The origin of the term “getting pickled” for drinking too much originated when liquor was used to embalm Admiral Nelson, using a cask of Brandy.
Admiral Nelson: Pickled in Booze
After returning to Europe, Nelson was re-pickled in wine and buried in Ireland.
Tapping the Admiral
It’s true! After he died in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, British Lord Nelson’s body was pickled in a barrel of Brandy.
It’s also true that when his body was re-pickled, the cask of run was no longer topped-off!
Evidently, some booze-thirsty sailors were “tapping the admiral”, drinking the Brandy that was pickling his corpse.
Before the British Navy openly allowed homos and the term “Tapping the Admiral” referred to anal sex, “tapping the Admiral” was a term used to describe a sailor who was drinking on duty . . .
In the English Navy, the term “Tapping the Admiral” has several meanings
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