Gratitude and Toasts
Luis Ayala, Editor of "Got Rum?" magazine, Rum Consultant and Founder of The Rum University.
When I think of the word gratitude, I immediately associate it with a state of thankfulness, this is because the Latin root gratus means “pleasing” or “thankful”. Another word derived from the same root is congratulate which means “to express how pleasing someone’s success is”.
When this expression of congratulations is accompanied by a drink, we refer to it as a “toast”.
As another year approaches its end, I have abundant reasons to feel gratitude:
• For having the most wonderful wife and business partner I could ever have asked for
• For having the best team of contributing writers working with us at “Got Rum?” and for an ever-growing group of devoted readers throughout the rum world
• For being able to see our businesses grow, doing what we love
• For being a small part of an industry that can produce the widest range of distillates imaginable
• For being able to help new craft distilleries come into existence and start their journeys on the right foot
I hope that every person reading these words takes a few moments to also make a mental list of the people and things they are grateful for.
For distillers and brand owners, each bottle of rum sold is a symbol of gratitude for the purchaser’s preference.
It is also filled with the promise of toasts, enabling the jovial comradery that is often enjoyed during celebrations.
For mixologists, each drink is a literal toast, to the clients’ happiness and success.
Enjoy the holidays, do so responsibly and take every opportunity you have to experience gratitude and to congratulate those around you.
Cheers,
Luis Ayala, Editor and Publisher