flipBlackbeard's Bumbo (Rum, Sugar, and Nutmeg)
Blackbeard's Bumbo (Rum, Sugar, and Nutmeg)
Why this dish? Rum flowed freely on Teach's ships, and bumbo—rum, water, sugar, and grated nutmeg—was the favorite drink of Caribbean outlaws. Legend even has it that Blackbeard sometimes mixed gunpowder into his rum to give himself a devilish air; here we keep the drinkable, warming version.
A sweet, spiced grog: good rum cut with water, sweetened with sugar, lifted with a generous grating of nutmeg and a little cinnamon. Smooth, warm to the throat, the comfort of night watches.
Bring your cup close, mate, and don't let your hand tremble. Island rum, a finger of water so you don't burn raw, brown sugar, and nutmeg grated on top—that's my bumbo, and it's worth any parson's sermon. They say I drink my rum with flaming gunpowder; they say many things about Blackbeard, and that's just as well. But between us, it's this draught—sweet and warm—that keeps a man upright on the night watch. To your health, and to hell with the gallows.
- •West Indian rum — a good measure (alcohol)
- •Water — about the same (dilution)
- •Cane sugar (brown) — to taste (sweetness)
- •Grated nutmeg — generous (aromatic signature)
- •Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
Blackbeard's Bumbo (Rum, Sugar, and Nutmeg)
A sweet, spiced grog: good rum cut with water, sweetened with sugar, lifted with a generous grating of nutmeg and a little cinnamon. Smooth, warm to the throat, the comfort of night watches.
Why this dish? Rum flowed freely on Teach's ships, and bumbo—rum, water, sugar, and grated nutmeg—was the favorite drink of Caribbean outlaws. Legend even has it that Blackbeard sometimes mixed gunpowder into his rum to give himself a devilish air; here we keep the drinkable, warming version.
Bring your cup close, mate, and don't let your hand tremble. Island rum, a finger of water so you don't burn raw, brown sugar, and nutmeg grated on top—that's my bumbo, and it's worth any parson's sermon. They say I drink my rum with flaming gunpowder; they say many things about Blackbeard, and that's just as well. But between us, it's this draught—sweet and warm—that keeps a man upright on the night watch. To your health, and to hell with the gallows.
Ingredients (period version)
- West Indian rum — a good measure (alcohol)
- Water — about the same (dilution)
- Cane sugar (brown) — to taste (sweetness)
- Grated nutmeg — generous (aromatic signature)
- Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
Ingredients
- Amber rum — 6 cl (alcohol)
- Water (hot or cold) — 6 cl (dilution)
- Brown sugar — 1-2 tsp (sweetness)
- Fresh nutmeg — grated on top (aromatic signature)
- Cinnamon — 1 pinch (spice)
- Alcohol-free version: spiced tea + apple juice — 12 cl (family alternative)
Method
- Dissolve the sugar in water (preferably warm).
- Add the rum and stir.
- Grate fresh nutmeg generously over the surface, add a pinch of cinnamon.
- Serve in a pewter cup. For children and school: replace rum with hot spiced apple juice flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon.
How it was made : Bumbo (or "bombo") is attested in the 18th century as a colonial and marine drink of the Caribbean: rum, water, sugar, and nutmeg. It was akin to "flip" (rum, beer, and eggs heated with a red-hot iron) and grog. Rum, distilled from molasses of Caribbean sugar plantations, was central to the economy and life of sailors during the golden age of piracy.
The contemporary twist : Served warm like a winter grog, nutmeg grated fresh at the table—and for the 0% alcohol version for families, a "ship's boy bumbo" of spiced apple juice, topped with grated nutmeg.
Blackbeard · Charactorium
