Before it was known as rum, the alcoholic spirit made from sugar cane was called kill-devil, so named because the crude rum made by English colonists in the Caribbean was, according to one seventeenth-century author, a “hot, hellish, and terrible liquor.” Kill-devil, which dates back to at least 1639, was joined a few years later by rum, a word whose origin remains something of a puzzle. On the one hand, rum may be a shortened form of saccharum, a Medieval Latin name for sugar produced, like rum, from sugar cane. On the other hand, rum may be a shortened form of rumbullion, which was also used as a name for the liquor. If rum is short for rumbullion, then the bullion part of the name is likely a corruption of bouillon, a French word meaning broth, and the rum part is likely the rum that originated in the sixteenth century as a slang term meaning excellent. Rumbullion would therefore mean excellent broth, a name that must have been facetious, considering the vile taste of the early rums. However, undermining this explanation for the origin of rum is the possibility that rum is the original term and that rumbullion emerged only as a humourous lengthening of the name, just as thingamajig and superduper are playful extensions of thing and super. The mystery may never be solved because rum and rumbullion appeared in print at almost exactly the same time, making it impossible to know which one was in use first.
Embarking on a journey through the sun-kissed lands of the Caribbean, one discovers an elixir that embodies the spirit of the tropics a captivating libation crafted from the essence of molasses, distilled with utmost care. With roots firmly grounded in the isles of Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, Martinique, Cuba, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, this beloved nectar thrives where sugar cane reigns supreme. Behold, the renowned creation known as rum, a testament to the artistry of the Caribbean. Within its realm, two distinct realms unfold the Puerto Rican, renowned for its lightness, and the Jamaican, exuding a deeper allure. The former, affectionately referred to as “white,” lends itself gracefully to libations such as the renowned Daiquiri or highballs bearing the golden moniker. Meanwhile, the bolder, richer character of Jamaican rum finds its calling in the realm of hot toddies and punches, inviting travelers to savor the beloved planter’s punch a harmonious fusion of diverse rums and tantalizing fruit juices, whispering tales of paradise in every sip.