The Good and The Guavaberry in St. Maarten


I like rum. The smooth, spicy flavor enhances anything it touches, from cakes to cola. Now, I'm not an expert rum connoisseur like my friend Steve at Uncommon Caribbean, but I know my way around most of the Caribbean's rums. So I was surprised that I had never tasted St. Maarten's signature guavaberry rum.  Wandering into the main Guavaberry emporium in Philipsburg, I sipped a sample and immediately fell in love with this sweetly potent folk liquor that hold the title of National Liqueur of Dutch and French St. Martin.


Guavaberries grow high in the hills of St. Maarten and are related to clove. No, the berries don't taste anything like guavas but when they are aged for the liquor, they taste spicy and woodsy. The Guavaberry company makes lots of flavored rums like passionfruit and lime but I prefer the guavaberry classic, especially in the form of a guavaberry colada.


If you haven't downed a bottle of Guavaberry rum, you haven't really traveled to St. Maarten. Sipping this smooth libation will warm you like the hot St. Maarten sun and remind you that paradise is only a sip away.

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