14.01.2017

A Toast to Freedom Barbados

For the frazzled type-A worrywart in dire need of peace and quiet, a fastacting prescription for total relaxation is available five hours from Logan’s Terminal C, where one of JetBlue’s newest nonstop flights can whisk you away to the tropical playground that is Barbados in about the time it takes to ride the Amtrak to Manhattan. When warm, ultramarine waves are lapping your bare feet as you sip rum punch from a beading glass, it’s impossible not to melt into a carefree puddle of contentment.

After celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence from British rule, spirits on Barbados are high—and plentiful. For proof, just visit any of the island’s hundreds of rum shops, no-frills neighborhood watering holes offering DIY drinks, good company, and such Bajan staples as macaroni pie and jug jug, a West Indian take on haggis. Or go straight to the source with a tour of the Mount Gay Rum distillery, which proudly takes credit for being the first to barrel this essential daiquiri ingredient, starting in 1703.

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