CONNECTIONS: New media choice: Bacardi

Ay caramba! What have we here? The heavenly trio of alcohol, women and song. What more can a man ask for ... except, perhaps, that all three were Latin in origin?

Wish is granted with this fun site (Hong Kong, in particular) that's filled to the brim with more than just the excellent varieties of Bacardi rum.

For starters you're greeted by a Cuban band's brass fanfare every time a link opens. Ole! You get to learn a bit of Cuban history as distilled from the Bacardi timeline, starting from the 18th century with the Catalonian emigre Don Facundo Bacardi Masso. There are entertaining anecdotes of the colourful Facundito Bacardi, complete with a streaming audio of his Trio Matamoros singing about Facundito's legendary Japanese parties.

The story takes you to the hottest spot in Havana-the Edificio Bacardi in all its art deco glory. At The Lounge I signed up for a free recipe book of food and drinks using Bacardi. With the Drink Wizard, tick off ingredients that suit your mood, press the 'Find Recipe' button and - voila! - you get a list of heady concoctions.

With its orange and red hues, this site transports you to the romance of Bacardi-intoxicated Havana nights.

Alas, for now I'll just fix myself a Cuba Libre, hit the couch and watch my DVD of Buena Vista Social Club, Wim Wenders' excellent documentary of Cuban musicians.

Salute!