The History of Rum

De: John Donoghue, The Great Courses

Narrado por: John Donoghue

Piña coladas. Mojitos. Hurricanes. Daiquiris. Mai tais.

Nothing makes a vacation like one of these delightful rum drinks, right? But whether blended with ice and fruit or sipped neatly from a glass tumbler, this sweet and fiery spirit brings with it a fascinating, complicated history that stretches back to colonial times of the 17th century in the Caribbean.

"The history of rum is a tale of both sweetness and sorrow," says historian John Donoghue of Loyola University, Chicago. And, as he puts it, "If told correctly, much like a good bottle of Jamaican overproof, it burns while it inspires."

Professor Donoghue does just that in the Audible Original The History of Rum. Blending politics and economics with culture and beverage appreciation, these 10 lessons reveal how the history of rum not only shaped the drinking culture of the early modern and modern worlds, but how it also helped determine the wider histories of piracy, slavery, abolition, and global capitalism.

Explore the invention of rum as a liquor so strong it was called "kill-devil". Discover classic colonial drinks like flip and stone fence. Meet the real Captain Morgan, who pillaged the Spanish Main for capital to build Jamaica's rum industry, and learn how rum played a crucial role in the early campaigns of George Washington. Chart rum's growing profitability in international markets, which spurred everything from the transatlantic African slave trade to the American Revolution.

Above all, enjoy a 10-lesson toast to 400 years of rum - in all its tragic glory.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

eye opener

Course was very informative and interesting. I didn't realize all the terrible history involved with rum.

Of great historical importance

This is a very well narrated story that gives profound insight into not only rum and its history but the influence of various trade practices on the history of the United States. I strongly recommend this captivating story in Audible form.

amazing business acumen and Terriost behavior are

amazing business acumen and Terriost behavior are not mutually exclusive. the brutalization of humans to achieve the desired result, should not not have terms like success used with them. they achieved wealth and where able to gain strong marketshare, due to the brutal terrorism of the African enslaved.

great history and narration

Learned so much from start to finish! Well done and keeps your interest throughout!! Rum has a sorted past yet still great!

Interesting read, weird narration

Really enjoyed the topic. This was informative and interesting, tying in many well-known US historical events into their relationships with rum. (Some may have been a stretch of the truth)
The narrator, however, had a thoroughly bizarre way of reading some words. I don’t think it’s an ESL or an accent thing. I think he just says some words in a odd way, which I found distracting. I also found it weird that although this is supposed to be a professor narrating on a subject they are meant to be well-versed in, much of his reading felt like the first time he’d ever seen or read these words. Just…weird.