Sunday, 04 October 2015 08:14

Gran Canaria Drinks Rum Like It Invented The Stuff: It Probably Did

Gran Canaria rum has a long history and a great taste Gran Canaria rum has a long history and a great taste www.photosgrancanaria.com

Everyone thinks rum was invented in the Caribbean, but there's a good chance it was made in Gran Canaria before Columbus even took sugar cane to the Americas. 

Gran Canaria had vast sugar plantations over 50 years before the first commercial plantations in Brazil and the Caribbean. In fact, the plantation system of sugar cane plantation was exported from the Canaries and Madeira to the New World.

Since distillation was well known at this time, and the molasses by-product of sugar production is the perfect raw material, we're pretty convinced that Canarians were making rum long before anybody else. 

A brief history of sugar

Sugar cane is originally from South East Asia and seems to have been cultivated in New Guinea as early as 6000 BC. The first sugar crystal manufacture seems to have been in India, and by the 8th Century AD it was grown by the Arabs in Andalusia and North Africa.

By the time Columbus took sugar cane to the Americas on his second journey across the Atlantic in 1493, sugar cane cultivation was already well established in the Canary Islands (and especially north Gran Canaria) and the Portuguese island of Madeira just to the north. 

There was a big sugar cane press in the Agaete Valley by 1490, before the Americas were even discovered, and the earliest recorded sugar cane in Madeira was back in 1425. Gran Canaria remained a huge producer of sugar cane until the 18th Century when Caribbean and Brazilian imports took over and the industry declined. 

Gran Canaria cane juice

Gran Canaria towns such as Arucas and Agaete owe their existence to sugar cane farming, although there is very little grown on the island today. There are plantations at Bañaderos along the north coast and their crop is pressed and served as fresh cane juice and as cane juice mojitos in local fairs and markets. 

Fresh cane juice, served with lemon juice, ice and fruit-infused rum, is greenish in colour and very sweet. It makes a refreshing drink and an even better mojito. With it's long local history and great taste, we think cane juice and cocktails should be served everywhere in Gran Canaria and we always do our bit to encourage consumption. 

Gran Canaria rum

The Arehucas rum factory at Arucas town is the oldest rum distillery in Europe and has been producing rum from molasses since 1884. It now makes so much rum that it imports the raw materials, as do other Gran Canaria distilleries such as Artemi and Telde. Even though the raw materials come from abroad, the rum they produce is made in Gran Canaria, aged in barrels here and tastes great. 

However, there is another rum distillery with Gran Canaria roots that still makes its rum from Canarian-grown ingredients.

In 1936, Don Manuel Quevedo Alemán opened the Ron La Aldea distillery in La Aldea de San Nicolas in west Gran Canaria and started making rum from cane grown in the area. He used fresh cane juice rather than molasses to make his rum. Unfortunately, by the late 1950s sugar cane was being replaced by tomatoes as the main crop in La Aldea and the distillery closed down in 1960. 

But the story doesn't end there. Don Manuel's family moved to La Palma island where sugar cane was and is still grown, and they took the La Aldea brand and still with them. The distillery still makes rum from fresh cane juice to this day and you buy La Aldea rum in good supermarkets all over Gran Canaria. 

If you drive the GC-200 road along Gran Canaria's west coast, look out for the ruins of the original La Aldea rum distillery close to the shore at La Aldea town. 

Alex says: Rum made from fresh-cane juice has a lighter, fresher flavour than rum made from molasses. 

Sweet honey rum

Ron miel is a traditional Canarian liqueur invented in the Canary Islands. It's now the most popular after dinner drink on the island and is exported all over Europe. 

Canarian ron miel is protected by a European designation of origin meaning that it can only contain traditional ingredients and has to be made on the islands. 

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Tip of the day

  • How To Choose A Legal Gran Canaria Airport Transfer
    How To Choose A Legal Gran Canaria Airport Transfer

    Gran Canaria's hotels have to be licensed and offer a quality level of service as well as having insurance and complying with fire regulations. The same goes for the boats that take people out to watch dolphins, the companies offering jeep safaris, and even the holiday let apartments. 

    However, not everybody in Gran Canaria follows the rules. For example, there is a significant industry running illegal and uninsured transfers between Gran Canaria airport and the island's resorts. These cars, driven by locals and foreign-residents, are just private vehicles and the drivers are unregulated and uninsured. They don't pay tax and there is no way to hold them responsible if something goes wrong. 

     At Gran Canaria Info we believe that all people and all companies offering services to tourists should legal and above board.

    So, how do you know that your airport transfer service is legal and registered with the Gran Canaria authorities?

     Using legal Gran Canaria airport transfers

    It is quite easy to know if your airport transfer service is operating in a legal way because all registered transfers have the following...

     A blue license plate: Taxis and other public service vehicles in Gran Canaria all have blue plates.

    A VTC sticker in the window: This stands for Vehículo de Transporte con Conductor, the official designation for licensed transfer drivers ans chauffeurs.

    An SP sticker on the car: This indicates that the car offer a Servicio Publico or public service and is therefore allowed to pick up and transfer members of the public. 

    Parked in the transport zone: Official airport transfer vehicles don't park in the public car park of the airport. Instead they have their own parking zone right by the arrivals gates at the airport (next to the taxis and package tour buses). Your transfer driver therefore should not have to pay a parking fee before leaving the aiport. 

    How to spot an unlicensed transfer service

    Unlicensed drivers get away with offerring their service because they claim that they are just members of the public picking up a friend. They are allowed to stand at arrivals with a sign (just like any member of the public can).

    However, they also have to park their car in the public car park and will walk you there with your luggage, stopping to pay the parking fee at the meter. A licensed transfer driver does not need to do this because they have their own parking zone right by arrivals.

    Some unlicensed drivers don't even wait at the arrival gate because the official drivers recognise them and get annoyed. Instead they have to stand further away (often by the Spar supermarket or the car rental desks). 

    When an unlicensed driver drops you at the airport they will not want to be paid in a public area because this proves that they are charging rather than "transporting a friend" for free. 

    An unlicensed car will not have a blue license plate, or a SP or VTC sticker, and will often look like a private car (because it is a private car). 

    What's the problem with unlicensed airport transfers?

    Some people use unlicensed cars because they are the cheapest option and don't realise that they are unlicensed. 

    There are several problems with unlicensed services. The most obvious is that they are uninsured so if something goes wrong or there is an accident, you are not protected. The price that unlicensed drivers offer is only low because they cut corners (hopefully not literally). You have no way of even knowing if your unlicensed driver has a Spanish driving license, insurance and a good driving record. Licensed drivers are vetted regularly and must be fully insured and licensed to work.

    Another problem is that unlicensed transfers undermine the legitimate transfer drivers and businesses in Gran Canaria. Local drivers make a living from transfers and offer a legal, regulated service with minimum standards. Every time an unlicensed service undercuts them, it is effectively stealing from local people and the island economy.

    We believe that everybody in Gran Canaria deserves better!

    Gran Canaria Airport Transfer Services

    To find out more about the Gran Canaria airport transfer, see our Gran Canaria airport transfer article which explains the three different models; man/woman from pub with car, online transfer websites, and local transfer services.

    Or you can book a legitimate Gran Canaria airport transfer at a great price right here. Our service uses local drivers and supprts the island economy because all the money you spend stays in Gran Canaria.

    Alex Says: Using our service also helps the Gran Canaria Info team to keep providing quality local information here and in our Facebook Group

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