Here are some of the sources/info I have on this chanty.

1833        Alexander, Capt. James Edward. _Transatlantic Sketches._ Vol. 1. London: Richard Bentley.

A river trip in Guyana in 1831 is described. There is a boat rowing song which is a variation of what is now known as "The Sailor Likes His Bottle O".

The negroes merrily plied the paddles, and we brushed past the overhanging trees to their favourite song of "Velly well, yankee, velly well oh!"

    De bottley oh! de bottley oh!
    De neger like the bottley oh!
Right early in the marning, de neger like the bottley oh!
    A bottle o'rum, loaf a bread,
    Make de neger dandy oh!
Right early in de marning, de neger like de bottley oh!

1893        Barra, E.I. _A Tale of Two Oceans._ San Francisco: Eastman & Co.

"An Account of a Voyage from Philadelphia to San Francisco, Around Cape Horn, Years 1849-50, calling at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and at Juan Fernandez, In the South Pacific."

The narrator is on the packet ship "Samson" out of Philadelphia (Oct '49). The ship had been in the cotton trade. In Dec. 1849, they were anchored off Rio de Janeiro. They hoist a boat to this song:

We furled the sails, and then rigged the tackles to hoist the longboat, as she was large and heavy. When everything was ready, the mate sang out, ''Hoist away!" As the tackles were drawn taut, the men called to Stanwood: "Give a shanter, old boy!" And he sang the following hoisting song, which was chorused by the men:

"The ladies like Madeira wine, 

The gents they like their brandy oh! 

So early in the morning— 

The sailor likes his bottle oh! 

His bottle oh! his bottle oh! 

The sailor likes his bottle oh!
CHORUS.
So early in the morning—

The sailor likes his bottle oh!"

The longboat was lowered into the water…

ca.1890-1903?        Davis, J. and Ferris Tozer. _Sailor Songs or 'Chanties'._ London: Boosey & Co.

The second or third edition of this collection added "The Sailor Loves." The lyrics, as all the ones by this author, sound quite artificial.

[w/ score]

The maiden, oh, the maiden, oh,
The sailor loves the maiden, oh!
So early in the morning,
The sailor loves the maiden, oh!
[cho.] A maid that is young, a maid that is fair,
A maid that is kind and pleasant, oh
So early in the morning, the sailor loves the maiden, oh!

1914        Sharp, Cecil K. 1914. _English Folk-Chanteys._ London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Ltd.

Collected from John Short.

THE SAILOR LIKES HIS BOTTLE O. [w/ score]

So early in the morning
The sailor likes his bottle O.
A bottle of rum and a bottle of gin,
And a bottle of old Jamaica Ho!
[cho.] So early in the morning
The sailor likes his bottle O.


1917        Robinson, Captain John. "Songs of the Chanty-Man: II." _The Bellman_ 23(575) (21 July 1917): 66-72.

Robinson went to sea in 1859 and retired circa 1909. It is not clear when he would have sang/heard/learned the following:

Sailors Like the Bottle o'! [w/ score]

When you get to Baltimore,
Give my love to Suzanna, my dear.
[solo still] So early in the morning.
Sailors like the bottle o'.
[cho.] Bottle o'! Bottle o'!
Bottle of very good Brandy o.
So early in the morning.
Sailors like the bottle o'!

1927        Smith, Cicely Fox. _A Book of Shanties._ London: Methuen & Co.

Contains "The Sailor Likes His Bottle." I have not seen this text yet, so I cannot comment more.

1924        Colcord, Joanna C. _Roll and Go._ London: Heath Cranton.

I'm not sure if this was definitely in the 1924 version, but it was in her 1938 Expanded Version as "Bottle O!" I don't presently have my copy of the book with me, and I am unsure of the text. She did reproduce several texts from Robinson (above).

2004        Reynolds, William, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Thomas Philbrick. _The Private Journal of William Reynolds: United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842._ Penguin.

From a log in Sept. 1839, noting Tahitian women singing sailor songs they'd learned.

Many of the girls at Point Venus [Tahiti] have learned the chorus songs common with sailors in heaving up the Anchor & other work...Their voices were good, and the ditties of "So early in the morning the Sailor loves his bottle oh," "Round the corner, Sally," "Tally Ho, you know" & a dozen others were often heard along the beach for half the night.