum mayo they came with!
The fried pork nuggets were crispy and tender, and full of flavor. They came with some nice, juicy roasted peppers. Adding some of my pineapple-guava David’s Been Here Hot Sauce added a fruity and slightly spicy kick to the breadfruit. I chased it with some rum with ginger. It was really strong!
Next was a fried flying fish with mashed potatoes and the strawberry-rum vinaigrette. It was so good, but adding the David’s Been Here Hot Sauce blew my mind. The slight Barbados rum flavor in the food was also excellent and added a unique touch to every dish!
Next was the shredded codfish, which had some peppers, onions, and cucumber mixed in. The mix of brininess, flakiness, and crunchiness was unbelievable. They came with Bajan crackers. Together, they reminded me of a saltfish ceviche!
Finally, we finished with the main event: the ribs and the Bajan macaroni pie. The ribs were tender, and the sauce contained both rum and gravy. I also loved the creaminess of the macaroni pie. There was so much Barbados rum in this meal! Eating them together blew my mind!
Then, we drove to Mount Gay Rum, which has been in business since 1703. They make the most famous rum in the world! Inside, we met Adrian, who would be giving us a tasting of their house rums and premium rums.
Their Silver is their youngest Barbados rum and is 43% alcohol. It was good but it burned! Their Eclipse is aged 2-7 years and is also 43%. They use it to make their rum punch and was really nice. The Black Barrel is aged 6-8 years as close to a spiced rum as you can get. These are all mixing rums!
The XO is aged 7-15 years and was the smoothest one so far. I wanted to buy a bottle! Next was a mixed drink called Blood, Sweat & Tears, which contained rum, lime, and cranberry juice.
From there, we drove to John Moore Bar, a very popular rustic bar on the ocean. The NBA legend Reggie Miller once visited here. Visitors can write their names on the ceiling.
We started with Foursquare Old Brigand Rum, which was very smooth. You have to drink a glass of water for every glass of Barbados rum, otherwise you’ll get drunk! Then, we took our drinks to the terrace, which looks out over the ocean!
Finally, we hit our final spot, De Famous Bird Bar for our last shot of Foursquare Old Brigand Rum.
Counter
101 Countries • 1432 Cities
