Today, when we think of pirates we think of them of loving to drink, having a good time, and just characters. Of course, pirates loved drinking anything they could, but their drink of choice was rum. The drunken antics are legend and pirates would enjoy their rum. They would purchase it when they would stop at ports or they would loot it from other ships. Read below on how rum is an important feature of a pirate and their life.
Hotbed of Pirate Action
Pirates would loot and attack the Spanish, British, and French ships on the Caribbean as it was their hotbed of action. Most of the pirates would first start off being sailors with the military, but switched to being a pirate, because of the adventurous lifestyle was more attractive. They didn’t have to answer to any commanders of the navy and the pay was much better than being in the military. They also enjoyed that they had no rules to abide by and they were allowed to drink anytime.
Stagnant drinking water
When the pirates discovered America and made longer journeys, the pirates quickly found out that their drinking water would become stagnant, so the pirates started adding alcohol, so the water would be safer to drink. Water, rum, and lime was the pirate’s well-known drink of choice. The navy also used this drink for their sailors, so the sailors would stay hydrated, and this was rationed to them only two times a day, but the pirates drank their drink of choice anytime they wanted.
Rum from the Caribbean
Jamaica and the surrounding area in the Caribbean is where the world’s rum is from. The main ingredient in rum is sugar and sugar is one of the largest commodities in these areas. The rum trade was vital to these areas and large amounts of rum was much more affordable to ship. Ships sailing the Caribbean Ocean were carrying thousands of barrels of rum, and pirates love their rum, so they started looting the ships. The pirates would come aboard the ships, then they would take the crewmembers hostage, which they would release for ransom, then the pirates would steal all the rum, treasures and jewels, so they could sell the treasures and jewels when they arrived to a port.
Disregard for Sobriety
The pirates would have access to large amounts of run and they normally drank most of the rum themselves. The rum would keep the pirates morale boosted and happy, but in the long run the drinking would become the downfall for all pirate ships. A merchant ship or a military ship allowed their crew to drink alcohol, but they were always rationed out and the alcohol was always watered down, so the crew wouldn’t become intoxicated. Pirate ships had no discipline when it came to the rum and alcohol, and the pirates just disregarded sobriety. With this in mind, many pirate ships were overtaken with ease, because the pirates were just too drunk to fight!