It also has a fraught history mired in colonialism, slavery, economic oppression and organized crime. In less than 10 years the sugar barons of Barbados became some of the richest in the world, with a prospering sugar and rum export industry. It is widely believed that the initial distillation of rum as we know it today was developed in either ancient China or India. Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes, Rum Curious: The Indispensable Tasting Guide to the World’s Spirit. 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. No exertions out to be spar’d to provide ample quantities of it.”*. Apparently, what we now know as molasses was considered industrial wasteby the sugar makers (it is the leftovers of the granulated sugar). Such rums are usually produced from molasses enriched with the skimmings, or dunder, remaining in the boilers used for sugar production. They strained the juice and placed it in boiling pots until the sugar was crystallized. 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. Around this same time in the mid-1600s there were roughly 3,000 colonists living in New England. thousands of sugar works dotted the islands landscapes and nearly every plantation employed a copper pot still to make alcohol from the fermented skimmings and molasses. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 8 Reasons Why More People Are Going Concierge, Top 5 Places for Pre-Dinner Drinks in London. European explorers were lured to the West Indies by legends of El Dorado, a city paved with gold. As remote islands began to be discovered, so was a perfect climate for growing sugar cane. Sugar cane was first cultivated in New Guinea and first fermented as early as ~350 BC in India. Secret blends of herbs, spices and fruits were added and before long, the sweet spiced nectar was the spirit of choice in all the taverns in the region. 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. The Captain’s favourite drink. The History of Jamaican Rum. They are sometimes filtered after ageing to remove any colour, resulting in a milder taste. Consumers paid upward of 300 percent more for rum than whiskey. The more slave traders and slaves who wanted rum, the more sugar production was needed in order to produce molasses. Christopher Columbus reached the western world and brought slavery with him. But a real second chance worthy of this amazing economy-building, revolution-spurring spirit. “A History of World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage, Our 4 Favorite Whiskey Gifts For Dad To Celebrate Father’s Day. Some countries import molasses for use in rum production. Rum figured in the slave trade of the American colonies: slaves were brought from Africa and traded to the West Indies for molasses; the molasses was made into rum in New England; and the rum was then traded to Africa for more slaves. Explorers began to increase sugar cane production on islands such as the Azores, Canary Islands and eventually the Caribbean. Minnick writes that "rum was so popular in the speakeasy that true rum was hard to come by. The resulting slow fermentation period allows full development of flavour substances. For rums from Spanish-speaking locales the word ron is used. In current usage, the name used for rum is often based on the rum’s place of origin. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Arabs introduced sugar to the Mediterranean region of Europe. Colour is deepened by the addition of caramel after aging. They are usually marketed with an alcohol content of 43–49 percent by volume (86–98 U.S. proof). Plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process, could be fermented into alcohol. Rum, the major liquor distilled during the early history of the United States, was sometimes mixed with molasses and called blackstrap or mixed with cider to produce a beverage called stonewall. Cheaper and stronger?! Ironically, the tall sweet grass that Columbus took to the Caribbean in 1493, and the sugar and rum made from that sugar-cane, was ultimately worth more than all the lustrous metal taken from the Caribbean basin. The experience you have with rum starts with the style of rum you are drinking. At some point, somebody distilled this fermented molasses, and rum was born. For us, it’s like travel in a glass and we hope it is for you too. 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. 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. ", "Rum was the trending spirit in the 1700s," writes Minnick. Spanish-controlled distillers in Cuba, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico typically produced smooth rums called añejo. A perennial grass of the genus Saccharum, prior to cultivation sugarcane grew naturally throughout tropical SE Asia from Burma to central China & Pacific. It was available in abundance and began to be used by those who needed it… slaves. Enjoy the speciality, among 150 other French inspired options. Marketing support, education, resources, community, & exclusive offers for craft makers. 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. Both of these terms meant upheaval or violent commotion – likely for the effect that this spirit had on those who drank it. ", 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." Elsewhere, rum is usually consumed in mixed drinks, with light rums preferred for such cocktails as the daiquiri and dark rums used in such tall drinks as the rum Collins. Given the importance of rum to this new economy, it’s no wonder New Englanders freaked out when England tried to impose an import tax on molasses from French colonized islands (New England’s primary source of molasses). Updates? The story of rum naturally begins with the story of its base ingredient, sugarcane. Beginning in the early 19th century, "the Americas were systematically creating an economic disadvantage for rum distillers and importers. All rights reserved. Enter, again, the slave traders who now had an unquenchable thirst for this spirit. This eventually led to the Sugar Act in 1764 where a tax was levied on molasses. When a legend was born. Rum is frequently used as a flavouring in dessert sauces and other dishes. I am a: Craft Alcohol Enthusiast Craft Alcohol Maker Craft Alcohol Industry Partner. They are primarily produced in Jamaica, Barbados, and Demerara in Guyana. Rum became a global commodity, tying Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Caribbean in a complex web of commerce, involving the slave trade. Fax: +44 151 709 0409 Rum’s history isn’t an easy or pretty one, but it is an important part of the world’s history. In 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon claimed, ‘the vice of drunkenness is but too visibly increasing in our mariners’ and secured the change of ration to a reduction of a quart of water to every half pint of rum. A Spirited History. Centuries later, powerful rum was administered freely to British sailors before emergency amputations were carried out on board ship in the aftermath of battle.…. Writes Minnick, "boats were frequently impounded for harboring smuggled molasses and rum. Eighty Percent! 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. The name may have derived from rumbullion meaning “a great tumult or uproar”. 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. They are typically aged longer, in heavy charred barrels, giving them a richer flavour. Do you agree that better understanding a spirit’s history and origins helps you better appreciate the drink itself? In current usage, the name used for rum is often based on the rum’s place of origin. We’re starting to get restless people! As time went on, there are indications of the spirit also being referred to as Rumbullion or Rumbustion. Sugarcane cultivation was possible here, and the Portuguese could produce sugar without Arab control." 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. A ron añejo indicates a rum that has been aged and is often used for premium products. Meaning New Englanders weren’t getting as much beer imported as they hoped to help soothe their disappointments. We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. 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. In the meanwhile we’d love to hear your thoughts on the history of rum. So, now that we have you up to speed with what rum is and its own dark n’ stormy history it’s time to dive in and get drinking! Alternatively, get a taste of island life at The Beachcomber, a tropical paradise hidden among the hustle and bustle of Bayswater’s culturally eclectic high street. Present day. After rum’s development in the Caribbean, the drink’s popularity spread to Colonial North America. Join us for your free resources plus a monthly email chock full of our latest marketing tips, ideas, and opportunities for craft alcohol makers. Eventually shortened to Rum we have our modern name for this spirited drink. And it also solidified a slave-dependent economic system. So where to do we go from here? Rum, distilled liquor made from sugarcane products, usually produced as a by-product of sugar manufacture. Liverpool With pungent botanical aromas, these rums bear some similarity in flavour to Cachaca. The more sugar you need the more slaves you need to produce that sugar on the islands. The British surrender in 1781 and our country desperately seeks stabilization.
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