Back in the day, before distilleries and reverse osmosis, we had to rely on other means of hydration in the era of Iron men and Wooden ships. The British Navy started serving seamen a daily ration of rum once referred to as “Nelson's Blood.” The custom of dolling out liquor started in 1630, when brandy was rationed out to sailors, presumably to curb thoughts of mutiny.
By 1731, the Royal Navy had switched to rum. The half-pint ration was later ordered diluted with water by Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed “Old Grog” after his cloak of grogram. Admiral Vernon was also responsible for serving a mixture of rum and lime juice which is a forerunner of the modern Daiquiri to prevent scurvy.
Since there were no embalming services onboard ships, Admiral
Nelson unknowingly added a macabre note when his body was shipped home from
Trafalgar in a Cask of rum, Thirsty sailors tapped the cask for a tot tinged
with Nelson's blood, which quickly became a popular name for rum itself. The
rum ration is now optional in the British Navy.
And that's the rest of the story ...
Story originated in Playboy Magazine 1969 ...
The picture looks like the mural that was on the equipment in 4 plant on Enterprise.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of cobblers. He was pickled in French Brandy (The irony of that) and rum is not an option on the Lower Deck.
ReplyDeleteHis corpse WAS shipped to Gibraltar in a cask of brandy.
ReplyDelete