Pirate party tips

Bumbo – an authentic Caribbean drink during the era of piracy

While researching grog, Escher0 came across Bumbo and reports: According to Wikipedia here: Bumbo was popular in the Caribbean during the era of piracy, largely because it tasted better than Royal Navy Grog. Pirates and short-haul merchantmen did not suffer from scurvy as often as British sailors, largely because their voyages were shorter and their diet included plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. This meant that citrus juice could be dropped from the grog recipe, and sugar and nutmeg sweetened the mix.

So not only was it supposed to be tastier, it was actually the authentic drink for the setting of the game!

There are countless recipes for bumbo but with some more research, we settled on this one:

• 2 oz Amber Rum
• 1 oz Chilled Water
• 2 Sugar Cubes (brown or cane)
• Sprinkle Cinnamon
• Sprinkle Nutmeg

We had some trouble getting the sugar to dissolve and we wanted to make a whole bottle of Bumbo so we boiled some water, measured it out and dissolved the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Once it had cooled, we added the rum (we used Captain Morgan) and stuck it all in the fridge overnight. Since bumbo doesn’t take ice, it should be served slightly chilled. So right before the party, we took it out of the fridge and put it out. It did not last long. We made one bottle but should have made two, it was such a hit.