Drinking whiskey neat is a male rite of passe in English speaking countries. You should drink straight whiskey or you are not a man. All the planet cannot drink straight whiskey but surprisingly you will find all time only English idiots boasting about how tasty their straight whiskey was.
Don't follow English weird tradition like repeating "says cheese" in front of a camera or wearing skirt and playing bagpipes or kissing the back of women hands all the time. Be a man! a free man! David Bowie died from alcohol abuse.
The rum ration (also called tot) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that regular intakes of alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery.
Tradition The rum ration, or "tot", consisted of one-eighth of an imperial pint (70 mL) of rum at 95.5 proof (54.6% ABV), given out to every sailor at midday. Senior Ratings (Petty Officers and above) received their rum neat, whilst for Junior Ratings it was diluted with two parts of water to make three-eighths of an imperial pint (210 mL) of grog.[1]
The rum ration was served from one particular barrel, also known as the "Rum Tub" which was ornately decorated and was made of oak, reinforced with brass bands, with brass letters saying, "The Queen, God Bless Her".[2]
