The rum ration (also called the tot) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that the intake of strong alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery.
Ratings were instead allowed to purchase beer, and the amount allowed was determined, according to the MP David Owen, by the amount of space available for stowing the extra beer in ships
I’ll bet there was a LARGE difference of opinion on that amount.
I came across a bill of lading for a British ship of the line, maybe late 1700s, early 1800s. The amount of booze per person was astounding, by any current standard of comparison.
Here’s an article from Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/reasons-why-royal-navy-bribed-sailors-booze-180964223/
As Winston Churchill reportedly commented, the traditions of the Royal Navy could be summed up as “rum, sodomy and the lash”.
When Admiral Nelson was killed, they placed his body in a cask of rum to preserve it for the trip back. By the time the ship returned to dock, all the rum was gone. After this, taking a measure of rum became known as “tapping the Admiral”.
“a drop of Nelson’s blood” is a common refrain in English sea shanties.
In some of my favorite books, the Aubrey-Maturin series, Dr. Maturin has an asp preserved in alcohol and the seamen sneak in and drink it off!
