American patriot Sam Adams may be famous for his love of beer, but rum has its own place in American history.

Below are 5 true stories of rum's place in the building of our country, collected by iconic American rum, Tommy Bahama. And strangely left out of my 8th grade History class...

So while you're celebrating the Country's birth next weekend, mix up one of the red, white and blue Tommy cocktails you'll find at the end, and, like our forefathers did, raise a glass of the golden spirit.

Paul Revere's Ride
It is said, Paul Revere had a swallow of the stuff to stiffen his resolve partway through his famous midnight ride. He stopped at Captain Isaac Hall’s home and downed a dram or two of rum to fortify him on his mission to Lexington. Turns out his visit was an accident as he never intended to pass through Medford. He was one of two messengers that was dispatched from Boston to Lexington.

Ben Franklin's Ode
Benjamin Franklin, who periodicly fretted about the overly exuberant drinking habits of his countrymen, penned a short ode to the pleasant ritual of punch drinking:

Boy, bring a bowl of china here,
Fill it with water cool and clear:
Decanter with Jamaica right
And spoon of silever, clean and bright
Sugar twice-fin’d in piece cut
Knife, sieve and glass in order put
Bring forth the fragrant fruit and then
We’re happy till the clock strikes ten

(Yeah, I don't get it either, but you gotta figure he'd been half a bottle in when he wrote that...)

Ernest Hemingway's Books
Big Poppa may have been a man's man, but he was also a lover of the Daquiri. He worked it into his fiction, most notably his posthumously published Islands in the Stream.

“The Floridita was now open,” he wrote... and protagonist Thomas Hudson “entered and ordered a double frozen daiquiri with no sugar.”

FYI: El Floridita was a popular establishment in Cuba, just a few minutes from his hotel. It is said he spent a third of his life in Cuba -- most of it at that bar. In fact, the bar still exists today and has a sign that declares the bar to be “el cuna del daiquiri”: The Cradle of the Daiquiri.

JFK's Election Results
On election night in 1960, John F. Kennedy sipped it over dinner at his house in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts before watching the election returns. He sat sipping daiquiris (oh, come on... him too?), in the dining room of his house. When dinner was over he rose and checked the results on a small TV with bad reception, to learn that he would be the next President of the United States.

George Washington's 4th of July
General George Washington loved rum. In 1778, he marked July 4th with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. In fact, when celebrating his inauguration in 1789, he not only demanded that barrels of rum be present to celebrate, but that at least one of those barrels be from Barbados. He was in agreement with the common belief that Barbados rum was richer and more complex than all other rums. (Not surprisingly, Tommy Bahama rum is from Barbados...)

Red, White and Blue Tommy Bahama Cocktails:

Bahama Basil Smash (Red)
2 1/2 parts Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum
2 parts sour mix
3 fresh blackberries
4 basil leaves
4 slices of ginger
Splash lemon-lime soda

Muddle blackberries, basil and ginger in a mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients, shake well and strain into a mixing glass. Top with a splash of lemon-lime soda. Garnish with an orchid.

Tommy Bahama’s Coconut Cloud Martini (White)
1 1/2 parts Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum
1 1/2 parts vanilla vodka
1 1/2 parts coconut rum
1/2 part cream of coconut
Shake in a cocktail shaker and strain. Garnish with toasted coconut.

Tommy’s Blue Hawaiian (Blue)
1 part Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum
1 part blue curacao
1 part coconut cream
2 parts pineapple juice

Pour all ingredients into a blender with a scoop of crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass and garnish with a fresh pineapple slice and maraschino cherry.

www.tommybahamarum.com