Did Pirates Really Drink Rum On The High Seas?

Rum and pirates seem to go together like treasure maps and treasure. At the very least, Hollywood loves to pair the two. However, you might be wondering just how accurate this co-dependent, alcohol-fueled relationship really was. As it turns out, while pirates made smoking meat a popular cooking technique and did drink rum on the high seas, it really wasn't a drink of choice until the 1700s. Prior to this, these swashbucklers were reaching for bottles of other adult beverages. 

Ale, brandy, and wine were more readily available for these maritime thieves before rum became the coveted liquid courage to imbibe. Why? Pirates have been around as long as there have been vessels to sail and commerce to export. But it took the Golden Age of Piracy, which took place between the 1600s and 1700s, to give this group the cred they enjoyed. This is largely due to the burgeoning exploration and trade explosion. This meant more ships on the Atlantic Ocean, which meant more commodities to plunder, which ultimately led to the discovery of rum in the Caribbean.

Rum was an accidental invention. Christopher Columbus brought sugar cane plants to the Caribbean. These plants flourished and were used to make refined sugar. During this process, it was discovered that molasses, a byproduct of making sugar, could be fermented to create rum. It quickly became valuable for trade.

Once rum was on the pirate menu, the two-ingredient grog consisting of water and rum became a staple. But rum actually had a practical application. It was mixed with water so sailors and pirates would not become dehydrated too quickly from overindulging, and it also kept stagnant water that had been stored in barrels for long periods of time safe to drink.

Luckily, rum has come a long way since the days of pirates, and there are plenty of other ways to consume it. There are many methods for mixing and blending it to make drinks that won't end in mutiny. Try a rum Old Fashioned or even a classic daiquiri. No one will judge you if you start singing, "Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me."