Feeling Groggy

On the menu of most Tiki bars is a drink with ‘Grog’ in the name. This is due to this gentleman:

His name is Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon,and in the pantheon of Tiki gods,he’s right up there with the legendary Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. Why do you ask? Because on the 21st of August,1740,the good Admiral issued Order to Captains No. 349 for sailors of the British Navy to be issued a daily ration of rum,watered down,and livened up with lime or lemon and sugar cane for “good husbandmen”(the lime later became standard issue to prevent scurvy,and is why the British are called ‘limeys’). This became known as “grog”,and was basically the very first Tiki cocktail.

Back in the day,life aboard ship was,how should I put this,crappy. One of the many issues faced on long voyages was a lack of potable water. Water was stored in wooden casks and would go bad in short order. Beer was carried aboard ship because it would last longer. But when British ships began operating in the Caribbean,they switched to rum because it was easy to find and cheap to purchase,and it would last longer. Originally it was issued straight,but as this caused ‘disciplinary problems’,it was later watered down. The name grog came from Adm Vernon’s nickname “Old Grog”,which came from his habit of wearing a grogham cloth coat or cloak in bad weather. The grog was issued twice a day,just before noon and again at the end of the workday. The rum used was generally around 114 proof,and this was confirmed by the Purser(or Pusser) who would mix an amount of rum with gunpowder and light it;if it burned,then it was of the proper strength to be issued. It is from this test that we get ‘navy strength’ rum. Fortunately,in modern times we have ice to mix with our drinks,so we can actually enjoy our grogs. So give these cocktails a try,and be sure to use the toast,“splice the mainbrace!”.

Mix #10 Traditional Grog

1.5oz navy strength rum*
1oz lime juice
1/2oz simple syrup**

*I recommend Pusser’s Gunpowder or Hamilton’s Navy Grog Blend.
**Rock candy or Demerara syrup work best.

This is basically a historically correct grog recipe,save that it is shaken with ice. It skews a bit sour depending on the syrup used,and actually utilizes navy rum.

Mix #11 Navy Grog

1oz light rum
1oz dark rum
1oz Demerara rum
1oz honey syrup
¾ oz lime juice
3/4oz grapefruit juice
2oz club soda

Shake everything except soda with ice. Pour into double rocks glass and top with soda.

This is the traditional Tiki drink. The ‘legit’ method uses a cone made of ice with the straw going through it,but really regular ice works just fine(and doesn’t require any extra effort). Note that with three ounces of rum,plus the honey,you will probably feel pretty groggy the next day after a couple of these.

Mix #12 Sailor’s Grog

1.5oz spiced rum
1/2oz 151 Demerara rum
3/4oz lime juice
3/4oz orange juice
1/2oz falernum
1 dash Angostura bitters
1.5oz ginger beer

Shake everything except beer with ice and pour into double rocks glass. Top with beer.

BG Reynold’s riff on grog is a spicy cocktail for folks who like a little zip to their drink. It terms of power,it splits the difference between the other two grog recipes.

FYI,the rum ration was ended by the Royal Navy on 31 July,1970(called Black Tot Day) due to concerns that consuming high proof spirits was not compatible with the complicated machinery and electronic systems on modern vessels. So now the poor squids have to drink beer. Yet one more reason why I was Air Force instead of Navy.