***This is a sponsored post. I was provided a sample of Cruzan’s Strawberry Rum for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own. Now that we’ve got that out of the way…***

They had me at strawberry.

Growing up a farmer’s granddaughter, a farmer who grew prize-winning strawberries year after year in a town known for it’s annual Strawberry Festival, pretty much strawberry anything gets my interest up. But back when I started fooling around with cocktails I had a terrible time finding anything strawberry that wasn’t either strawberry wine or the pucker-variety of liqueurs. And while the wine variety can be good, it tends to be regional and the pucker-style liquids are syrupy and shockingly pink.

So, yes, when I heard Cruzan had a strawberry rum in their flavored line-up, I was drooling faster than you can say ‘send me a sample.’

Does Cruzan Strawberry Rum live up to my expectations? Yes, yes it does.

As soon as you open the bottle the smell is undeniably strawberry. Todd was reminded of fresh strawberries with a kick whereas I was reminded of my grandmother’s strawberry freezer jam–plenty of fruit plus a touch more sugar. Flavor-wise I can taste hints of my grandfather’s strawberry wine as well as the frosty, slushy goodness of a good strawberry daiquiri. And it’s so smooth, no harsh edges or burn at the back of your throat, I’m really amazed at how wonderful this flavored rum is.

And while you could drink this rum straight and have a truly enjoyable experience, the thought of this in the aforementioned daiquiri is both delicious and dangerous. Delicious for obvious reasons but dangerous as I think it’d be oh-so-easy to over-imbibe and not realize it until you go to stand up!

Of course, if you don’t have a hankering for a daiquiri, maybe you want something a touch more exotic, why not try this recipe (courtesy of Cruzan’s website)

CRUZAN® STRAWBERRY MAI TAI