Ramboozle is a popular British mid-seventeenth century
alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...
, similar to
rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Phili ...
. The drink, and its variation, ''rumfustian,'' were made by mixing eggs, ale, wine, sugar, and various spices, and then distilling. The names, both British slang, have been linked with the
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
word ''rum,'' meaning "strong" or "potent," as the drink had a high
alcohol content
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
.
In popular culture
The historian and novelist
Thomas Fleming mentions the rumfustian variant of ramboozle in his
Revolutionary War novel ''
Liberty Tavern
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...
,'' whose narrator, James Kemble, provides its recipe but notes, "This drink has gone out of style in America. If it ever returns, farewell tranquility".
References
British distilled drinks
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