This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Diageo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Around here, I have recipes galore.

A few of them call for alcohol.

Do you make dishes with alcohol all year long?  Or do you just save them for the holidays?

I’m most apt to save them, then use ‘those’ recipes for foods I’m taking elsewhere.  Chili-man doesn’t relish the idea of alcohol hiding in his food!

My favorite to add to a recipe?   It’s rum!

Did you know that Zacapa (a famous Rum manufacturer) began in 1976 in eastern Guatemala where the town of Zacapa celebrated its centenary and gave birth to one of the world’s best tasting rums? A true premium dark rum.

In the western part of the country, the terrain is perfectly suited to the cultivation of quality sugar cane. In fact, nowhere in the world could be better suited. For there in the rolling uplands of the green fertile landscape, acidic soils and prolonged periods of golden sunlight are the order of the day. The cane is grown here in volcanic soil, no less. However, unlike most rums which use molasses (a by-product of the sugar making process) as their base Zacapa premium rum uses only the concentrated first press of sugar cane, known as virgin sugar cane honey.

DID YOU KNOW that rum comes from sugar cane?

Then comes the ageing process. That takes place high up in the exquisitely beautiful Quetzaltenango highlands, 2,300 metres above sea level, where the cool mountain air slows the ageing process, creating a unique complexity of flavour. The House Above the Clouds is actually one of the world’s highest ageing facilities, and the process employed here, a unique Sistema Solera, is based on a process originally devised by the Spaniards 500 years ago to age sherry. It involves each drop of Zacapa rum passing through several casks that previously housed American whiskey, Oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximenez wines. So each of these large vessels imparts its own inimitable character that helps give Zacapa its distinctive taste.

Did you know that you could join the Zacapa Society?

Members of the Zacapa Society will not only learn more extraordinary details about this exceptional brand, but will also have the opportunity to influence the direction of the society itself. You could even pick up an occasional reward for their efforts along the way.

To sign up, simply register your interest at <a href=”http://www.zacaparum.com”>www.zacaparum.com</a>