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I'm not sure I buy your claim that rum was ever used to 'disinfect' fresh water on British Navy ships. The 'grog' mix they used was not of sufficient ABV to dis

I'm not sure I buy your claim that rum was ever used to 'disinfect' fresh water on British Navy ships. The 'grog' mix they used was not of sufficient ABV to disinfect the water, as it was handed out at a 4:1 ratio of water:rum. It was moreso about making the daily rum ration difficult to hoard, and much more efficient to transport than beer or wine.

jaggederest 3y ago
Grog was at least 10% alcohol, plus lime juice. Navy rum was 65% or 130 proof. That's more than enough to inhibit most waterborne diseases such as cholera (inhibited in wine at 6.25% abv, though wine has tannins and phenols).
- vondur 3y ago
  Yikes, I just checked, and Captain Morgan's is 35% Alcohol. I'm aware of Bacardi 151 (75.5% alcohol) which is like fire water to me. Can't imagine drinking something so concentrated regularly.
  - jrockway 3y ago
    I suppose that's why 1 part of rum got mixed with 4 parts water and some limes.
    - dgoldstein0 3y ago
      The lime got added to prevent scurvy, which was a major problem prior to it's addition
      - Dah00n 3y ago
        Even with its addition as they didn't use fresh lime (some even boiled it) for many years. People got both lime and scurvy. Scurvy: The Disease of Discovery by J. Lamb is actually quite interesting.
  - dekhn 3y ago
    The only reason I'd ever buy everclear (95% ethanol) is for cleaning optics.
    - MostlyStable 3y ago
      It's also great for doing various tinctures/extractions if you get into the more exotic side of cooking/food/mixology
    - wlesieutre 3y ago
      Good solvent for shellac as well, without the nasty smell and headache from denatured alcohol fumes. Costs more though, since it’s sold and taxed for consumption.
      - dekhn 3y ago
        I can't practically get everclear since I live in California, where it's illegal. I use 99% IPA for shellac, it's not denatured but you wouldn't want to drink it anyway.
        paragraft 3y ago
        Before my brain caught up I was just about to ask you what brewery is it that can do a 99% Indian Pale Ale...
        wlesieutre 3y ago
        How about a hops extract?
        wlesieutre 3y ago
        Stock up if you're ever in Oregon, Arizona, or Utah. No luck in Nevada either.
    - 13of40 3y ago
      Fun fact: Vodka is usually distilled to a high purity close to everclear using a reflux still, then diluted with water to get down to 40%.
  - squeaky-clean 3y ago
    If I remember correctly, the lower ranking navy members weren't even allowed access to the strong stuff. Only the officers who had to dilute it before giving it to the others.
  - Tommstein 3y ago
    Few people are regularly pounding rum shots.
  - asdgioanionio 3y ago
    You can't judge from Bacardi. It's bottom-shelf, young, and pretty rough. I find it unpleasant to drink neat even at 80 proof. A high-quality, aged rum at 130 proof will be plenty fiery, but not as bad as Bacardi 151 diluted to 130 proof. Of course, the sailors probably didn't drink anything terribly high-end.
    - haldujai 3y ago
      > I find it unpleasant to drink I concur, I tried to acquire the taste for 151 in college and even after 4 years of earnest and consistent effort it did not get better. Similar experiments with Everclear and overproof grappa were also unsuccessful. I would not recommend any of these if one is interested in a pleasant drinking experience. Lately I've been finding Bourbon to be enjoyable. Woodford Reserve and Bulleit are well-priced and good introductions in my opinion.
      - reportgunner 3y ago
        > Lately I've been finding Bourbon to be enjoyable. Woodford Reserve and Bulleit are well-priced and good introductions in my opinion. Also try Buffalo Trace, it's one of my three favorite including the two you mentioned.
        haldujai 3y ago
        Thanks! It's on my list, I haven't gotten around to it yet. Would you suggest the regular Buffalo Trace or one of their (many) variations?
        reportgunner 3y ago
        I have only tried the regular one but I liked it a lot.
EA-3167 3y ago
I think at times it also had to do with making disgusting water more palatable, not sterile or anything, just less awful to drink.
nradov 3y ago
Rum was not generally used to disinfectant water on Royal Navy vessels. Typically the rum ration was only served with the midday meal. At other times the hands mostly drank plain water that had been stored in wooden barrels (and they complained about the taste). And it wasn't always rum. If a vessel was on foreign service and rum was unavailable then the crew would be issued an equivalent amount of other booze.

