Sip and savor a potent expression of Haitian heritage with a glass of Boukman Botanical Rhum. Rooted in tradition, Boukman Botanical Rhum serves as a modern example of clairin trempe, the Haitian practice of distilling spirits from local sugarcane and incorporating various plant materials, including barks, citrus peel, and botanicals. Boukman Rhum specifically—a brand launched in 2016—gets its super-smooth, super-dry, one-of-a-kind oomph from hand-cut sugarcane grown sans fertilizer and such foraged additions as whole cloves, allspice, vanilla, bitter almond, cinnamon, and indigenous woods and barks such as bois bandé and campeche.
Whether raised as a pure, neat, or on-the-rocks glass or as a cocktail — a Dark & Stormy, perhaps? — Boukman Rhum also honors a legit Haitian hero: Dutty Boukman, one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution, who in 1791 swore an oath to liberty, sealed it with rum and started the revolution that liberated Haiti. Here is an easy-drinking liquor with a storied history behind it, to say the least. This clairin-style rum wears the stamp of two venerable Haitian terroirs: the canefields of Croix des Bouquets and those of Cap Haitien, the latter was where Dutty Boukman lit his revolutionary fire. Sales of Boukman Botanical Rhum aren’t purely profit — a portion of the revenue has, since the brand’s beginning, gone to the non-profit Haiti Futur, which does critical work improving education in the country.
For more about rum, check out the IMBOLDN Booze Primer: Rum in 1000 Words or Less.