Last Wednesday, the award-winning official rum sponsor Worthy Park Estate took center stage with its 360-degree bar at the romantically lit Hope Gardens to offer Jamaica’s finest “Single Estate” rum for the Jamaica Food and Drink festival. This year’s “Pork Palooza” had the theme “Pork, Rum, and Reggae,” and it served just that.
As Jamaica’s only single-estate rum producer, Worthy Park Estate’s rum cocktails: Pineapple Park and Fancy Farmer instinctively pair well with dishes flavoured with traditional Jamaican spices like scotch bonnet, thyme, and pimento– ingredients typically used to season authentic Jamaican pork dishes.
Worthy Park Select can be best described as a smooth, mellow, sweet dark rum with flavors of spices, vanilla, a hint of cinnamon, tropical fruit, banana, and orange.
We sampled several dishes from the distinguished chefs competing. Not a surprise, that Sheriff’s BBQ offered a sizzling, crispy pork belly that had a meaty, chewy taste only complimented by the incredible medium-bodied rum.
Flaming Wok, however was a pleasant surprise with its smoked BBQ and cornbread combination. The sweetness and smoky nuances were only enhanced by the mellow rum cocktails.
Rok Hotel’s combination of coffee jerk pork served with cabbage and cilantro slaw had a zesty crunch that only amplified the sweetness of the Worthy Park Select rum.
The salt pepper pork combination from Kerry Lyn’s Caterers had a spicy Asian bite that complemented the Worthy Park Select cocktails quite well.
Honorable mentions include pulled pork from Terra Nova and sliders from National Bakery.
Marketing Manager Tamika West applauded the event, “We’re so proud to be the official rum sponsor for this world-class culinary event. We’re center stage this year and hope to continue to be a part of this experience. Worthy Park Select, came on the scene in 2021 and is made from molasses from the estate’s finest sugarcane. This rum has been matured, distilled, blended , and bottled all at Worthy Park. So we hope the patrons enjoyed it.”
Worthy Park Estate, the island’s oldest Estate with a history spanning over 350 years since its founding in 1670, uses the double retort pot-still distillation method to create a heavy-bodied rum. By creating exquisite spirits, Worthy Park Estate has become a favourite both locally and internationally, winning numerous awards every year for the past decade.
About Worthy Park Estate Limited
Jamaican-owned and operated, Worthy Park Estate started distilling in 1741, before any other distillery in operation today. It is located 1200 feet above sea level and includes the Lluidas Vale community, approximately 15 minutes west of Ewarton, St. Catherine. There is a Rum Tour at Worthy Park operating Tuesday through Saturday and bookings are required at 876-279-7421.
Today, Worthy Park Estate’s Rum brands are Jamaica’s second-largest in sales volume and they export a variety of both un-aged and aged products to over 30 countries across the globe.