jaggederest 3y ago

Grog was at least 10% alcohol, plus lime juice. Navy rum was 65% or 130 proof. That's more than enough to inhibit most waterborne diseases such as cholera (inhibited in wine at 6.25% abv, though wine has tannins and phenols).

vondur 3y ago
Yikes, I just checked, and Captain Morgan's is 35% Alcohol. I'm aware of Bacardi 151 (75.5% alcohol) which is like fire water to me. Can't imagine drinking something so concentrated regularly.
- jrockway 3y ago
  I suppose that's why 1 part of rum got mixed with 4 parts water and some limes.
  - dgoldstein0 3y ago
    The lime got added to prevent scurvy, which was a major problem prior to it's addition
    - Dah00n 3y ago
      Even with its addition as they didn't use fresh lime (some even boiled it) for many years. People got both lime and scurvy. Scurvy: The Disease of Discovery by J. Lamb is actually quite interesting.
- dekhn 3y ago
  The only reason I'd ever buy everclear (95% ethanol) is for cleaning optics.
  - MostlyStable 3y ago
    It's also great for doing various tinctures/extractions if you get into the more exotic side of cooking/food/mixology
  - wlesieutre 3y ago
    Good solvent for shellac as well, without the nasty smell and headache from denatured alcohol fumes. Costs more though, since it’s sold and taxed for consumption.
    - dekhn 3y ago
      I can't practically get everclear since I live in California, where it's illegal. I use 99% IPA for shellac, it's not denatured but you wouldn't want to drink it anyway.
      - paragraft 3y ago
        Before my brain caught up I was just about to ask you what brewery is it that can do a 99% Indian Pale Ale...
        wlesieutre 3y ago
        How about a hops extract?
      - wlesieutre 3y ago
        Stock up if you're ever in Oregon, Arizona, or Utah. No luck in Nevada either.
  - 13of40 3y ago
    Fun fact: Vodka is usually distilled to a high purity close to everclear using a reflux still, then diluted with water to get down to 40%.
- squeaky-clean 3y ago
  If I remember correctly, the lower ranking navy members weren't even allowed access to the strong stuff. Only the officers who had to dilute it before giving it to the others.
- Tommstein 3y ago
  Few people are regularly pounding rum shots.
- asdgioanionio 3y ago
  You can't judge from Bacardi. It's bottom-shelf, young, and pretty rough. I find it unpleasant to drink neat even at 80 proof. A high-quality, aged rum at 130 proof will be plenty fiery, but not as bad as Bacardi 151 diluted to 130 proof. Of course, the sailors probably didn't drink anything terribly high-end.
  - haldujai 3y ago
    > I find it unpleasant to drink I concur, I tried to acquire the taste for 151 in college and even after 4 years of earnest and consistent effort it did not get better. Similar experiments with Everclear and overproof grappa were also unsuccessful. I would not recommend any of these if one is interested in a pleasant drinking experience. Lately I've been finding Bourbon to be enjoyable. Woodford Reserve and Bulleit are well-priced and good introductions in my opinion.
    - reportgunner 3y ago
      > Lately I've been finding Bourbon to be enjoyable. Woodford Reserve and Bulleit are well-priced and good introductions in my opinion. Also try Buffalo Trace, it's one of my three favorite including the two you mentioned.
      - haldujai 3y ago
        Thanks! It's on my list, I haven't gotten around to it yet. Would you suggest the regular Buffalo Trace or one of their (many) variations?
        reportgunner 3y ago
        I have only tried the regular one but I liked it a lot.

EA-3167 3y ago

I think at times it also had to do with making disgusting water more palatable, not sterile or anything, just less awful to drink.

nradov 3y ago

Rum was not generally used to disinfectant water on Royal Navy vessels. Typically the rum ration was only served with the midday meal. At other times the hands mostly drank plain water that had been stored in wooden barrels (and they complained about the taste). And it wasn't always rum. If a vessel was on foreign service and rum was unavailable then the crew would be issued an equivalent amount of other booze.