Not the sports teams, we're talking about the sword-rattling, hard living, adventure seeking pirates. Rum was their spirit of choice and its medicinal properties came in handy on long voyages.
200 years ago, patrons might ask you to pour them some grog, pirates’ drink, kill-devil, rumbullion, Nelson's blood or Barbados water. But by 1667, it was simply called rum.
In the 1800s, rum doubled as a go-to beauty product for its ability to clean hair and strengthen roots.
When alcohol was banned in 1920, it wasn't long before rumrunners were smuggling the spirit from the Caribbean to ports in Florida and along the Eastern Seaboard to engage in forbidden trade.
Due to several factors like the aging process, barrel type, filtration and addition of cinnamon, caramel or other spices, rum can vary in color from virtually transparent to gold, brown and even black!
Because of its sugar cane output, more than 80% of the world's rum sources originate in Puerto Rico. Casa Bacardi, the world's largest rum distillery, is also located on the island.
Even better, it contains no fat, cholesterol or sodium. So drink up, all you health-conscious revelers! Just don’t get carried away. Like any beverage with a little fire in its belly, always drink responsibly.
