They are typically aged longer, in heavy charred barrels, giving them a richer flavour. They started to try to make alcohol from anything that grew there…pumpkins, apples, twigs, you name it. Rum, whether you know it or not, has shaped the United States as we know it today—and the Americas as a whole, flowing through the politics and cuisines of countries from Jamaica to Brazil. This eventually led to the Sugar Act in 1764 where a tax was levied on molasses. As part of the increased taxations upon the American colonies, many of whom were loyal British subjects, the Crown passed the Sugar Act of 1764, which forbade colonies from importing rum." Straight rum is a popular drink in rum-producing countries. Dedicated rum bars are becoming more popular and the real discerning customer realises that high quality premium rum sits with the very best of spirits. And while beer, wine and mead were easily made in certain regions of the world they didn’t fare well on the long ocean journeys. You see, rum was much cheaper than the little bit of brandy they were importing given the shorter trade routes and cheaper ingredient base of molasses (an otherwise useless by-product of sugar making). Vagbhata, an Indian Ayurvedic physician (7th century AD) "[advised] a man to drink unvitiated liquor like rum and wine, and mead mixed with mango juice 'together with friends.’” Shidhu, a drink produced by fermentation and distillation of sugarcane juice, is mentioned in other Sanskrit texts. As remote islands began to be discovered, so was a perfect climate for growing sugar cane. : 1848086 I, for one, am thrilled to see that rum is getting it’s second chance. Beginning in the early 19th century, "the Americas were systematically creating an economic disadvantage for rum distillers and importers. Credit: This unique cocktail bar pays homage to the history of the merchant trade in all its glory and is best-known for a collection of rare and vintage rums. Corrections? It was a tough revelation and to make matters worse there was also a beer shortage in England. The sugar necessary for fermentation is already present in the raw material, and rum retains more of the original raw-material taste than most other spirits. When a legend was born. Let us know in the comments below! The turbulent history of Rum can be dated back prior to the first fermentations of sugar by-products by the slaves working the Caribbean sugar plantations in the 17th Century. For us, it’s like travel in a glass and we hope it is for you too. By 1664, the word about rum reached the colonists in America and the first rum distillery was built. And not the “fruity cocktails to mask the flavor” kind of second chance. And … While the African slavers accepted many forms of payment to supply slaves to the European colonists the most highly sought after payment was alcohol. Plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process, could be fermented into alcohol. Soon enough those clever New Englanders got the idea to import molasses from the islands instead of rum and start distilling themselves. Sugar cane was first cultivated in New Guinea and first fermented as early as ~350 BC in India. As an Amazon Associate & Affiliate Marketer we earn from qualifying purchases made through this site and social media links. The story of rum naturally begins with the story of its base ingredient, sugarcane. We always keep your information safe and you can unsubscribe at any time. Fan of the Kraken? A tropical spirit that conjures up sandy beaches, ocean breezes and cocktails, it is not surprising that rum’s development is linked to the sea. A Spirited History. The British surrender in 1781 and our country desperately seeks stabilization. Join us for your free resources plus a monthly email chock full of our latest marketing tips, ideas, and opportunities for craft alcohol makers. Rum now has a much more respectable image. Apparently, what we now know as molasses was considered industrial wasteby the sugar makers (it is the leftovers of the granulated sugar). Rum, Rhum or Ron. The name may have derived from rumbullion meaning “a great tumult or uproar”. You know what grows real well in middle-America? *Sources: “A History of World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage and the American Distilling Institute’s Rum Workshop (3/29/18) at New Deal Distillery. Courtesy of Voyageur Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group, Credit: They strained the juice and placed it in boiling pots until the sugar was crystallized. Some distilleries in New England were even known to make higher alcohol versions of rum specifically for the slave trade. Rums originated in the West Indies and are first mentioned in records from Barbados in about 1650. It is also used to flavour tobacco. ", "As a country, the United States chose to encourage the development of whiskey over rum, perhaps to discourage duties being sent to Great Britain and to ameliorate farmer revenue sources for grains." Updates? The history of rum is a history of slavery in the Americas. The first Sea Lord pointed out that, ‘ a large tot in the middle of the day was not the best medicine for those who had to handle the Navy’s electronic mysteries’. One general, writing to George Washington in 1780 was quoted saying, “Besides beef and Pork, bread & flour, Rum is too material an article, to be omitted. The drunkenness was, later, reduced by the drinking of tea and cocoa, however, it was still a threat to naval efficiency so in 1850 the rum ration was fixed at an eighth of a pint, until it was abolished in 1970. The discovery of Barbados in the early 1600s was an important gate to rum’s soon to be global popularity. ", "The majority of the sugarcane was in Arab territories, where slaves were forced to cultivate cane for