I am, but Dark Jamaican Rum is a good change up for the holidays. You know. Rum and nog. Coffee Royale, etc...

Bushmaster wrote:

I am, but Dark Jamaican Rum is a good change up for the holidays. You know. Rum and nog. Coffee Royale, etc...

I'm not a dark rum fan but I do like spiced rum and ginger ale.

Aah yes...The "Leg up" rum...

Bushmaster wrote:

I am, but Dark Jamaican Rum is a good change up for the holidays. You know. Rum and nog. Coffee Royale, etc...

I used to be a big fan of Myers dark rum. Then I tried Gosling's Black Seal. Man, is that stuff tasty!!!

I had the privilage of "Splicing the Main Brace" aboard an English destroyer several years ago. I have no idea what the rum was, but it may have been some of the best.

Myers or Lemonheart are my choices right now.

Bushmaster wrote:

I had the privilage of "Splicing the Main Brace" aboard an English destroyer several years ago. I have no idea what the rum was, but it may have been some of the best. Myers or Lemonheart are my choices right now.

Splicing the Mainbrace aboard an English destroyer would be achieved with a wee tipple called Pussers Rum Bushy. Pussers Rum was the official rum of the Royal Navy for quite some time...centuries I believe.

Pussers Rum

They sell it through the website...but it is also available at selected outlets around the world. I managed to get a bottle here in Australia, but not without a lot of ringing and emailing around.

Cheers, Vince

We used Woods Navy Rum in the RCN. A "tot" was a mix of rum amd water. The rum was 80% ABV (160 proof in the USA). You had to get used to the taste.

I had the pleasure of being part of the last rum issue in the RCN. Splicing the mainbrace was a very rare occurrence as the Captain or higher level commander who authorized a double tot was usually required to foot the bill for the extra rum. The term comes from the practise on sailing vessels of the RN to have the rum station at the foot of the main mast. Traditionally two rum bosun's were used and the officer doing rum duty would mark each man for the tot he received from each bosun. The "pipe" used was called "Up Spirits" to which the traditional reply was "stand fast the Holy Ghost". Here is a poem that refers.

UP SPIRITS – STAND FAST THE HOLY GHOST !

There once was a time in HM Ships when the magic hour had come
The Leading Hands of every mess prepared to collect the rum
The smell of Jamaican filled the air as the ritual began
A daily tot of Nelson’s Blood was a favourite to every man

When the (Rum) Bosun stood, his measure poised
To serve every man his tot
Two fingers always in the cup
Making sure that the ‘Queen’ got her lot

The Ticker Off was there of course, his pencil at the ready
With a sipper given from each man’s tot,
His hand no longer steady

The rum rat sat, his eyes aglow, his whiskers twitching well
He liked his rum so much it seems he could get ****** on the smell

Sometimes the tots were passed around as each man paid his debts
A favour, a rubber, a duty swapped could cost a couple of wets

Then came the time to sup the ‘Queens’ ‘God Bless Her’ was the toast
A watchful eye, as each man supped so the Rum Bosun got the most

Once the rum had been consumed and nothing left to pour
The dits began as the grog took charge of favourite runs ashore

A feed, a fight, a couple of pints was part of the run ashore
A game of darts was in there too
Then all night in with a Pompey whore

No longer though does the scent of rum pervade Her Majesty’s boats
No more to sup Lord Nelson’s Blood and give the Queen her toasts

So to all who drank Lord Nelson’s Blood and heard the Klaxon’s blast
May old shipmates meet and share a wet
Spinning dits of the good times passed

A toast then to Horatio, and another to the Queen
And may we all, wherever we are,
Remember where we’ve been

Hummm. Not sure what went on after these many years that have past sense I Spliced the Mainbrace, but I do remember that there was a bit of a ceremony prior to the serving of the rum and water (grog). I held my hand over the cup when I came to the sailor with the dipper of water.

Enclosed messes (Chiefs and Petty Officers) were able to draw their rum neat and the officers had the wardroom. We "matlots" were required to mix at the table with water or soft drink. Some would use a coke can with rum in it to try and fool the OOD. If he suspected he would give you the "The Queen" and you would give the "god Bless Her" and then have to drain your glass.

