The History of Rum Shops in Barbados

“ There are two things you’ll find in every village in Barbados and that’s a church and a rum shop. Both have a lot of spirit.”

Surely if you hear someone say this, most-likely it will be followed by a hearty and infectious belly laugh that can be easily associated with many Bajans! More than likely, you won’t be able to help but laugh along because it’s true. Everywhere you may visit on your trip to Barbados, be advised, it may seem that close to every church there may be a couple of brightly coloured rum shops!

It’s not surprising that the people of Barbados love their rum as their country is home to the oldest, and arguably the best, brand of rum in the world.

Rum is one of the oldest spirits in the world and Barbadians claim it was born in Barbados in the first half of the 17th century.

Barbados Rum Shops are woven into Barbadian history and culture, going back 300 years or more. Rum shops have always been an integral part of Bajan life, whether in rural Barbados or in the towns.

They were the center of attraction in any village,as most of them were also the grocery shop, with a little partitioned off bar , for those who groceries were of the strong liquid kind.

Rum shops were also the center of entertainment, when the Wurlitzers Juke Boxes made their debut on the island.

Rum was perfected in Barbados; the process of cold pressing and distilling rum from cane juice was a Barbadian innovation. There are more than 1500 rum shops all over the island, at least one in every village.

Soon after the island was settled in 1627, the rum trade flourished and it’s said there was one rum shop for every 20 inhabitants of the island.

The rum shop was and still is a traditional gathering place for people of all backgrounds, nationalities and classes to socialise and discuss just about everything. The more rum gets drunk, the more heated the discussions can become! You can bet that there’s many a lively discussion about cricket and politics!

Barbados Rum Shops are usually small in size and traditionally attached to the owners house, made in the original chattel house style. However this has changed somewhat over the years.

They are always brightly decorated, advertising products, for example types of beer, liquor or other products.

As well as enough rum to choke a donkey with a strong constitution, you can purchase beers, spirits and soft drinks. Snacks are often available and some have local specialities like fish cakes made from salted cod fish, or pudding and souse; a traditional Bajan dish, hot and spicy, using every part of the pig.

Food and drink in a traditional rum shop will be much cheaper than you’ll find elsewhere.

Usually the rum is bought by the bottle with a large container of ice on the side. Don’t go there expecting quiet reflection though! Barbados rum shops are usually noisy, the language can be expletive and loud; points being made by definition of the volume not necessarily validity of argument! However, the topics debated tend to be intelligent and informative.

Assuming you can understand the dialect, you can learn a great deal about Barbados by eavesdropping on the conversations. You can expect to find very competitive games of dominoes and cards, serious karaoke, tasty snacks and an inexhaustible supply of rum and gossip!

History of the Adams Family | The Barbados Rum Shop

The success of the Adams Family Rum Shop dates back to the middle 1900s, when Cleston’s grandmother built her family business on the philosophy that profits should be fairly earned, employees should be fairly treated, and “heart power is better than horse power.”

More than half a century later, Granny Adams' ideals ring true in the management and administration skills of The Rum Shop’s kin.

Carmen Adams was born and raised in rural Guyana. She decided that she was going to make a better life for herself and chose Barbados as the place to do so. Not just because of it’s beauty but also due to the fact that the Barbadian Dollar was a lot stronger than the Guyanese Dollar, and there were more opportunities there as well.

Grandmother Carmen Adams always promoted safety and care when developing and promoting the family business, where her main thoughts were, “by the people, for the people”, and this notion was continued by Adams’ grandson, Cleston Adams, who succeeded his father, Clifton Adams ( who had initially inherited the shop on his mother’s passing) in both the family business and his grandmother's philanthropic attitude.

Cleston Adams developed, “The Barbados Rum Shop” named interestingly, for his love of Tourism and passion for this beautiful Paradise we call home. He believes that we are letting tourism die and the younger generations are losing sight of True Barbadian heritage and culture so his goal is to revive the bits and pieces that he can. "The Barbados Rum Shop", perhaps not a Barbados Landmark, however, a community landmark, none-the-less.

One that offers sanctuary to locals and tourists alike, where they can submerge themselves in the norms and culture, expected of a Rum Shop, and laugh and drink together. Memories are no strangers to this place.

The ideals of the strong Adams woman, that moved her life and 7 children, have been sustained by one of her sons (who inherited the business), and in turn his son—Carmen Adams’ son, Clifton, ran the company for 20 years through the 1980s, and the family's tradition of community support was continued by Clifton’s son, Cleston. The shop has also gone through a major make-over as Cleston has done quite a bit of refurbishing and rebuilding throughout the past 5 years.

This Rum Shop lead by the Adams clan, has seen three generations of Adams being integral to this family business, starting in 1932 when Grandmother Adams, fled her hometown of Guyana, migrated to Barbados and after some years of careful decisions and tactical saving, decided to build a chattel house structure next to their current abode which then became a local shop for everyone to come.

Today, this family business is headed by the current Owner of A+ Tours & Events, Cleston Adams. As the third generation Adams to lead this successful family company, he has continued his family's legacy of commitment to both the services offered and their community. Cleston's motto, is that not only does he want persons to come to Barbados and just do the normal Tourist activities. No! He wants them to "See, Feel and Touch Barbados!"