Writing — Travel
Time for My Rude Boy
Chillin’ and relaxing in the Caribbean with my Rude Boy and not-so rude boy
(Please note this post is about alcohol consumption. Do not read further if this will be a trigger for you.)
What are your favorite drinks from around the globe?
One popular choice here in the Caribbean is called Rude Boy, and no, I’m talking about my husband.
Andy used to be a bit of a rude boy when we first met. Rough around the edges.
But then I got to know him and realized he was merely a softie who’d been through some rough times.
His mother used to beat him for no particular reason. Reportedly, she once told his oldest brother not to come by her house on Christmas because she didn’t want to spoil the day for her younger kids. Yikes! How mean!
I met his brother, too. He’s a very nice person, and a business owner who built his own lovely big house.
Sad to say, but after hearing this and other stories, I’m kinda glad this woman passed on shortly before I met my husband, roughly eight years ago now.
However, if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have a huge free house to live in in the Caribbean and we’d still be back in the U.S. slaving away at our crappy U.S. jobs. So, gotta mind my negative thoughts there. Don’t want to stir up any mean ghosts!
It took me a long time to tame my rude boy, and make him not such a rude boy anymore. It wasn’t easy! But it was worth it.
So, what is a Rude Boy?
These days when I say rude boy, I’m actually referring to this strange Caribbean drink I consume on occasion. It’s sort of like a wine-cooler, but not really. They are pretty tasty and it’s hard to describe the flavor. Sort of like a punch but not overly sweet or anything.
Gotta love the label, eh? Can you get anymore Caribbean than that! It hails from the Dominican Republic.
What truly floored me though, was checking out the ingredients. I was stunned. The first: horny goat weed.
What the heck is that?
As may be apparent from the name, horny goat weed is considered an aphrodisiac. People in the Caribbean do love their natural herbs.
Does it work? Will leave that alone, but perhaps.
Rude Boys also have caffeine, ginseng and taurine. When I first read about taurine, it gave me the most pause when it came to consuming Rude Boys. However, it’s supposed to be great for health and is added to many nutritional supplements. It’s no worse than eating a chicken egg is it?
Notice something else? It’s 7% alcohol, which means it packs more of a punch than the average beer. Most popular beer brands hover around 4% to 5%.
When I’m not drinking one of these, I might opt for a fresh pineapple and rum drink, or something similar, expertly mixed by Andy, authentic Caribbean man (by birth).
And yes, they do love their rum here!
Locals will try and tell you this is a stereotype, but then what’s the first thing they do when you pop over to their house? Mix up a stiff rum drink for you and proceed to show off all the different types of rum they’ve collected from other Caribbean islands. And, of course, the rum they got from Jamaica is always the best.
Yeah. Stereotype. Ok! Whatever!
Anyway, this is my experience with Rude Boys, and my not-so-rude-boy, at least not anymore, and pineapple rum drinks.
Are there any popular drinks you’ve tried and loved from your travels?
Always drink responsibly of course! Moderation! All ye who drink.
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