Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane byproducts like molasses and sugarcane juice. The production process involves fermenting the sugarcane material with yeast and water, then distilling and aging the fermented liquid in oak barrels. Different aging periods produce different styles of rum, from light rum aged only 3 months to dark rum aged 3 years or more. Rums are commonly served straight, on the rocks, or in cocktails and mixed drinks.