“I have seen above 20 sail at a time in this road come to lade salt; and these ships coming from some of the Caribbean Islands are always well stored with rum, sugar and lime-juice to make punch, to hearten their men when they are at work, getting and bringing aboard the salt; and they commonly provide the more, in hopes to meet with privateers who resort hither in the aforesaid months purposely to keep a Christmas as they call it; being sure to meet liquor enough to be merry with, and are very liberal to those that treat them.”
I did not write this story. This is an excerpt from William (yes, another William) Dampier’s journal, written in 1697. Dampier was an English explorer who is frequently touted as the first Englishman to explore Australia and the first person to circumnavigate the world three times. Although not famous for murdering a bunch of people or wiping out any indigenous tribes, he was also considered a pirate and privateer. I have recently discovered these two labels were more complicated and political than I had ever imagined, which has left me with many opinions. But that is for a different post.
Why is this entry written by William Dampier interesting? Many reasons. One is because of the way he writes about punch. According to the explorer, drinking punch helped to ‘raise people’s spirits’ (no pun intended, or maybe it is, I don’t know). The drink was used as a much-deserved reward after a long hard day of work. And just thinking about it this way, makes it seem as though pirates may have invented the world’s first happy hour, except the drinks were free, which makes it kind of better than happy hour. But there is even more to it than that.
Of all the explorers I have researched so far, Dampier wrote most extensively about punch. Not only did he provide a list of the drink’s ingredients (that’s lemon or lime, sugar, water, and rum) but he also tells us a bit about the concoction’s fifth ingredient, which is, spice. Spice was that extra something sprinkled into the bowl that would give your drink a little ‘je ne sai qoi’. (sorry for the language shift, sometimes I like a little French in my life) This included things like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, clove and cardamom, basically anything explorers could get their hands on. Because, why not? One of those things they got their hands on was a mineral that was used like spices to make food and drinks taste less shitty. That mineral was salt. Dampier’s mention of salt being harvested in this area makes me think that it was quite a hot commodity. Actually, historians say salt was pretty valuable. It was in fact so valuable some believe salt was the catalyst for the beginning and ending of many wars. And I can’t say I am surprised by this. Without pretzels, or chips, or pizza, or bacon, I’d say we’d all be miserable enough to go to war. Because of this, I can’t help but think that salt may have also found its way into a bowl of punch. If you’re thinking gross, think again. Do you see what I am getting at?
Another curious thing about this quote is not what is being said but where in the Caribbean it refers to. Dampier mentions punch is ‘free flowing’ on a handful of islands, one being Tortuga, (past recurring locale of Pirates of the Caribbean, present-day Haiti). Another beachy shoreline he thought popular enough to mention is named Margarita Island. Are you with me yet?
Today, we know that Margarita is the Spanish word for daisy. Because of this, we have logically assumed (and you know what happens when you assume) that our present-day beach drink was inspired by the ‘daisy,’ a popular citrus concoction sipped by many during the nineteenth century. (This drink is sometimes thought to be invented by Jerry Thomas, but if you’ve been reading, you know how I feel about that.) However, in Dampier’s time, this island was a hotspot for pearl diving and margaritari was the Greek word for pearls, thus the island’s name. It could just be a coincidence but there is something about the idea of happy hour and salt, limes, and spirits all mixing at the beach, especially a beach called Margarita that makes me think – surely you know what I am thinking by now.
Still, I am aware Margaritas are made with tequila. But realistically, people weren’t in the habit of labelling spirits back then, especially if the spirit was going into a vat of other things. Rum was often used as the catch-all word for any sort of spirit. Is it possible these guys were mixing citrus and salt with tequila? Considering these islands are en route to or from Mexico and knowing that Cortez ordered the distillation of Mezcal over 100 years before Dampier even set sail for this region… yes! It is entirely possible. Is it likely? I’d say it is just as likely as the idea that Spanish speakers all over the world decided to name a drink with citrus and spirits after a flower for no reason whatsoever. But hey, that’s just me.
**What do you think? Is it possible the early explorers were drinking Margaritas on the beach? Do you think the Spanish speakers of the world may have preserved this recipe for fun? I want to know! Share your thoughts in the comments/chat below.