My great grandfather was in the Navy prior to the turn of the 20th century, and they used to give him a daily ration of hard alcohol. Usually whiskey, sometimes rum.

For the rest of his life, after he got out of the military, he would have one shot of whiskey in the morning (to "start his engine", he would say) and one shot at night before he went to bed (to "stop his engine"). Otherwise, he rarely ever drank alcohol.

He did this every day until he died, at 96 years old.


Now, myself, I keep a stock of Booker's Bourbon on hand, as well as a flask of it in my kit. At over 125 proof it burns readily, it works as an antiseptic (unlike the 80 proof stuff), and you don't need to stock as much as lesser proof alcohol (you can just water it down to where you want it). I don't drink it daily like my great-grandfather did, but I figure it's useful enough to keep on hand at least.