Sailor's Grog with Lemon and Spices
A hot drink made with rum, lemon, honey, and spices, sipped to warm up or soothe a nascent cold. The comfort of men of the sea.
A hot drink made with rum, lemon, honey, and spices, sipped to warm up or soothe a nascent cold. The comfort of men of the sea.
Grog, sir, I first drank under the rolling of the ship, when the cold bites you to the bone during the watch. We put in rum, a dash of boiling water, lemon to revive the blood. Now that my chest has become capricious, I add honey and a hint of cinnamon, and I drink it slowly by the fire. Drink it very hot, believe an old sailor: it is not the dose that heals, it is the warmth.
- •Rum — a small glass (hot base)
- •Lemon — half (acidity)
- •Honey — one spoonful (soothing sweetness)
- •Boiling water — one cup (heat)
- •Cinnamon and clove — a little (warming spices)
Sailor's Grog with Lemon and Spices
A hot drink made with rum, lemon, honey, and spices, sipped to warm up or soothe a nascent cold. The comfort of men of the sea.
Why this dish? A naval officer turned musician with a fragile chest, Roussel knew the sailors' grog — the hot drink that warms the night watches and that one takes on land to soothe a chill. A shipboard habit transposed by the fireside.
Grog, sir, I first drank under the rolling of the ship, when the cold bites you to the bone during the watch. We put in rum, a dash of boiling water, lemon to revive the blood. Now that my chest has become capricious, I add honey and a hint of cinnamon, and I drink it slowly by the fire. Drink it very hot, believe an old sailor: it is not the dose that heals, it is the warmth.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rum — a small glass (hot base)
- Lemon — half (acidity)
- Honey — one spoonful (soothing sweetness)
- Boiling water — one cup (heat)
- Cinnamon and clove — a little (warming spices)
Ingredients
- Dark rum — 40 ml (optional, or non-alcoholic version) (hot base)
- Lemon juice — 1/2 lemon (acidity)
- Honey — 1 tbsp (sweetness)
- Boiling water — 200 ml (heat)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Cloves — 2 (spice)
Method
- Heat the water with the cinnamon and cloves, let infuse for 3 minutes.
- Pour into a heatproof cup over the honey and lemon juice.
- Add the rum (or omit for a family-friendly version), stir.
- Drink very hot, in small sips.
How it was made : Grog takes its name from the British admiral 'Old Grog', who in the 18th century ordered the sailors' rum to be diluted with water. The lemon and honey version became a popular remedy for colds, both on ships and on land, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
The contemporary twist : For children and alcohol-free evenings, replace the rum with an infusion of black tea or rooibos: you keep the spicy warmth without the alcohol.
Albert Roussel · Charactorium
