If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the cane rum trend, then forsake any bar called O’Malley’s for Glaziers Hall, close to London Bridge, where The Whisky Exchange hosts its Rum Show on 14 and 15 July.

It’s an appropriate location, just yards from the Golden Hinde, aboard which, legend has it, the first sugar cane spirit cocktail was mixed. The story often told of the world’s first cocktail is that, while becalmed off the coast of Cuba, the crew of Francis Drake’s privateer were suffering from a number of ailments – scurvy, dysentery and, most dangerous of all, boredom. The ship’s doctor led a party ashore, gathered limes, a mint-like herb, a curative bark and aguardiente de caña (an early form of rum) and mixed them together. It cured all three problems. The drink was soon named El Draque (The Dragon), which was the fearsome moniker that Spanish sailors had given to Drake. And if you think it sounds like a mojito, you’re not wrong.

Medicine men and women of more modern times will be demonstrating their creations at the Rum Show, including Georgi Radev of Laki Kane, who recently introduced Brummell online to the concept of ‘tropical speakeasy‘ drinks. However, aficionados know that rum is not only for mixing and they will be looking for highlights among the huge variety of styles that can be tasted at the show, including rhum agricole, single-field cane rums, classic Caribbean molasses-rich expressions and rums from unexpected countries.

These will include The Whisky Exchange’s current rum of the year: Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Black River Casks (£66.95). The Black River series pays tribute to the water source integral to Jamaica’s rum-making history and which is used to make all Appleton Estate rums. This long-aged rum has developed all the most popular and accessible tasting notes that can make the drink an incredibly easy sipping spirit, including toasted almonds, hazelnuts, orange peel, vanilla and roasted coffee beans that linger in the finish.

The show will also mark the launch of some new and exclusive rums. Havana Club 11 Year Old is the result of a collaboration between the famous Cuban producer and The Whisky Exchange. It is aged in American white oak barrels (take that, embargo!) and will be available in a highly exclusive small-batch release of just 2,400 bottles.

Other rums available to taste for the first time at the show – demonstrating the global reach of rum-making – are Renaissance Rum 2019 Deuxième Cru Classé Finish, a single-cask rum from the ‘Isle of Formosa’ (aka Taiwan, aka the Republic of China); and Ninefold Rum 3 Year Old Single Cask, a Scottish rum matured in ex-Woodford Reserve bourbon casks.

What marks The Whisky Exchange’s shows (comprising Whisky, Rum, Cognac and Champagne) out from run-of-the-mill drinks events is that there are some spectacularly rare, old and valuable drinks to taste. The Whisky Exchange developed a clever system at its annual Whisky Show – ‘Dream Dram’ tokens – to encourage distillers to bring their very best liquids without fear of being drunk dry! The same system is in operation at the Rum Show, except this time via a ‘Dream Tot’ (see what they did there?). Each entrance ticket (from £55) comes with one Dream Tot token, which can be exchanged for a taste of something worth up to £249 a bottle. Or you can buy extra tokens for £5 each to exchange for something more valuable: two tokens equal a tot from bottles up to £499; three tokens for a £999 rum; four, up to £1,499; and five for a taste of a rum worth £1,999 a bottle.

The Rum Show by The Whisky Exchange; Friday 14 July (5.30pm-9.30pm) and Saturday 15 July (12pm-6pm) at Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close, London SE1 9DD. Tickets from £50; therumshow.com; thewhiskyexchange.com/rum