distribution throughout Europe. Sugar, similar to spices of that time, was highly valued on the trade route, yet it required incredible manpower and water. Many illegal bars purchased spirits that the seller called rum, but which were actually poison liquor, likely made in somebody’s basement, bathtub, or in the woods under cover of night. Rum continues to be the drink of choice along the coast but the supply of molasses was pretty disrupted during the war. We’re starting to get restless people! Rum is frequently used as a flavouring in dessert sauces and other dishes. Rum, distilled liquor made from sugarcane products, usually produced as a by-product of sugar manufacture. When a legend was born. A new book examines the troubled past and sweeter present of one of our favorite spirits. When they first settled, roughly 20 years earlier, there were dreams of a mediterranean bounty coming from this new world. Rum’s history is certainly tainted with an awful part of our own global history but the ingenuity and persistence of those early distillers is not to be lost. Those rums marketed as white-label types are pale in colour and mild in flavour; a gold-label rum has a more amber colour and more pronounced and sweeter flavour, resulting from longer aging and the addition of caramel. But it was also everpresent on more legal sailing vessels. https://www.britannica.com/topic/rum-liquor. Most rums are made from molasses, the residue remaining after sugar has been crystallized from sugarcane juice, containing as much as 5 percent sugar. Like any other spirit, rum has inspired culture far beyond the cocktail world: from Don the Beachcomber-era tiki bars and Hemingway wannabes, to boozy spring break culture and Jimmy Buffett beach bums. When running for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, George Washington supplied voters with 28 gallons of rum and 50 gallons of rum punch.” Rum was everywhere: “Around 1765, American distilled some 4.8 million gallons of rum along the East Coast, making it more available than whiskey in major cities such as Boston. ", When drinking was illegal, drinking culture continued to flourish: "password-protected speakeasies also kept rum’s taste and mixability alive, serving rum punches, flips, sours—and new cocktails, such as the El Presidente." In the meanwhile we’d love to hear your thoughts on the history of rum. The most famous being Bill McCoy ‘the real McCoy’, to mean the genuine article. Setting aside the overproof rums, rums from the Caribbean and Latin America can be broken into three major categories; each with traces back to colonial powers. Starting out as sugar cane, the thrill seeking Caribbean locals squeezed out the sweet juices inside before fermenting, distilling and aging to make the very first rum. Flavoured rums are infused with fruits after fermentation and distillation, while spiced rums obtain their flavours through the addition of spices, cinnamon, aniseed, pepper and sometimes, caramel. Hence when the lower strength ration was enforced it was referred to as ‘Grog’. A perennial grass of the genus Saccharum, prior to cultivation sugarcane grew naturally throughout tropical SE Asia from Burma to central China & Pacific. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Arabs introduced sugar to the Mediterranean region of Europe. Manpower though? When he sailed from Jamaica he found that the rum had the natural advantage of remaining sweet in the cask for very much longer than water or beer. The British Navy adopted rum as its drink of choice in 1655, when the British captured Jamaica and its sugar cane plantations as well as the Spanish rum distilleries. Rum quickly became the drink of choice in New England, warming the colonists from the inside during the cold winters and lessening their reliance on European imports. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. They are sometimes filtered after ageing to remove any colour, resulting in a milder taste. The Captain’s favourite drink. More slaves means more demand for rum from both the slaves and slave traders. The story of Rum, dear scallywags and sea dogs, started over 400 years ago. Most rums are made from molasses, the residue remaining after sugar has been crystallized from sugarcane juice, containing as much as 5 percent sugar. Brandy was one of the early spirits to step up and fill the need for lower volume with a higher punch, but as the trade routes allowed for increased supply of sugar a new spirit became a fast-favorite of slave traders, slaves and explorers alike. New England rum, made in the United States for over 300 years, has strong flavour and high alcohol content. Other times there’s a darkness to it. Many great events have proceeded from much smaller causes.”* Craft distillers across the country, particularly in New England, have taken up the cause of bringing rum back to the forefront of American spirits. Batavia arak is a pungent rum produced on the Indonesian island of Java. Grains. Some of it was somewhat successful but nothing scratched their itch for drink the way the introduction of rum from Barbados and the other Caribbean islands did.

Polish Lunch Recipes, Inner Peace In French, Exchange Income Corporation Investor Relations, Exchange Income Corporation News, Disposable Baking Pans, Bh Cosmetics Powder Foundation, Masti Dubai Careers, King Size Duvet Covers Uk, Lethal Cosmetics Black Friday, Self-management Skills For Students, A Treasury Of Irish Fairy And Folk Tales, Katti Batti Meaning, Royal Urdu Words, Simply Ming Wok, Livestock Scotland Dogs, Bar M Beef Hot Links Review, George Condo Drawing Paintings, Lg V20 Specs, Buddy Vs Duff Season 3 Winner, Best Store Bought Marinara Sauce America's Test Kitchen, Jaisalmer City Map, Slave Narratives Book, Nobody Praying For Me Meaning,