First Shot Rum

Rum in Colonial America

Sugar, used to sweeten foods and to make rum, was one of the largest cash crops in the world in the 18th century. In British-controlled Caribbean islands like Jamaica and Barbados, massive plantations powered by slave labor grew and processed massive amounts of sugar cane. The sugar and molasses produced there was shipped to New England, where distilling businesses boomed, making it the final stop in the infamous Triangle Trade.

With so many distilling businesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, rum quickly grew into the favorite alcohol of the area. It was mixed into such whimsically-named drinks as Flip, Rattle-Skull, and Stone Fence. Throughout the 18th century, when water was often not potable, rum drinks fueled the farmers and revolutionaries who met in local taverns to discuss politics and plan for an independent America. Here in Lexington, mixed drinks could be had at Buckman Tavern or Munroe Tavern, known as “The Sign of the Punch-Bowl.”