What was a fun reason to party became an international celebration when syndicated news columnist Dave Barry caught wind of the annual festivities John Baur and Mark Summers had a’brewin’. Barry used his unique twist on humor to tell the world about the annual Baur / Summers Talk Like a Pirate Day. So popular was this news that the guys have now declared September 19 of every year as International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Everybody loves pirates and many of us have fantasized the question - is a pirate’s life the life for me? Personally, my swash doesn’t buckle enough to make it a full-time lifestyle but most of us can muster up a crusty accent and drop a g every now and then, especially when it’s an international effort toward lively conversation, right, matey?

Perhaps one reason so many of us love pirates as we do is because of their dashing wardrobe. Even as pirates, Johnny Depp and Errol Flynn exuded the height of pirating fashion. Host a costume party, borrowing wardrobe ideas from the movies, and decorate with whatever it seems the wind might have blown in.

Look for pirate-inspired cocktail recipes to follow in the days ahead. To stock up in advance, look for rums from various Caribbean Islands. Each island casts a unique spell over the fermented sugar cane that will become its signature rum. Explore the differences between light (clear) and dark rums. Light rums are best used with fruity drinks; reserve the dark rums for drinking on the rocks or with dark-colored mixers such as cola.

Most pirate-inspired cocktails are heavily based on rum and fruit juices. Tropical fruit juices, perhaps reminiscent of equatorial travels over the high seas, make up the rest. Look for pineapple, coconut, citrus, grenadine, and juices from other tropical fruits to sweeten a rum cocktail.

Host a cocktail party of buccaneering proportions, starting with tropical cocktails, peg legs and parrots, and plenty of thirst-quenchin’ rum, always a handy idea when surrounded by the briny deep, aye, matey?
Come back in the next day or two for cocktail recipes sure to please your favorite pirate. Look for Pirate Grog, Trade Winds, Round the World, and the Blue Hawaiian. And there just might be a surprise gem or two pulled from my secret, hidden recipe treasure chest, too.

Argh!! Thanks a bunch, Cap’n Slappy and Ol’ Chumbucket and the crew of the Festerin Boil! And Dave Barry, Johnny Depp, and Errol Flynn, too. Bottoms up to one and all! Let’s party like pirates.