Festive greetings to you on this August 16, 2013; National Rum Day! Social media and the internet are abuzz with posts, stories and blurbs about rum. …. I ran across a nice one by Joe Satran at Huffington Post Taste (@HuffPostTaste) about the right rum for mojitos within moments of launching my browser today. There are numerous rum-centric accounts and blogs that I follow where you can be inspired with recipes or learn history… or shop for rum-themed apparel. Here is a rundown of some of my favorites:

Rum Therapy – (@rumtherapy) – “[ruhm ther-uh-pee] – verb 1. The act of enjoying rum and/or umbrella drinks in a tropical setting for the purpose of relaxing, refreshing and recharging…” Well, I can’t argue with that definition! The Rum Therapy site provides SandOnTheBrain style island images and posts to enjoy while drinking a freshly mixed rum cocktail from one of the many recipes that Pamela and John regularly share. Sign up to be an official Rum Bum and shop for attire to live the rum life. (Mr. SandOnTheBrain always packs his Rum Therapy tee for vacations!)

The Floating Rum Shack – (@floatingrumshac) – Pete and Pauline love to share everything rum. Located in the United Kingdom, I like the variety of information at The Floating Rum Shack because they provide stories about rum stuff across the pond from me. I tend to associate rum to the Caribbean… which is true, but there are many events and lots of love for rum on the other side of the globe too! Check out their links section… Paris, Germany… Rum everywhere!

Rum Connection – (@rumconnection) – “Love RUM?” Well, yes. I do. And I know I can count on Rum Connection to provide me with “the latest news, exclusive articles and critical information about the tradition and culture of rum.” Who doesn’t need a source for critical rum information? If you’re at a loss for how to celebrate National Rum Day; worry not! Rum Connection has plenty of recipes and suggests something new to go along with your party hats and festivities today.

Got Rum – (@got_rum) – Luis Ayala is the founder of The Rum University, which may be my favorite feature on the Got Rum site. Sure it tastes good, but you really have no excuse for not knowing some of the history and for being educated about rum. The Got Rum newsletter provides information about rum events, editorials, reviews and what is happening in the rum world. And if your thirst is piqued after all that reading, you can even buy rum online (hooray!)… shipping is available for many US states.

International Rum Council – (@rumcouncil) – Founded by five guys who love rum, the International Rum Council is one to watch! Sharing informative details about rum, the site includes links to members’ blogs including this interesting post by member Bob Davies (a.k.a. TheRumelier.com) about how rum got its name. I look forward to seeing what the Council has to offer in the future.

Team Cocktail – (@teamcocktail) The party is happening with Team Cocktail. The “Drinking company with a clothing problem” will accessorize you… in the rum category you can tell everyone to Keep Calm and Rum On or to Punch it, Pour it Drink it.

Uncommon Caribbean – (@UncommonCarib ) – Brothers Steve and Patrick Bennett share tales of Caribbean travel and culture, which obviously includes rum! A search for “rum” on the Uncommon Caribbean site yields more than 350 results. Recipes, pairings, reviews, festivals… plenty to support your rum love… including the rumball recipe that has stolen my heart (as I wrote here).

Caribbean Blogger – (@RumShopRyan) – No rum list is complete without including RumShop Ryan. Ryan loves the Caribbean… true…. but he is RUM Shop Ryan and he LOVES his rum. His followers – we Castaways – enjoy the reviews, boat drink recipes (love the video posts!) and rum info that the site offers… not to mention plenty of photos and stories (want to buy an island?) all suitable for cases of SandOnTheBrain.

The list of rum resources and fellow rum lovers goes on…. The point is, get out there and do some exploring. National Rum day is a great reason to try a new rum, share some with a friend, explore a little rum history, maybe consider an upcoming rum event. Simply enjoy*!

Do you have a favorite brand? a go-to cocktail? a rum site or connection you follow? Post a comment. Share the rum love!

Cheers!

….. *please, always enjoy responsibly.