Rum is made from fermented molasses, sugar cane, or cane syrup. However, sugar cane is not native to the Caribbean, which is where a majority of rum is produced. Spanish explorers brought it with them on their journeys. Columbus is even said to have planted it on his second voyage to Hispaniola and Cuba.
The name "rum" has always been and will always be under debate. In Creole, "rumbullion" means "stem stew" and "an uproar" in British slang. It is believed that the Latin name for sugar, "saccharum", was shortened to rum. Another theory says that it may be French in origin ("arome", meaning "aroma"), relating to the strong smell of dark rum.
The drink of choice of the American colonies was rum. It was said to soothe the hardship of the times. It quickly became a profitable import and soon made its way into Colonial life. It was traded for many commodities. Some of the Indian names for rumwere, "ockuby" and "achobee". It wasn't long before the early New England colonies started their own trade.
American history doesn't stop with rum distillation. George Washington campaigned with seventy-five gallons of free rum. This was distributed to the voters of Virginia, who in 1758, elected him to the House of Burgess. The Boston Tea Party was not just about tea. In 1733 and 1765, the British imposed a tax upon molasses that was not of British import, resulting in a new spirit, Rye, that was easily made from local rye grain. Medford was the common name for rum by New Englanders at that time. Paul Revere was said to have had two glasses of Medford before his famous ride in order to shout, "the English are coming!".
Rum is made from fermented molasses, sugar cane, or cane syrup. However, sugar cane is not native to the Caribbean, which is where a majority of rum is produced. Spanish explorers brought it with them on their journeys. Columbus is even said to have planted it on his second voyage to Hispaniola and Cuba.
The name "rum" has always been and will always be under debate. In Creole, "rumbullion" means "stem stew" and "an uproar" in British slang. It is believed that the Latin name for sugar, "saccharum", was shortened to rum. Another theory says that it may be French in origin ("arome", meaning "aroma"), relating to the strong smell of dark rum.
The drink of choice of the American colonies was rum. It was said to soothe the hardship of the times. It quickly became a profitable import and soon made its way into Colonial life. It was traded for many commodities. Some of the Indian names for rumwere, "ockuby" and "achobee". It wasn't long before the early New England colonies started their own trade.
American history doesn't stop with rum distillation. George Washington campaigned with seventy-five gallons of free rum. This was distributed to the voters of Virginia, who in 1758, elected him to the House of Burgess. The Boston Tea Party was not just about tea. In 1733 and 1765, the British imposed a tax upon molasses that was not of British import, resulting in a new spirit, Rye, that was easily made from local rye grain. Medford was the common name for rum by New Englanders at that time. Paul Revere was said to have had two glasses of Medford before his famous ride in order to shout, "the English are coming!".
