Rum

Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, which starts as a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels. Wikipedia says rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century. Its alcohol content is given as 37.5 to 80 percent by volume, and it ranges in colour from clear through brown, black, red and golden. In the Vodou faith of Haiti, according to Wikipedia's list of substances used in rituals, alcoholic drinks such as rum are consumed so that the spirits called lwa can enter a person's body and help them find the motivation or strength to get through everyday struggles. Rum is therefore one of the drinks tied to possession in that tradition. This entry rests on those two Wikipedia articles. It records what the articles say about how rum is made and about its Vodou use, and it names no particular brand, age or style of rum as the one used.