One of the main challenges of sixteenth century sea voyages was providing their crews with a liquid supply to last long journeys. Navy captains turned to the most readily available sources of liquid in the day - water and beer, with no real discrimination made between the two. Water contained in casks was the quicker of the two to spoil by algae, but beer also soured when stored for too long. Royal Navy sailors took to drinking their rations of beer first and water second, sweetening the spoiling water with beer or wine to make it more palatable.

Directions: Mix the regular and brown sugars and butter in a sauce pan. Set to a low heat until the butter melts. Be sure to stir occasionally. When the butter is melted, pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the ice cream. Beat together until the mixture is smooth. To make the buttered rum drink, fill 1/4 of a cup with the mixture, add about an ounce of rum substitute, and 3/4 of a cup of boiling water. Top with a pinch of nutmeg. The butter/ice cream/sugar mixture can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for about two weeks, which makes it a cinch to prepare when you have unexpected company.

In Old San Juan, go down to Pier 2 on the San Juan Bay waterfront. Pay 50 cents at the ferry terminal to hop aboard one of the frequent and fast water taxis. On the other side of the bay you will find taxis waiting to take you to the distillery for $3 one-way. So including your return trip (taxi + water taxi), your total cost for this excursion will be $7.

Bacardi is the best example of white rum. White rum is ready to be bottled and doesn't need any maturing. However, some manufacturers do mature it for a period of 6 months or so, but never for more than a year. This young, youthful drink is a great companion to most mixers and hence, finds its place in many cocktails. Rum is often enjoyed with coke. White rum (Bacardi in particular) when topped with coke and ice and garnished with a lime slice is known as Cuba libre.

An alcoholic drink determined to have a place in history - even the dark parts of history - rum was involved in the slave trade, as slaves, molasses, and rum were part of the triangular trade. When this trade was interrupted because of the 1764 Sugar Act, another straw was thrown on the American Colonists back. Thus, bottles of rum can often be overhead bragging to bottles of wine and bottles of whiskey that they were the reason for the American Revolution.

Citrus juice (usually lime or lemon juice) was added to the recipe to make the taste more palatable. Unknowingly the vitamin C contained in the citrus juice prevented the disease 'scurvy' from affecting Admiral Vernon's sailors. Once this was realised, the mixture was adopted throughout the Navy and the British sailors were given the nickname of 'limeys' by which British people are still referred today.

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