Did A Cocktail Change Naval History
In 1586, the large fleet of ships commanded by Sir Francis Drake collected lots of Spanish booty and wreaked havoc
. One more raid was planned (a 'Spanish' town called Havana) and then the fleet would return to England. Unfortunately, there was an epidemic that spread throughout the fleet, the men were in no fit condition to fight and on the June 4th, the fleet went into hiding.
Medicines based on aquardiente de cana were effective against dysentery and Richard Drake then made a medicine using aguardiente de cana, limes, mint with added sugarcane juice to make it taste better. In South America, mint is known as hierbabuena, this translates as 'good herb'. An internet search shows that when chuchuhuasi tree bark is soaked in aguardiente (sometimes spelt aquardiente), it is an anti dysenteric (used to treat dysentery), digestive stimulant and febrifuge (for treating fever).
Vitamin C deficiency causes Scurvy, and a cure would have been to drink lime juice. Because English sailors had to have lime in their rations until the 19th century, and so were called Limeys. It is recorded that this medicinal mix (subsequently called El Draque) was taken during cholera epidemics. On one occasion, during one of the worst epidemics of cholera to attack Havana's population, Ramon de Paula describes: "Every day at eleven o'clock, I drink a little Draque made from aquardiente and I am doing very well".
This medicinal mix was originally given to the sailors of Drakes fleet, and administered using a large wooden spoon with a cocks tail handle. This is thought to be the origin of the El Draque cocktail. The epidemic ceased, the fleet plundered one more place, St Augustine's watchtower before returning home.
What would have been the result if this cure had not worked?
If the cure had not worked sickness would have killed most of the men in the fleet. One sickness the cocktail El Draque would have helped cure was dysentery. During the American Civil War, dysentery killed more Union soldiers than the Confederacy soldiers.
Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy and would have been cured by the lime juice. In the 17th century limes and a tot of rum were regular rations for the British Navy, which is why sailors (and later on, the British) were called Limeys.
On a long voyage, scurvy was a killer. For example, Magellan, lost 80% of the sailors on his Pacific voyage, and survivors described how they had to keep slicing the swollen tissue away off their gums in order to be able to chew their rations. Descriptions of scurvy-afflicted explorers are truly horrifying. A French translation written in 1613 is "There developed in the mouths of those who had it, large pieces of excess fungus flesh which caused a great rot. Their teeth barely held in place, and could be removed without pain by the fingers. Afterward, severe pain developed in the arms and legs, which became swollen and very hard and covered with spots that were like fleabites. Consequently, they had almost no strength and suffered unbearable pain. They also had severe cramps in the stomach, loins and bowels, as well as with shortness of breath and a very bad cough. Unfortunately, we could find no remedy to cure these symptoms". (Samuel de Champlain, 1613)
From vol.1 of Champlain Society's 1971 ed., of Champlain's 1613 ed., Voyages du Sieur de Champlain
Conclusion: If the epidemic affecting Drakes fleet had not been cured, then it is possible that the fleet would have had to come out of hiding in weakened condition, and might never have been able to make the long journey home. There are a number of ways the fleet could have 'come to grief'. The Spanish Armada (two years later) would have caused the defeat of England, which would then have been ruled by the Spanish. The authentic Drakes cocktail (El Draque) can still be found in a bar called The SugarCane, near the site of the old Tudor shipbuilding yard by the River Thames.
by: David Hudson
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