The Bacardi Distillery, ohhh yea!

I rode the A5 into Old San Juan again, but got off a little early so I could get shots of the cruise ships unloading. Then I took the opportunity to take the ferry over to Cataño where the Bacardi Distillery is for the big tour.

I did meet a young guy (well, in his late 20’s) on the bus who came from Massachusetts on vacation in 2006… he never left. He still had the New England accent, but spoke good Spanish. At least as far as I could tell. I think that makes him an ExPat. He said it took awhile to get used to the “laid-back’ way things get done here, but loved it.

Anyway, the ferry shuttle was only 50 cents each way, but the bus/cab to the Distillery cost $3 each way. Not a big deal since the tour was FREE and it included 2 FREE drinks. The grounds at the Distillery were more reminiscent of a small college campus. Beautifully landscaped and maintained. We did get hit with a little rain, but most of the tour was inside.

It was broken into several segments narrated by several different folks and included a video too. The presentation in the Art Deco bar by Eric was especially cool… he explained the 3 most common drinks made with Bacardi Rum. The Cuba Libre (my fav), the Mojito and the original Daiquiri. Blended ‘fruity’ Daiquiris did not come along until the electric blender was invented in the 1930’s. Strangely, there was nothing said about the Piña Colada, originally created in San Juan. Also worth mentioning, the Mohito is the oldest drink of the three. I did not know that.

During Prohibition, Cuba (and Bacardi) thrived on tourists from the US. Yes, Bacardi is not native to Puerto Rico, they fled Cuba during the revolution (losing everything in the process) and set up shop in Cataño, PR in 1959. It is the most recognized brand of liquor in all the world. In 1831, Spanish royalty declared it “The Rum of Kings and the King of Rums”. Their proprietary charcoal process and aging makes a very smooth, light rum.  Except for the free drinks, this ‘little’ show-and-tell is aimed at all ages.

After catching the Ferry back to Old SJ, I strolled around a little and shot a few more land marks. I have extended my stay in San Juan by 2 days so I switched to the Coqui Inn’s Green Isle Inn. Its a stones throw from the Howard Johnson. I’ll discuss the Inn in a later post. My stay at the Howard Johnson was very nice and I would recommend it to anyone. The Desk Manager was very polite.. a real gentleman.. all the staff were great. I did not have a car for this 1st part of the trip since I planned to use the buses.. The Howard Johnson charges $6.50 per day for parking. That IS typical for the area.  It is what it is.

Bacardi Tour and Howard Johnson-