MADreads

Yo-ho-ho…

March 27th, 2007 Susan - Central

As author Wayne Curtis points out in And a Bottle of Rum: a History of the New World in Ten Cocktails, virtually any native English speaker would be able to complete the above phrase.  Yet in this book he makes clear that not only does rum pre-date this catchy ditty by at least 250 years, it played a much more complex and important role in the history of the New World than just being a cheap intoxicant associated in the popular mind with Caribbean pirates.

This readable microhistory does an entertaining job of explaining how rum; literally “the distilled essence of fermented industrial waste” (i.e. molasses, a by-product of cane sugar production) is a commodity through which our economic, political, and social history can be traced.  Arranged roughly chronologically, with each chapter named for a drink popular at that time and place, it traces the up and down fortunes of rum, mixing history lessons with interesting anecdotes and trivia.  (Who knew Grog was a drink not for pirates but the British navy?)

Where else are you going to find a book that manages to cover ground as diverse as the slave trade, the American Revolution, Carrie Nation, The Andrews Sisters, Hemingway, and the invention of the Tiki Bar without getting off track?  It initially caught my eye because I am interested in history in general, the Caribbean in particular, and yes, rum– and it didn’t disappoint.  And if, like me, you like the occasional rum cocktail, the last chapter (bonus!) consists entirely of recipes.  So mix yourself a Mojito, sit back, and enjoy.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction