Rum

A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776

By: Ian Williams

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Paperback | 1 August 2006 | Edition Number 1

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368 Pages

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2 x 14.2 x 21.6

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Ian Williams describes in captivating detail how Rum and the molasses that it was made from was to the 18th century what oil is today. Rum was used by the colonists to clear Native American tribes and to buy slaves. To make it, they regularly traded with the enemy French during the Seven Years' War, angering their British masters and setting themselves on the road to Revolution. The regular flow of rum was essential to keeping both armies in the field since soldiers relied on rum to keep up their fighting spirits. Even though the Puritans themselves were fond of rum in quantities that would appall modern day doctors, temperance and Prohibition have obscured the historical role of the "Global Spirit with its warm heart in the Caribbean. " Ian Williams' book triumphantly restores rum's rightful place in history, taking us across space and time, from its origins in the plantations of Barbados through Puritan and Revolutionary New England, to voodoo rites in modern Haiti, where to mix rum with Coke risks invoking the wrath of the god, and across the Florida straits where Fidel and the Bacardi family are still fighting over the rights for the ingredients of Cuba Libre.

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Non-Fiction Cooking, Food & Drink Beverages Alcoholic Beverages History General & World History Business & Management Industry & Industrial Studies Service Industries Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History

Preface	p. ix
Introduction: Rum: The Global Spirit with Its Heart in the Caribbean	p. xiii
Origins-"A Hot Hellish Liquor"
What Is It, Where Is It?	p. 3
Sugar: The Seed of Rum	p. 9
The Caribbean Connection: Preparing the Ground	p. 17
Barbados, the Birthplace of Rum	p. 27
Rum in the Americas: The Spirit of 1776
Early Settlers	p. 61
Thirsty Saints	p. 69
The Spirit of Celebration	p. 77
The Fishy Side of Rum	p. 85
The Great Spirit's Appointed Means	p. 99
The Caribbean, Rum, and Imperial Liquidity	p. 115
Blame the French	p. 121
No Taxation!	p. 125
Seven Years That Changed the World	p. 131
After the War Was Over	p. 147
Fast Run to Revolution: The Spirit of 1776	p. 165
Rum and the Doctors	p. 181
Rolling Around the World
High Spirits	p. 205
Rum, Buggery, and the Lash: The Navy and Rum	p. 225
Rum around the World	p. 255
Voodoo Spirit: Haiti	p. 271
Cuba Libre!	p. 283
Prohibition and the End of the Heroic Age of Rum?	p. 301
Bibliography	p. 313
Endnotes	p. 325
Index	p. 333
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Rum

A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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