Rum - the history of origin and production

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The modern market of alcoholic beverages is represented by various types of alcoholic beverages. Judging by the reviews, many lovers of strong alcohol are interested in the history of the creation of rum. And it is not surprising, since the word rum has many associations with sailors and pirates. Nevertheless, today it is widely used to prepare various glamorous cocktails or grog, used as a medicine, and also drunk after adding hot water and seasoning with spices. You will learn about the history of the origin and production of rum from this article.

Introduction

Rum is considered a rather sweet and tart alcoholic drink, the basis for the production of which is distilled juice and molasses. They are obtained by making cane sugar. Further, this raw material base is fermented or distilled, and rum is obtained at the output. In other words, it is cane vodka.

About making

According to experts, there are several recipes for creating this alcoholic drink. In each region, the manufacturer uses its own technology. For example, rum can be aged in barrels fromoak that previously held bourbon or sherry.

In another distillery, alcohol is immediately bottled. It is possible that rum can be mixed with light and dark varieties. As a result of blending, a drink with a rather original and mild taste is obtained.

Be that as it may, only the rum that is made exclusively from sugar cane is considered real. If any other analogues were used at the distillery, then the drink cannot be called rum.

About manufacturing technology

This procedure consists of several stages. First of all, they collected the raw material base. Plantation-grown sugarcane was carefully sorted, unripe stalks were sifted out, and then delivered to the factory.

Then juice was extracted from them by pressing. This was followed by a refining procedure: the juice was heated until it turned into a viscous syrup. Then he was seasoned with special yeast. He wandered in copper vats. Distillation followed. After distillation, the rum had a strength of 80%. To make it meet the standard, the masters lowered it to 40%. Then the distillate was aged in barrels for some time. There he acquired the appropriate taste and color. Then followed the blending procedure.

On the origin of the name

Scientists who study the history of the origin of rum claim that the basis for the name of this alcoholic drinkbecame the word rumbullion, which translates as "fight" and "big noise". However, there is a second version, according to which rum was used by Dutch sailors from huge glasses - rummers. Some believe that the name comes from the word rum, which is translated from the Gypsy as "strong, strong", or from the English slang term rum (wonderful, strange). In the middle of the 17th century, two alcoholic drinks became very popular in England, namely ramboozle and rumfustian. It is from them, according to some researchers, that the name Roma came from. If we shorten the Latin words saccharum (sugar) or iterum (repeat again), we also get "rum". There is a version that the word arome served as the basis for the name, which means “aroma” in French.

The history of Roma. How did it all start?

According to experts, the juice extracted from sugar cane, for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, was first used in ancient China and India. The history of rum begins after the first Crusade to Asia, committed by pilgrims in 1096-1270, when cane sugar was brought to Europe. At that time, it was a very rare and quite expensive commodity. In the 14th century, Venice monopolized its production and sale. As sugarcane began to become of great financial importance, several plantations were established in Portugal and Spain to grow it. Soon, cane processing plants were built in the Canary and Azores and Madeira. As a result, Lisbon became the center for the production of sugar.

After the discovery of Americathe geography of cane cultivation has increased. To a large extent, this was favored by the rather developed Portuguese shipping. At that time, Mexico, Brazil and Peru were famous for their natural we alth, namely gold and minerals. The Caribbean has become the center of sugarcane cultivation. At the end of the 15th century, the first shoots of this plant were brought to the West Indies by Christopher Columbus. According to experts, it was first landed on the island of Hispaniola. In 1512 the Spanish began to develop plantations, and by 1520 cane was common in Brazil, Mexico, South America and Peru.

Production history

Rum, according to many historians, was first made in Barbados. However, there are records that indicate that this alcohol was made in the 1620s. in Brazil. For example, in 1628, the Swedish warship Vasa was discovered, on which they found a pewter flask with this alcoholic drink. Those who are interested in the history of rum, a drink familiar to the modern consumer, should know that this spirit began to be produced in the Caribbean. Between 1630 and 1660 he came to America.

