Despite my eye patch and peg leg being at the cleaners, I wanted to mark International Talk Like a Pirate Day last week, so I headed for Cuju Sports Bar and its bounty of half-priced rums. I have to admit, I had only slightly better luck finding this bar than did Columbus — hey, he’s listed in Pirate’s Cove! — finding westward passage to India, though any frustration floated away as the rum flowed. (For those who haven’t been to Cuju, here is the map).
I planned to try the Yunnan rum, the maple syrup flavored rum, the Tahiti Dark and then set a course for adventure*. Owner Badr Benjelloun added an extra sail to the figurative ship by splashing out three or four more rums. Then he added the equivalent of a dozen outboard motors by finishing with this. On the bright side, I could blame something other than rum for a hangover that made me feel as though I had been keelhauled.
I gravitated toward white rums that night — Rhum J.M in particular — though I also enjoyed the tasty dark rums Benjelloun recommended. The Sunspirit from Yunnan is fine and worth a try, if only for the novelty. I also liked trying a rum flight — good fun to taste three pours side by side. My least favorite pour was Dunc’s Mill Maple Flavored Rum from Vermont, which I found thin and boring. Perhaps this one needs an upgrade to maple syrup from Canada, proven even in our fair city to be a superior product (see A sticky situation: Rematch demanded in Beijing maple syrup contest).
Anyway, if you are a fan of rum, Cu Ju is worth a visit. And given it has over 50 rums, we may need to expand International Talk Like a Pirate Day to a week next year.
* Intentional Love Boat theme song reference
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