National Rum Day
There Will Be Rum © Malibu Rum
How did this Saturday in August come to have such a special recognition? I get the question all the time and have yet to find the answer. Was it a marketing ploy by one of the rum companies? I know it wasn't Bacardi because I asked. Is it some tribute to rum's early influence on the founding of America? Read Wayne Curtis' And a Bottle of Rum and you might believe this theory. Was it the ingenious idea of some bar hoping to sell more Hurricanes and Mai Tais? That's another possibility and it could have been picked up by others in hopes of increasing sales. Or was it some lone guy, belly up to the bar and a few too many Mojitos in, who declared for the country that that day would forever be known as National Rum Day? Okay maybe I've gone a little too far on this one but you never know.
So the question of the week is... Who started National Rum Day, when did it begin and why? If you know the answer I'd love to be enlightened. Let us not dwell on this mystery too much and instead grab a great bottle of rum, some fresh fruit and start shaking up a great rum cocktail, we have an excuse!
Comments
I’m not sure about the origin of the date for National Rum Day. However, internationally (at least in English-speaking countries) Rum Day is celebrated on October 21st. This day marks the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson in his victorious battle over Napolean’s navy. Had this decisive battle gone the other way, we might instead now be speaking French. Other than the daily rations of rum that the sailors had and the courage it emboldened them with before going into battle, here is the other connection between this day and rum:
Upon his death, the crew placed Admiral Nelson’s body in a large cask of rum to preserve it until the ship returned to England. Legend has it that when Nelson’s ship arrived in port, the cask was opened and found to be half-empty. His torso and head were significantly decomposed. Apparently, members of the crew had tapped the barrel and consumed a fair amount of the rum at sea. From that day on, sailors of the Royal Navy celebrate the battle of Trafalgar by drinking a “tot of Nelson’s blood” (i.e. navy rum), toasting the memory of the great Admiral.