Post #487838 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Oct 12, 2009 5:19 PM

I don't think Rum & Coca Cola can be rated in the same league than the more complex classic Polynesian potions, so it is not really a Tiki Bar classic...but not to be condemned from it either, since it is a 20th Century tropical drink with great pop culture history: Be it Cuban...

...or Trinidadian,

...both had an impact on American pop culture. But let's face it: Rum & Coke was primarily a fast and easy way for G.I.s to get drunk while being stationed in the Carribean and not seeing any action other than with the native girls:

"American troops were sent to Trinidad to protect the British Crown Colony from Nazi attack. By 1943 there were 20,000 Yankee soldiers and sailors patrolling the place and the consumption of Coca-Cola increased by a factor of ten - from 10,000 cases a month to 100,000 cases!"

So mixing American soda pop and Carribean Rum just seemed the perfect accompaniment to the Yankees mixing with the native girls.

Since I am fascinated with the origin of all things ("Tiki - The Birth of Art") , I did a little digging and found this wonderful site about WHO was the originator of the hit song:

http://rumandcocacolareader.com/

...click on "Calypso on Trial" and you will find a great piece of research (from which I culled some of the info/ images here).

The Andrews Sisters had no idea about the origin OR the meaning of the song, they just showed up at the studio, recorded it and Voila!, Had a hit. :)