Barbadians worship three things with a passion – God, cricket and rum. All, it is advised, to be taken in moderation.

Or to quote Byron: There’s nought, no doubt so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion.

This island is steeped in the rich history of rum which is evidenced by more than a thousand rum shops scattered throughout its 11 saintly parishes – Christ Church, St Philip, St Joseph, St Lucy, St John, St Peter, St Andrew, St Thomas, St James, St Michael and St George.

An unknown visitor to Barbados in 1651 first mentioned the name of the national drink that would stick, writing: “The chief fudling they make on the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divill, which is made of sugar cane distilled – a hott, hellish and terrible liquor.”

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Rumbullion was soon condensed to rum, which has remained its universal name.

There is a great expression in Barbados – “shootin de breeze”. Loosely translated, it means chatting about anything and everything. The phrase perfectly describes the atmosphere of the rum shop with its laid-back, casual, devil may care atmosphere.

Originally built in colourful and characterful chattel houses, capable of being moved easily if need be, their names alone are enough to tempt most mortals.

These include Boo’s Shop, Mum’s Variety Bar, Babe’s Bar, Judy’s Watering Hole, Heavy Roller’s Place, Vernon’s Cosy Bar, Gag’s Hill Shop and the aptly named Casualty Bar – among dozens of others.

Wander into any of these rumbustuous tipling houses, (as they were once called), and you will soon be chatting to the locals and observing a wide array of excellent rums such as Old Brigand, Mount Gay and Cockspur, interspersed with bottles of Anadin and Andrews Liver Salts.

What makes the Barbadian rum shop so special is its dual function – grocery story on one hand and tavern or bar on the other. In fact, most rum shops carry the name of the proprietor followed by bar and grocery. These days the groceries on show have become few and far between, however, as rum shopkeepers accept that their customers generally prefer the wider choice available in bigger shops and supermarkets.

Many rum shops on the island are sited conveniently close to cemeteries so that mourners can celebrate the life of the dead. After the burial service, the custom has been for a short stroll to the tipling house to either drown one’s sorrows or, literally, to lift the spirits.

I have savoured only a fraction of these watering holes (otherwise I might not be here to tell the tale) but I do have a few favourites which I would like to share with you. Each is in a different parish and each has its own distinctive personality.

The first is R.A. Mapp’s Bar and Grocery on Eagle Corner, St Michael, and a short walk from the Oval cricket ground in Bridgetown.

Its convivial host, Kennedy Leacock, once worked at the famously glitzy Sandy Lane Hotel and was assigned to look after Luciano Pavarotti, the late Italian tenor, during his regular visits to the island. Leacock told me that Pavarotti offered him a job travelling the world with him but he respectfully declined because his first loyalty was to his grandfather who had bequeathed him the rum shop.

My second choice is the Fisherman’s Pub in Speightstown, St Peter. Owned by Clement Armstrong, this rum shop grew to become a pub and restaurant. Its terrace, which is soothingly lapped by the sea, offers an excellent place for chilling out. The menu includes local dishes such as pepper pot, cou-cou, salt fish, split peas and rice, sweet potatoes and black belly lamb.

Finally, we are off to Nigel Benn Aunty Bar in Shorey Village, St Andrew. The walls of the bar are smothered with photographs of Nigel Benn, the Barbadian British middle-weight boxer, as well as other celebrities and visitors.

The amazing Lucille Hall, Benn’s aunt, runs the bar and is a most welcoming hostess.

As well as these characterful rum shops, there are three superb distilleries in Barbados – Foursquare Rum Distillery, Mount Gay Rum Distillery and West Indies Rum Distillery. They welcome visitors and each has a visitor centre and organised tour.

So, when you are next visiting Barbados, follow the rum trail and shoot de breeze in a few of these glorious tipling houses.

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