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Early Colonists Chose Rum as Their Drink of Choice

Author: Matt Hay Credit: Testing Image Credit

In Our Country’s Infancy, Rum was the Drink of Choice.

Rum was the trending spirit during the 1700’s. American colonists loved rum and widely accepted the spirit as gifts from its politicians. When running for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, George Washington gave voters 28 gallons of rum and 50 gallons of rum punch. Rum was everywhere: In 1765, colonists distilled over 4.8 million gallons of rum along the east coast, making it more available than whiskey.