Drinks: Liquid Culture

Rum - The Sacred Spirit

"Rum is our wine," explains master distiller Hervé Damoiseau. "We have terroir, vintage years, proper glasses. But rum is also medicine, cooking ingredient, offering to ancestors, social lubricant."

Ti-punch: The national cocktail - White rum - Cane syrup - Lime - "Chacun prépare sa propre mort" (Each prepares their own death)

Planteur: Tourist-friendly but locally loved - Rum - Fruit juices - Spices - "Dangerously smooth"

Schrubb: Christmas tradition - Rum - Orange peels - Spices - Aged for months

Non-Alcoholic Traditions

Mauby: Bark-based bitter drink Sorrel: Hibiscus flower drink Seamoss: Seaweed-based nutrition drink Fresh juices: Soursop, passion fruit, tamarind

"Every drink has its moment," notes bartender Jean-Louis Joachim. "Morning coffee, midday juice, afternoon coconut water, evening rum. We drink our days."