Episode 35: Nelson's Blood Cocktail and Black Tot Day

Hi Folks,Well the summer is over and we are back to work now. Yes :(This episode we will be talking about a cocktail named Nelson's Blood. Why are we drink his blood? Well, there is more to the story then just the drink. We have to start with Pusser's rum (British Navy rum). Why are we talking about this rum and what is its relation to the drink? Pusser's rum was a British royal Navy rum that was portioned out to the sailor from 1655 to 1970 (July 31st to be exact). It was then released to the public (who didn't have access to this prior). Black Tot Day is when the royal navy stopped handing our rations of rum to the sailors. The ships got to technical and the main reason for the ration in the beginning was to deal with hardship and not for drinking. So again...who is Nelson?Admiral Nelson was a killed in battle in 1700's in a colonial war and had requested that his body be put into a cask of Pusser's rum to preserve him for the long journey back to England. The problem was the journey took longer than expected and the sailors ran out of rum on the ship. So...they tapped into the cask that his body was preserved in and by the time the ship got back to England, the cask was empty except his pickled body. Pusser's rum is sometimes referred to as Nelson's Blood. This drink (Nelson's Blood) is on the Pusser's rum website and can only be made with that rum. Mark (our tiki expert) goes through some cool facts on different rations of spirits by different countries and each of them had their own Black Tot Day as well.In our "terminology" segment: we discuss different terms used on the navy ships and what they meant. Curious: you have to listen in...Recipe: 2 oz. Pusser’s Rum (Gunpowder Proof), 2 oz. Cranberry Juice, 1 oz. Orange Juice, 1 oz. Lime Juice, 1/2 oz. Sugar Syrup, A dash of Angostura bitters. Directions: Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain into a glass with ice and serve.What is gunpowder rum?? Well listen to find out!!Bonus recipe: (my own creation..ops I mean Norma's):Sucking the Monkey:1.5 oz coconut rum, 0.5 oz banana liqueur, 2 oz pineapple juice,1 oz cream of coconut. Shake and strain into a Collins glass.