num_pages: 144
description: Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! A favorite of pirates the molasses-colored liquid brings to mind clear blue seas weather-beaten sailors and port cities filled with bar wenches. But enjoyment of rum spread far beyond the scallywags of the CaribbeanCharles Dickens savored it in punch Thomas Jefferson mixed it into omelets Queen Victoria sipped it in navy grog and the Kamehameha Kings of Hawaii drank it straight up. In Rum Richard Foss tells the colorful secret history of a spirit that not only helped spark the American Revolution but was even used as currency in Australia.This book chronicles the five-hundred-year evolution of rum from a raw spirit concocted for slaves to a beverage savored by connoisseurs. Charting the drinks history Foss shows how rum left its mark on religious ritualsit remains a sacramental offering among voodoo worshippersand became part of popular songs and other cultural landmarks. He also includes recipes for sweet and savory rum dishes and obscure drinks as well as illustrations of rum memorabilia from its earliest days to the tiki craze of the 1950s. Fast-paced and well written Rum will delight any fan of mojitos and mai tais.
language: English
title: Rum: A Global History
publisher: Reaktion Books