Bahamas Again? Try The Nassau Rum and Food Walking Tour

Nassau rum and food walking tour hits the spot

Rum. It’s the drink of the Caribbean. Sometime in the 1600’s, someone discovered that when the molasses from sugarcane was fermented, it gave quite a kick. And it still does.

For me, a repeat cruise to Nassau usually means one of two things: Stay aboard ship (which many cruisers are doing these days) or walk into town and pick up a new mascara at John Bull department store.

My last cruise to Nassau was different…I wanted to experience something a whole lot more fun. So off I went on a new shore tour experience: Nassau Rum and Food Walking Tour.

My Nassau Rum and Food Walking Tour began at Pirate’s Pub & Grill, a very short walk from the downtown Nassau Harbour. Our fearless leader met us inside the pub and escorted us through the building to a relaxing outdoor area, where chairs and tables were set up in anticipation of our visit.

Introductions made, the first order of business was to tell us a bit of pirate history that flourished in and around Nassau in the late 1600’s until the 1700s.

Comfortable on the shaded patio it was time to taste and learn a little more about pirate history as we tasted and tried to identify the various flavors of each rum.

Next, we were off on a short walk through the narrow downtown streets to visit Hillside House, the art studio and gallery of Antonius Roberts.

While Antonius wasn’t there, another local artist was working on a wood sculpture. Out of nowhere, we were treated to freshly fried and crunchy conch fritters with sliced lime and a slightly spicy remoulade sauce.

After a quick tour of the gallery, we headed for the Graycliff. If you haven’t been to this centuries-old hotel, you’re in for a treat.

Our guide led us through the dark mahogany-paneled dining rooms, past the pools in the courtyard til we entered the glass doors of the Graycliff Chocolatier.

The aroma of chocolate permeated the entire shop, attacking your senses with “I want chocolate!” demands. It was only a few minutes later that we were offered rum-infused chocolate truffles.

Reluctantly, we were on our way to the next stop, John Watling’s Distillery.

Aside from the distillery, there’s the sorting, labeling and packaging. It’s all done right there.

We learned how rum was made, starting with sugarcane to molasses, the distilling process and finally the bottling.

After touring the distillery, we entered the tasting room to try to identify various rum aromas and tastes. All balanced out with a Bahamian fruit-filled dessert.

Just in case someone didn’t get enough rum during the tour, we were all handed a very tasty rum cocktail to-go. Our tour was complete.

Whether you’ve been to Nassau 1,000 times or if you’re anticipating your first visit, this Nassau Rum Tasting and Food Tour is a really fun way to spend a few hours in the afternoon. The walking tour through downtown Nassau is lovely and everyone loves to hear tales of Blackbeard the Pirate and other colorful privateers and pirates who called Nassau their home. Taste homemade conch fritters, nibble on freshly-made chocolate and sample a whole lot of rum.

And you thought Nassau was only about Atlantis and Paradise Island!

For more information, check out the Nassau Rum and Food Walking Tour on Viator. The tour is available to both hotel and cruise guests.

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In full disclosure, I was a guest of Viator to experience the Nassau Rum and Food Walking Tour. All opinions are my own and I was neither compensated nor was I required to write this review. It would be impossible to not give this tour a rave review. Our guide was informative, funny and made sure that no one went home thirsty or hungry.