The end of this month will mark 44 years since the British Royal Navy ended the daily rum rations given to sailors. Called “Black Tot Day,” the practice stopped on July 31, 1970. The traditional started when sailors received a half-a-pint of rum each day, which years later was diluted with water and split into two portions to lessen drunkenness on board the navy vessels.
Wicked Jack’s Tavern True Jamaican Rum Cakes, soaked in fine Jamaican rum, are a great reminder of the tradition of rum in the Caribbean. Virtually every island has a distinct rum style and more than 80 percent of the world’s rum comes from the Caribbean.
In fact, slaves on sugar plantations in the Caribbean discovered that sugarcane molasses could be fermented and then distilled to make a sweet, potent drink. From there rum became synonymous with piracy, with English privateers trading it as a valuable commodity.
