In every movie, cartoon, comic or any other fictional sources I have read or watched that involves sea pirates, it is always shown that their favorite beverage is rum.

I want to know why sea pirates are always associated with rum. Is it the truth that in the [Golden Age of Piracy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Piracy), sea pirates used to drink rum? Or is it just another random concept conceived like mice like cheese? Is there any scientific reason associated with it?