Rum probably originated in ancient India or China, both of which produced drinks made from fermented juice of sugar cane.
During the mid-17th century in Haiti and the Dominican Republic a drink called "kill-devil" or "rumbullion" was made by the distillation from sugar cane. Colonists only drank the rough spirits (which in time was referred to by its shortened name "rum") in the absence of anything better.
“Rumbullion” was also a Devon dialect word for an uproar or tumult. It has been suggested that the drink was so named for its effect on drinkers.
The earliest known reference to rum in English dates back to 1654.
The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655, when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the easy availability of domestically produced rum, the British substituted the daily ration of liquor from French brandy to a half-a-pint of rum.
Mount Gay Rum is produced by Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. of Barbados. The earliest confirmed deed for the company is from 1703, making Mount Gay Rum the oldest existing brand of rum in the world.
In 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon ordered the English Navy's rum ration be diluted because of the drunkenness it caused. Indeed it’s believed that more sailors died by falling from the rigging drunk than were killed in battle.
The watered down rum drink became known as 'grog', after Vernon's nickname 'Old Grog', a reference to the Admiral's fondness for wearing coats made of grogram cloth, a mix of silk and wool. It's thought that the phrase "Feeling groggy" comes from this.
After the sailors received their daily measure of grog, the glasses they used were then washed on the outside, but never washed inside, in the belief that residue of past grogs would stick to the side of the glass and make the next grog even stronger.
The rum ration was issued daily to Royal Navy sailors at noon and 5pm or 6pm with a call of "Up spirits!"
George Washington insisted that at least one barrel of rum be brought from Barbados for his inauguration in 1789.
In the 1800s, rum was considered excellent for cleaning hair and strengthening its roots.
Rum used to be referred to in the navy as “Nelson’s Blood”, through a probably mistaken belief that Lord Nelson’s body was brought back from the Battle of Trafalgar in a barrel of rum.
The daily rum ration was known as 'tapping the admiral' in the same mistaken belief that Nelson's body was brought back from Trafalgar in a cask of rum.
The modern view is that brandy, not rum, was probably used to preserve Nelson's body.
The "Rum Rebellion" in 1808 was a revolt by the armed forces against the governor of Australia for his interference in trading and trafficking in rum. The governor who was deposed was William Bligh, former captain of HMS Bounty.
In 1963, Ramon Portas Mingot gave the name of Piña Colada (strained pineapple) to the pineapple, rum, and coconut cocktail he created in San Juan.
July 31, 1970: Black Tot Day marked the last day of the UK Royal Navy's officially sanctioned rum ration.
More than 80 per cent of the world’s rum comes from the Caribbean, mostly Puerto Rico.
A distillery on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent produces a rum that is 84.5 % alcohol by volume (169-proof). Sunset Very Strong Rum is so strong that travelers are banned from taking a bottle back home with them.
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| Rum grog |
During the mid-17th century in Haiti and the Dominican Republic a drink called "kill-devil" or "rumbullion" was made by the distillation from sugar cane. Colonists only drank the rough spirits (which in time was referred to by its shortened name "rum") in the absence of anything better.
“Rumbullion” was also a Devon dialect word for an uproar or tumult. It has been suggested that the drink was so named for its effect on drinkers.
The earliest known reference to rum in English dates back to 1654.
The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655, when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the easy availability of domestically produced rum, the British substituted the daily ration of liquor from French brandy to a half-a-pint of rum.
Mount Gay Rum is produced by Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. of Barbados. The earliest confirmed deed for the company is from 1703, making Mount Gay Rum the oldest existing brand of rum in the world.
In 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon ordered the English Navy's rum ration be diluted because of the drunkenness it caused. Indeed it’s believed that more sailors died by falling from the rigging drunk than were killed in battle.
The watered down rum drink became known as 'grog', after Vernon's nickname 'Old Grog', a reference to the Admiral's fondness for wearing coats made of grogram cloth, a mix of silk and wool. It's thought that the phrase "Feeling groggy" comes from this.
After the sailors received their daily measure of grog, the glasses they used were then washed on the outside, but never washed inside, in the belief that residue of past grogs would stick to the side of the glass and make the next grog even stronger.
The rum ration was issued daily to Royal Navy sailors at noon and 5pm or 6pm with a call of "Up spirits!"
George Washington insisted that at least one barrel of rum be brought from Barbados for his inauguration in 1789.
In the 1800s, rum was considered excellent for cleaning hair and strengthening its roots.
Rum used to be referred to in the navy as “Nelson’s Blood”, through a probably mistaken belief that Lord Nelson’s body was brought back from the Battle of Trafalgar in a barrel of rum.
The daily rum ration was known as 'tapping the admiral' in the same mistaken belief that Nelson's body was brought back from Trafalgar in a cask of rum.
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| Rum Ration Aboard HMS King George V, 1940 |
The modern view is that brandy, not rum, was probably used to preserve Nelson's body.
The "Rum Rebellion" in 1808 was a revolt by the armed forces against the governor of Australia for his interference in trading and trafficking in rum. The governor who was deposed was William Bligh, former captain of HMS Bounty.
In 1963, Ramon Portas Mingot gave the name of Piña Colada (strained pineapple) to the pineapple, rum, and coconut cocktail he created in San Juan.
July 31, 1970: Black Tot Day marked the last day of the UK Royal Navy's officially sanctioned rum ration.
More than 80 per cent of the world’s rum comes from the Caribbean, mostly Puerto Rico.
A distillery on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent produces a rum that is 84.5 % alcohol by volume (169-proof). Sunset Very Strong Rum is so strong that travelers are banned from taking a bottle back home with them.
At 90% ABV, Suriname’s Mariënburg rum currently holds the honor of being the world’s strongest commercially available rum.
India is the world’s largest market for rum.
Source Daily Express
India is the world’s largest market for rum.
Source Daily Express
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