Since 1664, rum has been produced on Staten Island. Then the first factory for the production of this alcoholic drink was built by the British. In 1667, a similar enterprise was founded in Boston. Soon rum began to generate income for the British colonies, due to which it was used as a currency. Its popularity so increased that it was the impetus for the creation of a trade agreement known as the Trilater altrade”, according to which the trade in slaves, molasses and rum was established. There are many different stories about rum.

According to some experts, this drink made America. The fact is that in 1764 the “Sugar Law” came into force, which in turn suspended the “Trilateral Trade”. The trade agreement itself was very profitable and, according to experts, was the impetus for a revolution in America. On the other hand, the production of rum fell into decline due to the war and the growing popularity of whiskey.

Rum in the seafaring

This liquor was very popular thanks to sailors and pirates. Rum began to be identified with sailors from 1655. At that time, Jamaica was captured by the British. Going on a long voyage, they took very large stocks of this alcohol. The fact is that fresh water, if stored improperly, can become rotten, and rum was used as an effective means for disinfecting it. In addition, brandy, popular at that time, was replaced with a Caribbean drink. Since the beer could quickly run out, and the water could go bad, the sailors drank rum every day. There were many ways to use it. At first, rum was drunk in its pure form, then lemon juice was added to alcohol. At the request of the Admiral of the Fleet of Britain Edward Vernon in 1740, rum began to be diluted with water. The fact is that the officer had doubts about the combat effectiveness of the personnel after drinking pure alcohol. Since the admiral constantly walked in a cloak of fai, which was also called grogram cloak, there is a versionthat it was he who became the founder of the warming drink grog.

Actually, it's just a mixture of water and rum. Those who are interested in the history of rum will be interested to know that until 1970 it was included in the daily diet of any sailor. At the end of July of the same year, alcohol was abolished.

Rum as currency

Researchers involved in the history of rum claim that due to its increased popularity, not with money, but with bottles of this alcoholic drink in Australia, they even paid a salary to farm laborers. This practice continued until 1800. When the government of the country forbade doing so, the workers began to rebel.

Bacardi

Quite an interesting story of Bacardi rum. According to one version, rum was invented by slaves on plantations. It was they who noticed that under the influence of the scorching sun, fermentation processes begin in the cane juice. The result is a drink with a high strength. It is from this discovery that the history of rum begins. At that time, the manufacturing technology was quite primitive, and did not provide for distillations and stills. As a result of the fermentation of the juice, the drink turned out to be of poor quality, namely, rather rough, with a dark tint, and it also smelt very strongly of alcohol.

It is not surprising that until the second half of the 19th century, oily rum, in contrast to pure and aristocratic European drinks, was associated with sailors and the poor. In 1843 Don Facundo Masso Bacardi came to Santiago de Cua. Having received a tender from the government, with the aim ofto improve alcoholic products, he began active experimentation. He used various distillation technologies, used carbon filters and special yeast. The result was a rum that was much lighter in color and had a milder flavor. In 1862, the world famous company Bacardi was founded, with the products of which the modern consumer is familiar.

19th century

According to experts, at this time, winemaking faded into the background. The production of strong alcoholic beverages came to the forefront. It was not profitable to trade in amateur bitters and weak wines. Therefore, during the years when Prohibition was in effect, a large amount of rum was imported into America by bootleggers.

About production styles

In the Caribbean, on every island or production area, craftsmen adhere to their unique style of making this spirit. Depending on the language traditional for the region, these styles are combined into groups. The Spanish-speaking diaspora produces light rum, which has a mild taste. Ron is produced with Cuban and Puerto Rican style technologies. English Rum, produced by the English-speaking diaspora, is slightly darker, with a brighter flavor and aroma. A typical representative of this product is Jamaican alcohol. They make it in Guyana. The production technology of the French Rhum does not provide for the use of molasses and molasses. The basis for alcohol in Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Martinique and the West Indies was only sugar cane juice. A similar technology is used in Brazil to make Brazilian rum or cachaça, which belongs to a separate group of alcohol.

About treatment with cane vodka

At one time, rum was often called "the death of the devil." The reason for this name lies in the medicinal properties of alcohol. With its help, flu, colds and indigestion were treated quite successfully. Rum was also used as an effective remedy for scurvy and baldness.