Today is officially "Black Tot Day", but not in Bahama Bob's Navy. The vessels of Bahama Bob's Navy are celebrating the arrival of Pusser's Gunpowder Proof Rum to Florida today. Morning Grog on Sanity Too to start the day, followed by this evening's the introduction party starting at 7 pm at the Rum Barrel on Front Street in Key West. Today all the sailors in my Navy are drinking Pusser's Gunpowder Proof Rum in the true style of the British Sailors.
The unique component of Pusser's Gunpowder Proof is rum distilled from vintage wooden pot stills, a process that provides a depth of flavor far beyond that of mass-produced rums distilled from “modern” semi-automatic metal column stills. The two existing wooden pot stills, first put in use in the early 1700s and located in Guyana’s Demerara River Valley, impregnate the rum with esters (naturally occurring organic flavoring compounds) far beyond those of any other rum. What results is a truly unique, award winning taste.
The name “Pusser’s” is nothing more than a corruption of the word “Purser,” the Royal Navy ship’s supply officer who retained the stocks of rum. Before hydrometers, the ship’s Purser would test rum strength by mixing a few grains of gunpowder with rum to see if it would ignite under the heat of a magnifying glass. If it did that was 'proof' the rum was “at strength,” if it was not, the Purser was threatened with bodily harm for “watering down” the rum.
Join us tonight at the Rum Barrel for an evening of great rum tasting a chance to try some unique Pusser's Gunpowder Proof cocktails and some fun giveaways. The party starts at 7 pm upstairs on the Quarterdeck of the Rum Barrel. Admission is FREE.