Rum

'Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!' A favourite of pirates, the molasses-coloured liquid brings to mind clear blue seas and weatherbeaten sailors. But enjoymentof rum spread far beyond the scallywags of the Caribbean Charles Dickens savoured it in punch, George Washington served it at campaign rallies, Queen Victoria sipped it in the British Navy's grog, and Kamehameha I of Hawaii drank it straight. In Rum Richard Foss tells the colourful, secret history of a spirit that not only helped spark the American Revolution but was even used as currency in Australia.