Arrg! 'tis Talk Like a Pirate Day, ye Scurvy Dogs..

As is befit’n September 19th, we be honoring thee scalawags that survived the Seven Seas and lived to tell about it. Tales to send shivers up yer spine. ’tis a tradition now, on the Scurvy Dog’s PR Blog so sit back ‘n ponder what it is to be truly ‘Piratical’

Special credit goes to the two guys that started the whole ‘Talk Like a Pirate’ thing, you should check out their website. It rates a major ARRGG!!!

Since ‘strong drink’ is part o’ the lifestyle, I’ve featured it in both previous posts. In 2010, I featured a review of 12 Rums found in Puerto Rico and in 2011 I featured a local drink known as ‘Pitorro’. There is even a ‘legit’ version of it now.

Well, I got two new ones to run past ya.

On the high end, I finally scored a bottle DonQ Gran Añejo. A Puerto Rican Rum made by Serralles. The label sez it’s a blend of their best aged rums, some as old as 12 years… nice. At $48, it’s the most expensive bottle of rum I have ever tried… comes in a nice gift box too. There are more exotic, expensive rums and hard liquors like tequila, brandy or scotch that can cost way more, but those hold no interest for me.

This añejo is strictly for sipping… it will never, ever get used in a Cuba Libre. I’ll be work’n on this one for a long time to come. As far as flavor and taste goes, it is the smoothest of any rum I have ever tasted, including my old favorite, Ron Barcelo Añejo. To be fair, the Barcelo is from the Dominican Republic, not PR. The DonQ Añejo had almost no after-taste… most delicious. Did I mention how smooth it was?

I’ll be saving this añejo for special occasions.

On the opposite end of the scale was something I found on our last trip to Ponce. We stopped in at a local grocery chain and as usual, I was looking for things I had not seen before… I found it!

Ever heard of Mamajuana? No? Neither had I.

This was a first for me!

Evidently, this is very popular in Hispanola (Haiti and the Dominican Rep.). I would classify it as a local drink.

At only $7 for a bottle, I had to try it.

Per Wikipedia- “Basically, Mama Juana is a mixture of bark and herbs left to soak in rum (most often dark rum, but the use of white rum is not uncommon), red wine and honey”. Those other ingredients usually include Anise, Clove, ‘vines’ and some stuff I’ve never heard of. Red wine was used to ‘pre-treat’ the mixture and then discarded before adding the rum.

The original concoction was a drink made by the local Taino Indians that the Spanish ‘fortified’.

My bottle of ‘Hispaniola’ branded Mamajuana was 60 proof… a little lower than most commercial rums. There was even a batch number on the label.

For a cheap bottle, it was pretty good.

Served at room temp (a tropical 84°F), I would not call it ‘smooth’, but it was not harsh either. Flavor-wise, it reminded me of a lightly flavored spiced rum or weak liqueur. It had mild notes of anise which I did not find objectionable. The after-taste was pleasant. It was sweet, but not as sweet as some liqueurs. In fact, I really liked it.

Supposedly, it has ‘medicinal properties’ and is considered an aphrodisiac by some… ‘good for what ails ya’.

Seems like something a real pirate would have drank, way back when.

Real Life Pirate Adventures in Puerto Rico-

Two things in the last year, really were exceptional… The HMS Bounty in Old San Juan and the British war of 1797 reenactment at El Morro. I did extensive posts on both of these. They bring history alive.. especially if you are a kid or a kid at heart.

The HMS Bounty is in dry dock right now, getting a little work done. It’s been featured in several movies and was originally built for the 1962 version of the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ movie. Many more details on my original post.

The 1797 British reenactment is something they do every year. Firing off the cannon and the march from El Morro down to Plaza de las Armas were
especially impressive.

Both of these make for great photos.

All the Truth on All the Pirates-

‘The Pirates Own Book’ by Charles Ellms

A free eBook from Project Gutenberg. This is a definitive collection of stories on pretty much every Pirate that ever sailed the briny seas. No detail is spared… these guys were ruthless and often operated at the behest of a government looking to loot another. Problem is, trusting a pirate is not such a great idea.

PR has had it’s fair share of pirates too.

The Caribbean was rich with plunder.. sunken treasure ships are still out there for the adventurous soul.

A good read and easy to download… available in several formats for your iPad, Kindle, Android tablet or computer.

I’ll close with this song (poem?) I lifted from the book-

A PIRATE’S SONG

To the mast nail our flag it is dark as the grave,
Or the death which it bears while it sweeps o’er the wave;
Let our deck clear for action, our guns be prepared;
Be the boarding-axe sharpened, the scimetar bared:
Set the canisters ready, and then bring to me,
For the last of my duties, the powder-room key.
It shall never be lowered, the black flag we bear;
If the sea be denied us, we sweep through the air.
Unshared have we left our last victory’s prey;
It is mine to divide it, and yours to obey:
There are shawls that might suit a sultana’s white neck,
And pearls that are fair as the arms they will deck;
There are flasks which, unseal them, the air will disclose
Diametta’s fair summers, the home of the rose.
I claim not a portion: I ask but as mine–
‘Tis to drink to our victory–one cup of red wine.
Some fight, ’tis for riches–some fight, ’tis for fame:
The first I despise, and the last is a name.
I fight, ’tis for vengeance! I love to see flow,
At the stroke of my sabre, the life of my foe.
I strike for the memory of long-vanished years;
I only shed blood where another shed tears,
I come, as the lightning comes red from above,
O’er the race that I loathe, to the battle I love.