clairin is a Haitian spirit distilled from fermented sugar-cane juice that is similar to, though less refined than, rhum agricole. To make clairin, sugar-cane juice is fermented for four to eight days before it is distilled in a pot still and filtered. Clairin is produced in small, largely unregulated distilleries all across Haiti for local consumption and is typically not aged. Once the distillation process is complete, it is shipped to markets and street vendors in plastic jugs, where it is then often sold in recycled vessels such as liquor and soda bottles. It is also purported to be used in certain voodoo rituals. The renewed interest in rum seen in the late 2010s meant that for the first time significant amounts of clairin began to be exported to Europe and North America and sold—and appreciated—as an artisanal product. See also
Chery, Dieu Nalio. “AP PHOTOS: Moving Haiti’s Rustic, Rum-Like Clairin to Market.” AP News , July 12, 2017 (accessed February 24, 2021).
Hall, Michael R. “CLAIRIN.” In Historical Dictionary of Haiti, 64. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2012.
By: Anna Archibald