Did you know that 85% of the world’s Bacardi production happens in Puerto Rico? That’s just one of the things you’ll learn on your Casa Bacardi Distillery Tour in San Juan Puerto Rico.
One of our favorite San Juan shore excursions is visiting the Bacardi production facilities in the municipality of Cataño. The production facility is located about 20 minutes from the cruise port and it only costs about $15 for an Uber to get there.
There are several tour options they offer visitors; you can read all about them on Bacardi’s website. We highly recommend the Mixology Class where you’ll receive a welcome drink as you hear about the history of Bacardi and the production process. With this newfound knowledge, your guide will bring you to a dedicated area on the property where you’ll learn how to make several drinks with Bacardi rums!
What to Expect
The Mixology Tour begins with a 30-45 minute overview and tour of the property before heading to your classroom. We’ve had multiple guides over the years and they always make the process fun! They’ll tell you about the history of Bacardi and then teach you how to make two different cocktails with Bacardi rum (of course!). You’ll learn things like the proper technique on how to add mint to your mojito, recipe measurements, and tips and tricks on how to make your cocktail shine.
Once your class wraps up, they dump you into the gift shop. Coincidence? We think not. Our home bar looks like it was sponsored by Casa Bacardi! Fortunately, we use each of the items regularly.
However, the jean jacket with the giant Bacardi bat on the back was one of our more questionable purchases…
Cruise tip: Have someone responsible with you when doing your shopping!
The best part about this tour is that it’s close enough to the port and doesn’t take all day to do. That means you’ll still have plenty of time to explore Old San Juan before you have to head back to your cruise ship.
Four Steps to Have an Epic Day at Casa Bacardi
If all of this sounds fun and you’d like to visit Casa Bacardi, here are FOUR things we highly recommend:
- Confirm that they are open on the date your cruise ship is in port
- Keep in mind time zone differences when booking; we almost missed our tour once as we forgot about time zone differences
- Make reservations ahead of time; this is critical as they frequently sell out
- Bring someone with you that keeps you from buying a jean jacket with a bat 😉
Have you done the Casa Bacardi Distillery Tour in San Juan Puerto Rico? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below. And if you decide to go, let us know if you have any questions!
Looking for more fun? Check out our epic day in Curaçao for inspiration!