Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Today is National Rum Day. Here’s a list of freebies and deals to mark the occasion (along with a history lesson)

fastcompany.com · 2hShare

For pirates and Tiki bar lovers, today is a very important occasion. National Rum Day (Sunday, August 16, 2026) celebrates the sweet and spicy alcohol found in piña coladas, zombies, and mojitos. Let’s take a look at some history before we dive into the deals. How rum is made There are many different varieties of rum , but all of them start with sugarcane. Once harvested, the sugarcane is transformed into one of the base ingredients for the liquor: molasses, cane juice, or cane syrup. Next is the fermentation process where water and yeast are added to the mix. This new mixture is distilled by heat. The amount of times this occurs depends on the type of rum. Some rums are also aged in oak barrels while others go straight to the bottle. A brief history of rum Modern rum as we know it today has an unsavory history. It dates back to the 17th century and the expansion of sugarcane production and enslaved labor in the Caribbean. Somewhere along the line, it was discovered that molasses could

First report: Rum distillers are stealing whiskey’s playbook to win over pickier drinkers — mdjonline.com, 2d