Rum label transparency is of substantial interest to many enthusiasts. No, not whether you can see through the label or not. Rather, transparency in exactly how the rum was made. While the rum world has made great strides towards greater…
Category: Cocktail Wonk
Exciting News in Minimalist Tiki Land!
Mrs. Wonk and I are overwhelmed by the response to our book, Minimalist Tiki, which we released a year ago. We’ve got some exciting news to share on that front! TL;DR — We’re bringing thirty new modern recipes to light,…
New Insights Into Wray & Nephew 17
Over on the Facebook Rum History forum, I shared some recent discoveries about perhaps the most sought-after rum in the world: Wray & Nephew 17, made famous for its use in the 1944 Mai Tai. For all the obsession collectors…
The British Navy’s Rum Purchases Revealed
For fifty years, the rums that the British Royal Navy blended for its sailors has fascinated enthusiasts and historians. Most stories about navy rum endlessly recycle prior conjecture that’s both vague and not particularly accurate. Ponder this conventional wisdom about…
British Navy Rum Ration Hijinks
Stories about the British Navy’s daily rum ration inevitably include imagery of sailors lined up at the grog tub, emblazoned with “God Save the Queen” – or “King”, if you go back far enough. It suggests that sailors were anxiously…
The 1969 Ministry of Defence Signal Ending the British Navy Rum Ration
July 31st, 1970 — a day that lives in infamy as Black Tot day. It was on this day that British navy sailors received their final daily rum ration, something dear since its 1731 establishment. These days, every July 31st…
Pusser’s Rum Charles Tobias On the Record: Part Two
What follows is part two of my interview with Charles Tobias, the U.S. marine aviator, technology CEO, and globe-crossing sailor who created the Pusser’s Rum brand in 1979, based on the British Royal Navy’s rum recipe. Part One of the…
British Navy Rum Before Vernon’s Grog
The narrative most rum enthusiasts know about British navy rum usually starts around 1731, when the British Navy declared that (in certain parts of the globe) a daily ration of rum was to be issued to their sailors. Alternately, they…
Pusser’s Rum Charles Tobias: On the Record (Part One)
For students of spirits history who pour over countless dry pages to glean precious tiny nuggets of information, coming face-to-face with living, breathing history that can be queried is as close to professional nirvana as one gets. Such was the…
The British Navy’s Rum Vatting System: An inside look
As the 50th anniversary of Black Tot Day approaches, interest in all things British Navy rum is rising. A topic rarely discussed is how and where the navy actually blended their rum. Britain’s navy had a series of victualling (pronounced…