Rum is a distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses, to create a clear liquid. This is then usually aged in oak barrels. Rum in Spanish is called ron viejo (old rum) and ron añejo (aged rum).
Light rums are commonly used in cocktails, whereas golden and dark rums, especially premium ones, are usually drunk straight or ‘neat’.
Rum is part of the culture on most West Indian islands, as well as in the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland, and has famous associations with the Royal Navy.