Sumary
Rum was used to make 'stagnant water' drinkable.
Perhaps, that's why world over since drinking water quality is not that good. People drink alcohol to break the bad effects of stagnant water, hard water, etc.. Example: Vemulavalasa (hard water) and Telangana (fluoride water and hard water).
Also, note that originally, brandy was used to make the water more palatable after being stagnant on long voyages.
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Fresh water that was stored over a long period of time would become stagnant, so often something would be added to make it more palatable (this includes beer, brandy, wine, etc.). Effectively, the fresh water supply would be a very watered-down alcoholic beverage.
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The rum was also often used to make water safe to drink.
Stagnant water on a ship is a gold mine for all sorts of nasty pests and diseases. Alcohol was a much safer alternative and even children drank it
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Sea water is impossible to use as a source of drinking water as the salt counteracts any hydrating effects. Thus, fresh water had to be stored on ships in barrels and refilled whenever they made port. However, stagnant water is bad because it grows all sorts of nasty pathogens and algae. So, they would add rum to it because alcohol extended the life of water and did not spoil as quickly as beer or wine.
***
Originally, brandy was used to make the water more palatable after being stagnant on long voyages.
Like you noted, rum was much easier to come by in the Caribbean and it replaced brandy. I am unaware of any health benefits or water purification, but the citrus the Royal Navy eventually added to their grog did help prevent scurvy.
***
After the British Royal Navy captured Jamaica in 1655, they had a good foothold on the rum market (rum being produced in large quantities in the Caribbean). Since brandy was mostly a French commodity, the Royal Navy switched their sailor's rations from brandy to rum.
In the Royal Navy, some sort of citrus (such as lemon or lime juice) was added to the grog in order to mask the stagnant water. In time, this practice earned the Royal Navy the nickname of "limeys." The practice also helped prevent scurvy.
***
A big part of why they chose rum over beer and brandy is because the french had banned the production of rum in their colonies. This is because it was very cheap and easy to make, and they were worried it would compete with their brandy market. All it really took to make rum was brown sugar, which was mostly a waste product at the time. With the french not using it, the English were able to buy it from them for a very very cheap.
You may check out the book "A History of the World in Six Glasses." One of the drinks he talks about is rum, and it covers some very interesting facts.
***
Whiskey didn't become a major competitor to rum until after the American Revolution.
Then, following the Whiskey Rebellion, when distillers found that sweet gem of alcoholism that is Kentucky, our more common corn mash whiskey came into its own. There is a certain bit of irony in this.
Until the creation of the rye plantations, cane sugar was the only viable means to create enough alcohol to appease the market. The British supply of cane sugar was not as good as that of the French or Spanish, so they attempted to boost the profitability of their plantations with the Molasses Act. As with every other act of British Mercantilism, certain elements rebelled against the financial burden and legitimized the act of smuggling.
The irony i mentioned before is just that rye whiskey came about as a result of the British taxes on molasses. Rye whiskey got trounced by corn whiskey because George Washington wanted to reign in the whiskey-as-currency market and establish his own rye operation competitively (or so I think) by enacting federal taxes on whiskey. Instead he just fostered the Kentucky distilling industry. A similar phenomenon to the government helping revive the verysame industry with Prohibition. One of the most fundamental tenets of government has to be that you do not mess with a man's booze.
***
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1jtma8/why_was_rum_the_drink_of_choice_for_pirates_in/
Rum was used to make 'stagnant water' drinkable.
Perhaps, that's why world over since drinking water quality is not that good. People drink alcohol to break the bad effects of stagnant water, hard water, etc.. Example: Vemulavalasa (hard water) and Telangana (fluoride water and hard water).
Also, note that originally, brandy was used to make the water more palatable after being stagnant on long voyages.
***
Fresh water that was stored over a long period of time would become stagnant, so often something would be added to make it more palatable (this includes beer, brandy, wine, etc.). Effectively, the fresh water supply would be a very watered-down alcoholic beverage.
***
The rum was also often used to make water safe to drink.
Stagnant water on a ship is a gold mine for all sorts of nasty pests and diseases. Alcohol was a much safer alternative and even children drank it
***
Sea water is impossible to use as a source of drinking water as the salt counteracts any hydrating effects. Thus, fresh water had to be stored on ships in barrels and refilled whenever they made port. However, stagnant water is bad because it grows all sorts of nasty pathogens and algae. So, they would add rum to it because alcohol extended the life of water and did not spoil as quickly as beer or wine.
***
Originally, brandy was used to make the water more palatable after being stagnant on long voyages.
Like you noted, rum was much easier to come by in the Caribbean and it replaced brandy. I am unaware of any health benefits or water purification, but the citrus the Royal Navy eventually added to their grog did help prevent scurvy.
***
After the British Royal Navy captured Jamaica in 1655, they had a good foothold on the rum market (rum being produced in large quantities in the Caribbean). Since brandy was mostly a French commodity, the Royal Navy switched their sailor's rations from brandy to rum.
In the Royal Navy, some sort of citrus (such as lemon or lime juice) was added to the grog in order to mask the stagnant water. In time, this practice earned the Royal Navy the nickname of "limeys." The practice also helped prevent scurvy.
***
A big part of why they chose rum over beer and brandy is because the french had banned the production of rum in their colonies. This is because it was very cheap and easy to make, and they were worried it would compete with their brandy market. All it really took to make rum was brown sugar, which was mostly a waste product at the time. With the french not using it, the English were able to buy it from them for a very very cheap.
You may check out the book "A History of the World in Six Glasses." One of the drinks he talks about is rum, and it covers some very interesting facts.
***
Whiskey didn't become a major competitor to rum until after the American Revolution.
Then, following the Whiskey Rebellion, when distillers found that sweet gem of alcoholism that is Kentucky, our more common corn mash whiskey came into its own. There is a certain bit of irony in this.
Until the creation of the rye plantations, cane sugar was the only viable means to create enough alcohol to appease the market. The British supply of cane sugar was not as good as that of the French or Spanish, so they attempted to boost the profitability of their plantations with the Molasses Act. As with every other act of British Mercantilism, certain elements rebelled against the financial burden and legitimized the act of smuggling.
The irony i mentioned before is just that rye whiskey came about as a result of the British taxes on molasses. Rye whiskey got trounced by corn whiskey because George Washington wanted to reign in the whiskey-as-currency market and establish his own rye operation competitively (or so I think) by enacting federal taxes on whiskey. Instead he just fostered the Kentucky distilling industry. A similar phenomenon to the government helping revive the verysame industry with Prohibition. One of the most fundamental tenets of government has to be that you do not mess with a man's booze.
***
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1jtma8/why_was_rum_the_drink_of_choice_for_pirates_in/
