The histories of sugarcane and its ethereal descendant-authentic Cuban rum-are closely associated with the legends of the Cuban nation, with its countryside, its culture, its music and its spirit. In this book you will discover the true roots of Cuban rum: from its relationships with people from explorer Christopher Columbus to author Ernest Hemingway; with places from the aging cellars at the distilleries to the legendary bars of Havana; and with its multi-cultural influences that they transformed into a distinctive Cuban identity; and with the embodiment of that persona in art, in literature, in music, in spirituality and in life itself. This is a tale of passion and imagery, in which kings and conquistadors, pirates and planters, master rum blenders and bartenders, international movie stars and industrial magnates, revolutionaries and romanticists each play a significant role.