Pusser's Rum
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
From 1655 to August 1, 1970, the sailors of Britain's Royal Navy received a daily ration of rum from the ship's Purser. No one is quite sure who the first person was who said, "hmmm....this might not be a good idea." Admittedly, the ration of rum wasn't a whole lot. And the sailors are known to have watered it down into a drink known as "Grog" to make the rum last longer. However, during those 300 years, it is most likely that a warning label didn't appear on the bottles proclaiming "Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery."
This is not to say that drunken sailors were the single cause of the collapse of the British Empire. There were probably other causes.
Drunken sailors are known for their difficulties in enunciating words clearly and precisely. Purser quickly became Pusser, and that is how the name of the rum was born.
While it is no longer served aboard Royal Navy ships, British Navy Pusser's Rum is sold in bottles worldwide. A Product of the British Caribbean islands of Guyana, Trinidad, and the British Virgin Islands, it is imported, blended, and bottled in the United States by Munson Shaw Company in Deerfield, Illinois. If you happen to live in the United States and are having difficulty finding this incredible rum, that is the information you need to give the owner of your local bar, pub, or tavern.
Assumedly if you live in Britain, there is a less of a problem locating the drink.
At 95.5 proof, Pusser's Rum is a strong rum, a dark rum, a good rum. Better than Myers. Better than Bacardi. Better than anything else you could possibly name.
Nelson's Blood
Admiral Nelson is famous for the line, "England Expects Every Man to do his Duty." A statue of him stands in the middle of Trafalgar Square in London. Legend has it, after he died at sea in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) he had to be brought back to London. Ships travelled slowly in those days, so he was placed in a barrel and his body was preserved with the addition of some of the Royal Navy Rum1. Once the barrel reached London, the rum was gone. As he was transferred from one ship to the next on his way back to land, the sailors all had to have a little bit of the rum...along with a little bit of Nelson's Blood. Since then, Pusser's rum in particular, or any rum, and grog have all been known as Nelson's Blood. However, there is a drink concoction served at least in the British Virgin Isles that has been given the name as well.
- How to mix Nelson's Blood
- One part Grapefruit Juice
- One part Cranberry Juice
- One part Pineapple Juice
- One part Pusser's Rum
- How to mix Grog
- Simple: 2 Parts water, 1 part rum.
- Complex:
- 1 shot rum
- 1 teaspoon sugar (preferably superfine)
- Squeeze of lime juice
- Cinnamon stick
- Boiling water
- Stir all ingredients, adding enough boiling water to fill mug or glass.
- How to mix Pusser's Painkiller
- 1 ounce cream of coconut
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- 2 ounces Pusser's Rum
- without ice, blend shake or stir. Pour over ice, and grate fresh nutmeg on top.
A Drop of Nelson's Blood (or Roll the Old Chariot Along) - A traditional drinking song
Oh, a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm (3x)
And we'll all hang on behind.
chorus:
So we'll roll the old chariot along
An' we'll roll the old chariot along.
So we'll roll the old chariot along
An' we'll all hang on behind!
Oh, a little mug o' beer wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh, a plate of Irish stew wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh a little slug of gin wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh a night upon the shore wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh a little drop of wine wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh, a nice fat cook wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh, a long spell in gaol wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh, a nice watch below wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Oh, a night with the gals wouldn't do us any harm etc.
Sandy Bottoms!
1Some say he was more likely preserved using Gin or Brandy, but that ruins the story, and the drink
