Tripatini contributor Fyllis Hockman writes:

"So there’s French culture and Dutch culture, but the island itself is Caribbean and what better way to celebrate that than with rum. On to the family-owned Topper’s Rhum is a distillery which turns out as many different flavors of rum as there are fragrances and wooden shoes. And then there’s the rum cake! But before we got to that, there was a lot to learn about the craft itself. A small price to pay.

Topper’s has been winning medals in international rum tasting competitions for years – quite a testament to a liquor whose origins began in Melanie Daboul’s own kitchen. She went from serving family and friends to making over 100 flavors of rum in a few short years. And a tour of the factory takes you on a rum adventure spanning more than 20 samples, ranging from the recognizable to the exotic. From your basic coconut and spiced to white chocolate raspberry and banana vanilla cinnamon. And oh yes, of course, there’s also your bacon maple syrup and buttered popcorn varieties."

Read more in her post Savoring Cheese, Rum, and Perfume on St. Martin/Sint Maarten.

Topper's Rhum