Rum ration The rum ration ( tot ) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships . It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that regular intakes of alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery . Tradition . The rum ration traditionally consisted of 70 millilitres of rum given out to every sailor at midday . It was sometimes supplemented with splice the mainbrace . The rum ration was often served from one particular barrel , also known as the " Rum Tub " which was often ornately decorated and sometimes was reinforced with brass . Sailors when boarding their ship were asked if they were members of the Temperance movement . If they said they were , it was noted in the ship ' s records and they were given three pence a day instead of the rum ration . The time when the rum ration was distributed was called " Up Spirits " , which was between 11 am and 12 noon . Sailors under 20 were not permitted a rum ration . History . The rum ration was originally beer with a daily ration of 4 . 5 litres per sailor until the 17th century . In 1655 , rum replaced beer as the sailor ' s daily alcohol ration because of the capture of Jamaica from Spain . This change was made because beer would often spoil on long voyages . The ration of rum was half a pint per day , and originally issued neat ; sailors would " prove " its strength by checking that gunpowder doused with rum would still burn ( thus verifying that rum was at least 57 % ABV . ) In 1740 , to minimize problems caused by drunkenness and hoarding of rum , the Navy adopted the practice of diluting rum with water in 1 : 4 ratio and splitting the ration into two servings , one between 10 am and noon and the other between 4 and 6 pm . In 1756 Navy regulations required adding small quantities of lemon or lime juice to the ration , to prevent scurvy . The rum itself was often procured from distillers in Jamaica , Trinidad & Tobago and the British Virgin Islands . Rations were cut in half in 1823 and again in half , to the traditional amount , in 1850 . The abolition of the rum ration had been discussed in Parliament in 1850 and again in 1881 however nothing came of it . In 1970 , Admiral Peter Hill - Norton abolished the rum ration as he felt it could have led to sailors failing a breathalyser test and being less capable to manage complex machinery . This decision to end the rum ration was taken after the Secretary of State for Defence had taken opinions from several ranks of the Navy . Ratings were instead allowed to purchase beer , and the amount allowed was determined , according to the MP David Owen , by the amount of space available for stowing the extra beer in ships . The last rum ration was on 31 July 1970 and became known as Black Tot Day as sailors were unhappy about the loss of the rum ration . There were reports that the day involved sailors throwing tots into the sea and the staging of a mock funeral in a training camp . In place of the rum ration , sailors were given three 2 / 3 pint cans of beer a day ( two pints ) and improved recreational facilities . While the rum ration was abolished , the order to splice the mainbrace remained as the command for it could only be given by the Monarch and is still used to recognise good service . In other navies . Other navies in the world also removed the rum ration . The United States Navy was the first to abolish the rum ration , removing it in 1862 . While the Royal Australian Navy never issued the rum ration , their sailors were entitled to the rum ration when they were on Royal Navy ships . The Royal Canadian Navy abolished the rum ration in 1972 . The last navy issuing the rum ration regularly , the Royal New Zealand Navy abolished the rum ration in 1990 .