2006-09-22 09:16:39 · 27 answers · asked by Pinky 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
The other half is one of them and apparently it cures sea sickness - so his friends say (not a drinker) x1x
2006-09-23 02:04:27 · answer #1 · answered by Sweetie Pie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was actually Pirates that started the rum drinking. It was cheap and readily available, because of all of the Island hopping they did, turned up natives growing sugar cane that is used to make rum. Then of course they were always on the boats with the whole parrot, peg-leg and eye patch thing too. . . .
so. . .Pirates are 'Sailors' in a very loose sense of the word . . .
2006-09-22 16:21:35 · answer #2 · answered by smurfee68 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is because in time past the British Navy gave what is termed a Tot of rum to the Royal Navy sailors daily
2006-09-22 16:20:20 · answer #3 · answered by Dee Rang 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sailors were issued with a daily rashion of rum which was watered down. I cannot remember the reason for this but it had something to do with Nelson. When he died he was put into a barrel of rum to preserve his body. The issue of rum is in some way a commemoration.
2006-09-22 16:25:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ahoy, Matey! Arrrrrrgh!
Rum was a very common alchololic drink during the 17th and 18th centuries in the British colonies. Sugar crops in the Caribbean colonies were harvested, and much of the sugar was converted into molasses. The molasses was distilled into Rum. It was to keep morale high, they didn't see home for years at a time. They lived in tight quarters, and had little privacy, needed something to help them pass the time.
2006-09-22 16:26:47 · answer #5 · answered by Swirly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
English sailors back about colonial times were paid a small fraction of the profit from the cargo and a daily ration of rum.
2006-09-22 16:19:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I saw something on t.v. about this the other day. The water was really bad, but if they made rum out of it (by boiling therefor getting rid of all the bad stuff (contaimanation etc.) but they thought it was just the alchol that was getting rid of the bad stuff) so they would drink the rum like water. Plus is carried really well on ships.
2006-09-22 16:20:57 · answer #7 · answered by MaryJaneD 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Early sailors got rations of rum(grog) to keep them from getting mutinous on voyages. Later they were often given large quantities and shanghaied against their will to work on ships. May be rum was cheap, don't know.
2006-09-22 16:20:21 · answer #8 · answered by doktordbel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They didn't drink rum, they drank grog, rum diluted with plenty of water. Given originally for Dutch courage and to stave off some diseases and the cold and wet. Not given now though, it's been abolished.
2006-09-22 16:21:59 · answer #9 · answered by tucksie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ya think it comes from the whole "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum"? Or maybe because rum was what was being shipped in and out of the Caribbean (because of the sugar cane). I'll bet they were really all teetotalers...
2006-09-22 16:19:46 · answer #10 · answered by just browsin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They did. Until relatively recently in naval history.
There was daily ration of rum for every (at least) British sailor.
2006-09-22 16:19:12 · answer #11 · answered by Up your Maslow 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