Brugal and Merengue

Brugal rum is made in the Dominican Republic. It's one of the first things that I remember about the D.R.
After going through customs we were greeted by a Brugal representative who let us sample the well known rum with Sprite. Delicious!
If you're drinking it straight, the rum, which is made with sugar and molasses, goes down smoothly with a spicy-sweet aftertaste.
Don Andrés Brugal Montaner came to the Dominican Republic from Cuba. After learning rum making in Cuba he started making rum in Puerto Plataon the North coast. Brugal & Co. was formed and has become one of the top businesses in the country and has branched off into many smaller businesses and organizations helping the country and its people.
The Brugal factory is located in Puerto Plata and the distribution and marketing offices are located in Santo Domingo and Santiago. The factory is the oldest bottling operation in Dominican Republic. More than one and a half million liters of white and dark rum are produced in the factory each year.


Order a Cuba Libre (rum and Coke) and you'll get:

2 ounces of rum (with a little poured out on the ground for the dead)

Coke

A squeeze of lime

Serve in a highball glass filled with ice, add the rum then fill with the coke add the lime.

To make a Cuba Libre Dominican Style. Get a large styrofoam glass. Fill with ice. Fill it almost to the top with rum. Add a shot of soda to the glass and lime if you have it. Swirl it around a bit or mix with your finger if necessary. Then drink up!
(recipe provided by colonialzone-dr.com)

The other thing that I remember about the Dominican Republic is the dancing!
We arrived in Santo Domingo our first day and drove straight to Cabarete, where we were planning on staying for the week.
Upon our arrival we were exhausted but after a couple of Presidentes we decided to go out and see what the town had to offer.
After a few drinks at the beach bars we ended up on the dancefloor. I don't really know how it happened because I'm a terrible dancer but suddenly I was on the dancefloor in the midst of a mass of people dancing to merengue and having the time of my life.
Merengue is a type of music and dance that comes from the D.R. It was created in the 1920s and became the country’s national music and dance style after being promoted by dictator, Rafael Trujilo.
Other country's have picked up on the merengue rhythm. Venezuela has it's own merengue artists and certain artists in New York also produce merengue music.