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The Newfoundland Screech Story

Before liquor boards were created, Jamaican rum was a popular part of a Newfoundlander's diet, with salt fish traded to the West Indies in exchange for rum. Not being overly concerned with alcohol content, the early fishermen tended to drink the rum at incredibly high strength with no attempt made to temper the taste. When the Government took control of the liquor business, it began selling the rum in unlabelled bottles. The product remained nameless until the American servicemen came to the Island during World War II.

The story goes like this: The commanding officer of the original detachment was having his first taste of the rum as an after dinner drink. The Newfoundlander downed his drink in one gulp, so the unsuspecting American did the same. The American's blood-curdling scream attracted a lot of attention and sympathetic people rushed to the house to assist the poor man in such obvious agony and of course to satisfy their curiosity as to what was going on. An American sergeant among the first to arrive, pounded his fist on the door and demanded to know, "What the cripes was that ungodly screech?"

The Newfoundlander replied in true form, "The screech? 'Tis the rum, me son."

As all embarrassing moments do, the incident spread and the soldiers were determined to try this mysterious "Screech" to see what all of the fuss was about. The drink was soon their favorite.

The Liquor Board adopted the name and began labeling the dark rum as Newfoundland Screech. While having to tone down the alcohol content slightly in deference to a less robust clientele, the per cent alcohol by volume of Newfoundland Screech is 40%.

Screech Recipes:

Traditional

• 1 ¼ ozs. Screech.
• Top off with Soda, Cola, Ginger Ale or water.
• Add a squeeze of lemon.

Nefoundland Bullet

• 1 oz. Screech.
• 1 oz. Coffe Liqueur.
• Serve over ice chips.

Muffled Screech

• 1 oz. Screech.
• ¼ oz. Orange Liqueur.
• 2 oz. Cream or Milk.

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Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information on these pages, all transcriptions are subject to human error, and researchers should always check the original source of any list.