Caption | It is not an exaggeration to say that rum is the "source of life" of pirates.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Anyone who has seen the Pirates of the Caribbean series will not forget Captain Jack's drunken appearance, and in the movie, rum has become the standard for pirates.
In fact, in the menu of pirates in the Age of Discovery, everything can be missing, that is, there can be no less rum.
At the end of the 15th century, the famous Columbus brought sugar cane to the Caribbean, and the climate of these small islands was suitable, so large and small sugar cane plantations appeared, and the sugar industry began to flourish.
Planting, gathering, and making sugar were all very heavy manual labor, and the colonists initially forced the local natives to work. But as the scale expanded, more and more black slaves became the main labor force.
These fatigued sugar workers found that when the sugar cane was pressed, a by-product appeared. If it is fermented and distilled, it can be obtained with a high alcohol drink. The workers who are oppressed every day can quickly eliminate fatigue and forget their troubles after drinking it, so this very cheap drink began to become popular.
After that, the production process of this beverage was gradually improved, and gradually formed a high-quality and inexpensive rum.
<h1>Let's talk about the pirates. </h1>
Pirates
Before the advent of rum, European pirates, including merchant sailors and naval soldiers, had been suffering from ocean voyages. Pickled food and hard bread taste bad, but at least can be preserved for a long time, and fresh water, it is much more troublesome.
At that time, sailors made long voyages, boiled fresh water, put it in wooden barrels and took it to the ship. It is conceivable that this kind of water in a bucket is difficult to keep for a long time. It didn't take long for the water to begin to spoil, giving rise to green algae, sticky and slippery, full of fishy odor. The sailors, on the other hand, had to pinch their noses and drink it, or they would die of thirst.
As a result, many sailors suffered from dysentery because of drinking such water, so there were not a few people who died.
What to do? Then bring a little bar, this thing has a longer shelf life.
In the beginning, some beers with a shelf life of up to a month (the beer at that time was not thoroughly sterilized). During the first month of the voyage, the sailors were very happy because they could drink beer as water.
After a month, the beer runs out and everyone starts drinking spoiled fresh water again. In order to tolerate the pungent odor, the sailors brought the spirits to the ship. Each person is given a certain amount of spirits per day, which is then mixed into fresh water to drink: spirits can be sterilized and can also mask odors.
Around the 17th century, the British Navy, along with pirates, traveled to the Caribbean and found a cheap drink for local plantation workers: rum.
<h1>When they tried to bring the spirit aboard: it was instantly well received by the sailors! </h1>
Rum in Pirates of the Caribbean
Since then, this cheap rum, made from sugar cane and preserved for at least three years, has become a favorite drink for sailors.
The rum is high in strength and spicy, and it is a source of happiness for sailors who are born and die all day long. A few sips of rum, no matter how big the waves and rainstorm will not feel cold. Rum has strong stam, two sips before the battle, dare to carry the knife to rush up first!
What's more, if you add lemon to the rum for a long time, you can also prevent scurvy.
Mixing rum into fresh water can sterilize and disinfect and extend the shelf life of fresh water, that is, if you store enough rum, you are no longer afraid of lack of fresh water!
For sailors on long voyages, there is no treasure, no meat, no death, but rum can not be lacking, rum is everything.
Therefore, every time the captains set sail, they had to carry a large amount of rum, and when there was no money to pay, a bottle of rum could make the sailors happily accept it--rum was the sailor's currency.
<h1>In fact, not only pirates can't do without rum, but even those regular navies also regard rum as a daily "standard". </h1>
Navy sailors lined up to get rum
The British Navy, for its part, has been distributing rum to sailors every day. This charming drink soon highlighted its negative effects, and a large number of drunkards appeared.
Sailors who have been sailing at sea for many years are already inseparable from rum. Although the rum distributed every day is required to be drunk with fresh water, for them, the wine is not strong enough, it is better to pour it directly into the throat.
Therefore, in order to get enough wine, the sailors will have all kinds of gambling between them to win each other's rum. Some, on the other hand, pay directly for quotas for other sailors.
The pirates may be able to get drunk and drunk from time to time, but sailors on warships, this is obviously not appropriate. The captains of the Navy began to find ways to change this situation.
In 1739, during the Battle of England and Spain, British Lieutenant General Edward Vernon led a fleet to the Caribbean. Here, sailors were able to drink rum of origin, and for a time the ship was full of drunken drunks.
Lieutenant General Vernon then decided that the rum distributed to sailors every day must be mixed with water to drink, and that the ratio of wine to water should reach 1:4.
In addition, the rum that was originally distributed once a day at noon was changed to noon and evening twice, and the ration of each time was reduced, and sailors were not easy to get drunk.
The order was effective and soon became a fixed system that lasted for more than 200 years.
<h1>Many people may not know that among the British Navy, rum also has a name: Nelson's Blood. </h1>
This is a rum legend that bears witness to the sailors' extreme fanaticism for rum.
Nelson's Blood
Nelson was british admiral Horatio Nelson, the most famous admiral of the British sailing battleship era.
On October 21, 1805, the legendary general led the fleet in a decisive battle with the Combined French and Spanish Fleet in the waters of Trafalgarh, when the Combined Franco-Spanish Fleet used 33 warships against 27 British warships, and Nelson flexibly commanded the fleet to rush into the enemy camp, fought heroically, and won the victory.
The battle directly shattered Napoleon's plan to invade Britain, and Nelson became a national hero for the British.
Unfortunately, in this naval battle, Nelson took the lead and commanded the battle directly on the deck. As a result, the opposing sniper hit Nelson, the bullet pierced his left lung and stuck into his spine.
After learning of this victory at sea, Nelson closed his eyes forever.
In order to return Nelson's body to England so that it would not decay before burial, the officers decided to put the body in a rum barrel and soak it in wine.
When the fleet returned to England, the barrels of rum were opened and nelson's body was still there, but not a single drop of the rum inside was left.
What happened when these wines disappeared out of thin air?
After Nelson's body was removed, they found that a small hole had been drilled in the bottom of the barrel, and the sailors on the ship had secretly drunk the rum.
Sailors are said to have believed that the rum soaked in Nelson's body contained Nelson's "heroism" and would have been braver when drunk. It was also said that the young officers had finished their drinks to express their admiration for Nelson...
This rum story has been passed down in the British Navy for a long time, on the one hand, the Navy's remembrance of Nelson, on the other hand, this legend also shows the British Navy's crazy love for rum.
Sailors lined up to receive rum
Rum, the drink of this legend, from pirates to navies, bears witness to the madness and glory of the Age of Discovery.
Drunken sailors, falling asleep with rum bottles in their arms, can forget all their troubles...