Drinking in Dominican Republic

Having already published a brief description of Dominican food, it's about time to talk about drinks: We will deal with alcoholic beverages in this post, and we will dedicate the next one to soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages.

Let's start with beer, which as you will see, is highly appreciated in the Dominican Republic.

The main brand is indeed Presidente. It is everywhere, and it is so popular that when you ask for "una fría" (a cold one, i.e. a beer) this is the brand you'll get. If you want something else, you have to ask for it specifically. By the way, now that we mention it, Dominican beer is served chilled, whis is something very nice, as it helps a lot to combat the Caribbean heat.



The company that owns Presidente also owns another popular brand, Bohemia, softer and much less consumed. Together, they probably own 90% of market share. Other brands, such as Ambar or Quisqueya are much less widespread.

Quite recently, the Brazilian beer company Brahma, entered the Dominican market with a very aggressive marketing campaign, but is encountering a strong resistance from the domestic Presidente group, which has based its strategy in an appeal to nationalistic feelings of dominicanidad, "dominicaniness", a truly strong feeling in every Dominican's heart.

Other spirituous drinks: Dominican Rhum.

Away from Dominican Republic, the most famous Dominican drink is indeed rhum, obtained from fermentation of sugarcane juice. Pure rhum reaches almost 80% of alcohol content (151º proof) and when it is sold with that alcoholic content, usually labelled "151" can be used only to mix.

Most bottles have actually a much lower alcohol content, around 40%, and this rhum can be drunk straight, on the rocks or mixed.



There are plenty of brands, the main ones being Brugal and Barceló, both well known abroad and exported in large quantities, although there are other quality brands such as Bermúdez or Siboney.

Every brand has a set of rhums of different quality, depending basically on their añejamiento (ageing period, spent in oak barrels). Their denomination is usually as follows:

• Aged 18 to 36 months: Blanco (white) rhum, light rhum, "carta de plata" (silver label).
• Aged 5 years: Rubio (blond), dorado (golden), etiqueta de oro (golden label).
• Aged 7 years: Añejo (aged).
• Aged 10 or more years: Extra añejo. some are true delicacies such as Ron Siglo de Oro, from Brugal, or Barceló Imperial (or even better, Barceló Imperial XXI). Expensive, indeed, but with such a quality and an exquisitely designed package that makes them an excellent present for a good friend.
  

What should rhum be mixed with? When it is not drunk straight or on the rocks, usual mixers include the ubiquitous Cuba Libre (rhum with Coca-Cola), the Santo Libre (rhum and Seven Up), and of course countless cocktails that include rhum among their list of ingredients.

When Dominicans go out into a bar or disco, usually sit at a table and ask for a servicio. It consists of a 50cl. bottle of rhum, an ice bucket and a 20 oz. bottle of a soft drink, plus as many glasses as people are present at the table. Each servicio allows for arount 6 to 8 drinks.

The Dominican Republic also produces local versions of other drinks such as whisky, but they can't seriously be compared to their original counterparts or true Dominican rhum.