The Rum Diaries: Rum in Popular Culture

Rum is a popular drink, but how is it portrayed in fiction and in the movies? Let's look at a history of rum in popular culture.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," Jack Sparrow drunkenly sings as he clutches a bottle of rum. This is perhaps one of the most memorable recurring scenes throughout Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Johnny Depp's quirky yet sexy portrayal of Jack Sparrow enormously popularized views on rum in modern culture. Even when he wasn't drinking, he made hilarious quips about rum and emphasized how rum contributed to having fun. 

Other than its use by pirates, though, where else is rum seen in popular culture? You may be surprised to find out that rum crops up in more places than you'd realized!

Rum in Music

Over the past century, many songs contain lyrics about rum. These songs capture the essence of enjoying yourself while sipping on a nice glass of rum. 

The Andrew Sisters' song "Rum and Coca Cola" became a hit in the 1940s. This fun-loving song incited memories of peacefully relaxing at the beach with a glass of rum in hand.

Some years later, Sean Kingston and Cher Lloyd's collaboration, "Rum and Ray-Bans" was a catchy homage to rum that was sure to get you dancing.

Gloria Estefan's "Cuba Libre" was both a political statement about freeing Cuba but also the popular name for a rum and coke cocktail. 

Rum in Movies and TV Shows

Perhaps the most popular place to see rum is on your screen. Rum makes its appearance in many movies and TV shows, both fiction and non-fiction. 

In a film aptly named "The Rum Diary", Johnny Depp portrays a freelance journalist in Puerto Rico during the 1960s. 

"Cane" was a 2007 show on CBS that portrayed the external rivalries and internal power struggles of a Cuban-American family running an immensely successful rum and sugarcane business in South Florida.

The Discovery Channel featured rum in an exciting episode of "Moonshiners: Master Distiller", during which several distillers compete to see who can make the best rum.

Over time, more and more movies and TV shows released show not only the fun ways to enjoy your rum but also the storied past of rum throughout history.

Rum in Books

Similar to movies, rum has made its appearance in several fiction and non-fiction books.

Rum often finds itself in thrilling fiction books set during the timeframe of Prohibition. "Whiskey Sea", for example, tells the story of a young girl lured into a money-making team of rumrunners supplying alcohol to New York City speakeasies.

Frequently featured in recipe books and cocktail books, rum presents itself in new and unique drinks. Mix recommendations are available for every type of occasion, from fine dining to backyard barbecues. Coke is not the only mixer to make a perfect pairing with rum!

Grab Your Own Bottle

Regardless of the circumstances, a bottle of rum is almost always sure to bring a good time. So why not pick up an award-winning bottle of Pusser's Rum? 

Our rum is the only rum blended in exact accordance with the Royal Navy's specifications. The last use of these specifications was on July 31, 1970, when the Royal Navy discontinued its daily rum ration and ended a tradition that lasted over 300 years.

This Admiralty rum blend is rich and full-bodied after having been aged for a minimum of three years. It has an unsurpassed smoothness due to its wooden "pot stilled" lineage. 

Who knows, after a few drinks, you might be singing your own rum diaries!