59 Proof
Marie Galante is a short downwind sail from Petit Terre. We made landfall in a nice big open harbor, off the small town of Saint Louis. Marie Galante is a sleepy island. A small ferry delivers a handful of tourists from main island of Guadeloupe. The anchorage is a wide, shallow bay, and around 50 boats were spread out with lots of privacy. They have a small community center that is basically a covered porch facing the ocean. We listened to the locals drumming, dancing, and practicing martial arts late into each night. With the full moon out, you could easily see the starfish and sea urchins in the sea grass 15 feet below. The swimming was fantastic, and the local rum was as well.
Each island down here has its own unique rum. At one time there were hundreds of windmills on this island. Built just to process sugar cane. They still stand in ruins. In the heyday, there was not enough water for all the distillers so Napoleon permitted Marie Gallante to make 59 proof rum instead of the usual 50 proof. They still do this today, but they are not allowed to export it.
We have a new best for our "list of bests." This list keeps us on our toes and is simply fun. The new best French beach bar and restaurant is "Chez Henri" in Saint Louis. It is just to the right of the town dock, located on the beach surrounded by palms and tropical trees. You sit outside or under a porch, dogs and cats at your feet, French African music vibes in your bones, drinking Ti Punch. When you walk into a restaurant on Marie Gallant, there is usually a self serve Ti Punch set up. You do this before you even take a seat: take a piece of lime, add a spoonful of raw sugar, and mash it with a spoon. Once it is good and mashed, you pour a shot of your preferred rum over it and "voila" ...Ti Punch. Just 3 Euros and dangerously addictive. Chez Henri brings all the ingredients and a bottle of rum to your table. It's an honor system where the guest might have a hard time remembering the final count. It might even be difficult to get up from the table. 59 proof after all. It's all OK, or "d'accord", since you never really need to leave Chez Henri anyway.
The next day we rented a moped and hit the route de rhum. Our butts and hands were completely numb after the first 30 minutes on that little whining engine. After getting lost on dead end back roads, winding through sugar cane fields, we found two distilleries. For 9 Euros a bottle, we filled the seat of the moped with all we could pack in. One distillery had a 36 year old bottle of rum for 650 Euros. I figured it was better not to ruin the cheap version by having a taste.
Now for the kicker. Kelly doesn't even like rum. I think she just enjoys laughing at me when I drink it. I'm the luckiest man.
Each island down here has its own unique rum. At one time there were hundreds of windmills on this island. Built just to process sugar cane. They still stand in ruins. In the heyday, there was not enough water for all the distillers so Napoleon permitted Marie Gallante to make 59 proof rum instead of the usual 50 proof. They still do this today, but they are not allowed to export it.
We have a new best for our "list of bests." This list keeps us on our toes and is simply fun. The new best French beach bar and restaurant is "Chez Henri" in Saint Louis. It is just to the right of the town dock, located on the beach surrounded by palms and tropical trees. You sit outside or under a porch, dogs and cats at your feet, French African music vibes in your bones, drinking Ti Punch. When you walk into a restaurant on Marie Gallant, there is usually a self serve Ti Punch set up. You do this before you even take a seat: take a piece of lime, add a spoonful of raw sugar, and mash it with a spoon. Once it is good and mashed, you pour a shot of your preferred rum over it and "voila" ...Ti Punch. Just 3 Euros and dangerously addictive. Chez Henri brings all the ingredients and a bottle of rum to your table. It's an honor system where the guest might have a hard time remembering the final count. It might even be difficult to get up from the table. 59 proof after all. It's all OK, or "d'accord", since you never really need to leave Chez Henri anyway.
The next day we rented a moped and hit the route de rhum. Our butts and hands were completely numb after the first 30 minutes on that little whining engine. After getting lost on dead end back roads, winding through sugar cane fields, we found two distilleries. For 9 Euros a bottle, we filled the seat of the moped with all we could pack in. One distillery had a 36 year old bottle of rum for 650 Euros. I figured it was better not to ruin the cheap version by having a taste.
Now for the kicker. Kelly doesn't even like rum. I think she just enjoys laughing at me when I drink it. I'm the luckiest man.
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