Casa BACARDÍ Mixology Class.

The largest rum distillery in the world — and an hour behind the bar with their mixologists. Three cocktails, your hands, your glass to take home.

The Activity

Behind the bar at the cathedral of rum.

Casa BACARDÍ in Cataño is the largest rum distillery in the world — it sits on the water just across San Juan Bay, with the old city in the background. The basic visit is the tour and tasting; the mixology class is the upgrade.

The class is small (usually six to twelve people), set behind a real bar with a real mixologist. You make three cocktails from scratch — a daiquiri, a mojito, and the house's signature build of the season — with your own bottles, your own ice, your own jigger. You drink what you make.

Why people love it

Because most distillery tours hand you a finished drink and call it a day. This one teaches you what makes one. You leave with a better daiquiri technique than you've had in your life, plus three drinks in.

Why I love it

It's a small-group experience at one of the most-photographed places in Puerto Rico, which is rare. The standard tour is fine; the class is what you'll actually talk about back home. And the ferry/Uber over and back, with the bay between you and the city both ways, makes it feel like a real outing — not just a drink.

For groups celebrating something (birthday, anniversary, "we're all here for the first time in a decade"), this is the booking I make.

Pro tips

Book the afternoon slot. By the time you're done you're ready for a slow dinner, not another tour.
Eat before. Three rum cocktails on an empty stomach is a different evening than you planned.
The ferry from Pier 2 in Old San Juan is the cheapest way over ($0.50). Uber is $20–25 each way.
If you're driving, the lot is paid and fills fast on weekends. Get there 30 minutes early.
They give you a take-home glass. Don't pack it in a soft bag — your suitcase doesn't love it.
Bring sun cover — most of the campus is open-air.

The logistics

Duration: about 3 hours including transport
Difficulty: easy — you're sitting at a bar
Group size: small (typically 6–12)
Restrictions: 18+ to enter, 21+ to drink (Puerto Rico law)
Distance from the house: ~30 min by car, ferry adds time but is fun