PUSSER’S BRITISH NAVY RUM REVIEW- British Virgin Island

4 min readApr 23, 2020

You can’t go anywhere in the British Virgin Islands without seeing Pussers British Navy Rum. When we arrived in Road Town, Tortola, I headed straight to Pusser’s English pub to investigate.

Overlooking Road Harbor, Pussers Road Town Pub is in prime position for all cruise shippers and boaties docking in Road Town — amazing for people watching for someone like me.

When you walk in, you feel like you are stepping into an old Victorian tavern — Disney land style. Complete with a deep mahogany infostructure, a cluttered assembly of navy portraits, bric-a-brac’s hanging from the ceiling and Pusser’s branded pewter mugs everywhere… this old English pub seems a little out of place here in Road Town, but the novelty was not lost on me.

Pusser’s Rum was first introduced to Great Britain’s Royal Navy in 1655 as a substitute for beer. The Navy supplied its crew a daily “tot” of Pusser’s Rum for well over 300 years — and always double-downed before a battle and after victory! With such rich history, I was pretty excited to try Pusser’s Rum in all it’s cocktail based forms. So here is what I have to report:

Pusser’s Rum Punch –A delightful blend of Pusser’s Rum, tropical juices, grenadine, Angostura Bitters and grated cinnamon.

This was the first Pusser’s cocktail I had in the BVI. Nice and fruity but incredibly deceiving- you will get very drunk after just one. Sadly, I could not taste much of the rum itself in this cocktail but I could feel it. As a drink in itself.

Pusser’s Painkiller® — Pusser’s Rum with pineapple and orange juice, cream of coconut and freshly grated nutmeg on top.

The Pusser’s painkiller is a pretty iconic cocktail in the BVI. It is usually the first listed on the drinks menu and the first people recommend you try. It resembles a really strong Pina Colada on the rocks, but not as heavy.

Caribbean Margarita– A classic cocktail with a Caribbean twist. Pusser’s Rum, Cherry Heering, Jose Cuervo Margarita, Mix 2–3 dashes of Angostura Bitters. Blended with ice or on the rocks.

Now I know Margarita’s are typically made with tequila but i had to give this a go. It was different, let’s just leave it at that!

Classic rum and coke– Pusser’s (Blue Label) Rum, Coca Cola and lime.

If all else fails, stick to what I know and love. A good old-fashioned rum & coke. Simple, strong and effective.

Pussers rum is not a sipper but a rum that works wonderfully in a variety of mixed drinks, with a lot of history to boot.

“The only way to drink a tot [navy rum] is to swallow it whole, grimace, and sit down to appreciate the glow which spreads from the stomach and engenders that wonderful feeling of peace and bohomie”
– Nelson’s Blood by James Pack.

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PUSSER’S BRITISH NAVY RUM REVIEW- British Virgin Island

Written by Kara’s Rum Quest