Which word now used loosely, originally described rum diluted with water?
Rum ration Rum ration The rum ration (also called tot) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that regular intakes of alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery. The rum ration, or "tot", consisted of of rum at 95.5 proof (54.6% ABV), given out to every sailor at midday. Senior ratings (petty officers and above) received their rum neat, whilst for junior ratings it was diluted with two parts of water to make of grog. The rum ration was served from one particular barrel, also known as
Rum Swizzle (1838), Bridgetown, Barbados (1841), Great Britain (1862), Bridgeport, Barbados (1908), and the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands (1911). In these earliest versions, the drink typically consisted of one part of rum diluted with five or six parts water (sometimes with additional aromatic ingredients), which was mixed by rotating between the palms of the hands a special forked stick made from a root; another account describes it as spruce beer with added rum and sugar. In his 1909 book, "Beverages, Past and Present: An Historical Sketch of Their Production," Brotherhood Winery owner Edward R. Emerson asserted that