It is Christmas in the Virgin Islands and if you hear a group of carolers at your door singing: “Good mornin’, good mornin’, ah come fo’ mi Guavaberry” then it’s time to bring out the Guavaberry rum. This is a local libation made by families from a generations old recipe. The key ingredients are guavaberries. These bright red blueberry-sized berries grow on the mountainous northsides of the islands at high elevations and ripen in December. The mashed berries are mixed with flavorful essences, citrus peel, spices, rum and a small ‘seed’ amount from the previous years’ batch and then allowed to steep for several weeks. The result is a potent liqueur. In olden times, carolers were invited inside for a quick meal of guavaberry rum, sweet bread and sliced ham to fortify them before resuming their singing down the street. Hear the Guavaberry Song by The Ten Sleepless Knights at:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr6SJpyrzAU
