Did pirates really drink a lot of rum? - LaurelhillСemetery.blog

Yes. They did. Pirates often started out as military sailors, who developed a taste for rum when it was distributed in the Navy. The Caribbean was a hotbed of piracy and instead of having to wait for their daily tot of rum from their superiors, pirates could drink it whenever they pleased. 

Why did pirates drink so much rum?

Rum Was Plentiful

Rum, which was distilled from sugar, became a primary export. As a result, many of the ships on the waters that pirates attacked were filled with it. Crews tended to drink much of the liquid loot they found. However, rum was also used as a currency and often traded for goods.

Did pirates really drink a lot?

Pirates were widely known in contemporary sources to drink just about anything they could get their hands on, but rum was undoubtedly their favourite tonic for long voyages. Whether the spirit was gained by force, coin, or stealth the drunken escapades it fuelled are now the stuff of legend.

How much rum would pirates drink?

Each man got half a British pint of rum a day, and this wasn’t the modern 80 proof rum. It was “cask strength,” 120 to 130 proof. The half pint was distributed in two parts in a day, a quarter-pint at a time. It was watered down at a ratio of three to one, three parts water to one part rum.

What did pirates actually drink?

Pirates didn’t drink grog, it wasn’t ‘invented’ until the 1740’s by which time piracy in the Caribbean was effectively extinct. They would have drunk Rum, wine and any other strong alcoholic beverage they could buy or steal.

How strong was pirate rum?

Grog was a drink enjoyed by Pirates, Sailors and Buccaneers and was basically a “punch” of Rum, water and limes (or any other handy tropical fruits and juices). The rum comes in a standard 700ml bottle and is bottled at 37.5% which puts it into the mixing category of rums such as Cockspur 5 star.
 

Why does Jack Sparrow love rum?

Rum was the preferred alcoholic drink of pirates, particularly favored by Captain Jack Sparrow. Drinking was one of the most popular of pirate pleasures. Like all pirates, Jack believed that “rum gets you through times of no money better than money gets you through times of no rum.”

Was Jack Sparrow an alcoholic?

Captain Jack Sparrow is the most famous alcoholic antihero of the seven seas.

Did pirates ever shower?

Bathing or washing was pretty much a no-go on a pirate ship as water could not be wasted; those who fancied a shower would have to stand outside in the rain and risk pneumonia! Visiting the bathroom, however, was a much more feasible exercise, thankfully.

Who was the most brutal pirate?

Ned Low. One of the most infamous of the sea rovers was the ruthless English pirate Edward ‘Ned’ Low. Born in London, Low moved to British America as a young man and became a petty thief. Graduating to piracy at sea, he soon acquired a reputation for extreme brutality towards his enemies – and even his own men.

Why did pirates drink rum and not whiskey?

Judging from songs and stories from the Golden Age of Piracy, rum was the drink of the common man, and whiskey the drink of the well-to-do. Part of this, of course, was because rum (which was manufactured in the Caribbean) was easier and cheaper to get.

Why did sailors drink rum instead of water?

Sailors were given a daily tot of rum from 1655 until the ration was abolished, as recently as 1970. Originally it was given to sailors neat when the beer ran out (water was not safe to drink as it became rancid very quickly at sea and it was often taken from polluted rivers, such as the Thames).
 

When did pirates start drinking rum?

1. The History of Pirates and Rum. Rum has been around for hundreds of years, too. Supposedly, pirates were responsible for the taste of rum today, when they mixed it with water and lime juice in the 17th Century.
 