Ah...long will I remember the many toasts in the Sergeants' Mess when I was in the Army. We would toast the Queen, The Regiment, The Battalion, the Ladies if present...and anything else that sounded like it needed toasting.

In the Army we toasted with Port...avg alcohol percentage is about 18% or more. Not a lot, but certainly enough to give you a head with the heebie geebies the next day.

As a Piper I also regularly toasted the assembled Mess...only with fine Single Malt Whisky, from a Quaich of course. The Mess Supervisor would pass me the quaich with a shot of whisky "installed", and the PMC (President of the Mess Committee) would ask what I would like with my whisky, the reply being...more whisky Sir...so another shot was added. I would then toast the assembled Mess with "Lang mey yer lum reek... Sláinte. I would then quaff the contents of the quaich in a single draft. Terrible way to treat a good Single Malt, but that was the tradition.

Cheers, Vince

Cheers, Vince

When I received my militia officer commission in the Essex and Kent Scottish we were required by mess tradition to take a shot of snuff from a box attached to a ram's head and then drink a lit glass of Drambuie. The ceremony was irreverently called the "Flaming Arseholes". Any field rank officer (Major and above) was expected to buy you a drink which you had to drain standing to attention after toasting to his health. I was attached to the regular force unit, the 8th Hussars which had a "Gunners'" mess. Before you could buy a drink you had to hang upside down from a gun carriage wheel that was suspended from the ceiling in the mess and down a pint of beer. My only problem with this tradition was I spilled some of the beer.

MacD wrote:

When I received my militia officer commission in the Essex and Kent Scottish we were required by mess tradition to take a shot of snuff from a box attached to a ram's head and then drink a lit glass of Drambuie. The ceremony was irreverently called the "Flaming Arseholes". Any field rank officer (Major and above) was expected to buy you a drink which you had to drain standing to attention after toasting to his health. I was attached to the regular force unit, the 8th Hussars which had a "Gunners'" mess. Before you could buy a drink you had to hang upside down from a gun carriage wheel that was suspended from the ceiling in the mess and down a pint of beer. My only problem with this tradition was I spilled some of the beer.

My brother in law started off in the military in the Essex and Kent Regiment and now, he is a Warrant Officer in the 2PPCLI.

MacD wrote:

When I received my militia officer commission in the Essex and Kent Scottish we were required by mess tradition to take a shot of snuff from a box attached to a ram's head and then drink a lit glass of Drambuie. The ceremony was irreverently called the "Flaming Arseholes". Any field rank officer (Major and above) was expected to buy you a drink which you had to drain standing to attention after toasting to his health. I was attached to the regular force unit, the 8th Hussars which had a "Gunners'" mess. Before you could buy a drink you had to hang upside down from a gun carriage wheel that was suspended from the ceiling in the mess and down a pint of beer. My only problem with this tradition was I spilled some of the beer.

Aaahhh....the good old days when you could have a bit of fun in the Mess. Not anymore...very serious business now. No more Mess Rugby, very docile Mess games at Dinners...all the fun has gone.

Cheers, Vince

[quote="Vince"]Ah...long will I remember the many toasts in the Sergeants' Mess when I was in the Army. We would toast the Queen, The Regiment, The Battalion, the Ladies if present...and anything else that sounded like it needed toasting.

I was chosen to give the toast to the Queen at my graduation from RCMP depot. There was only two ex-service members in our graduating troops, the other guy was navy and I was army/air force. I sort of flubbed the toast as I toasted to "My Queen" as oppossed to the correct "Our Queen".
What sealed my fate was that I made the same mistake in French. The toast was made, our guest drank to it and then the laughter. I didn't know what had happened and when I was told, I didn't believe that I had made the mistake; until I saw the video the next day, at our final clearing out meeting. Ahh my brandy glass is empty. Time to refill! Chimo ITD

We always toasted "The Queen" mate...no confusion there. So how many Ports did your flubber cost you in the Kangaroo Court after the dinner mate?

A mistake like that would have cost me at least three ports.

Cheers, Vince