Ship's Grog
Rum diluted with hot water, sweetened with a little sugar and brightened with lemon juice. The official drink of English sailors, both a stimulant and a weapon against scurvy.
Rum diluted with hot water, sweetened with a little sugar and brightened with lemon juice. The official drink of English sailors, both a stimulant and a weapon against scurvy.
Raise your glass, sailor, and drink to my health while you can! My rum was cut with water — by the Admiral's order, that old 'Grog' in his grogram coat — so my men could stand on deck. A dash of lemon in it, and the gum disease would let go. They'd toast in foul weather, laugh at death... and laughing, many came down to join me.
- •Rum — one measure (alcohol)
- •Water — two to three measures (dilution)
- •Lemon or lime juice — a dash (anti-scurvy, acidity)
- •Sugar or brown sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Ship's Grog
Rum diluted with hot water, sweetened with a little sugar and brightened with lemon juice. The official drink of English sailors, both a stimulant and a weapon against scurvy.
Why this dish? The comforting ration distributed morning and evening to the crews Davy Jones escorted: rum cut with water, sometimes livened with lemon against scurvy. The glass raised to courage before facing the seas where he lurked.
Raise your glass, sailor, and drink to my health while you can! My rum was cut with water — by the Admiral's order, that old 'Grog' in his grogram coat — so my men could stand on deck. A dash of lemon in it, and the gum disease would let go. They'd toast in foul weather, laugh at death... and laughing, many came down to join me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rum — one measure (alcohol)
- Water — two to three measures (dilution)
- Lemon or lime juice — a dash (anti-scurvy, acidity)
- Sugar or brown sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Dark rum (or apple juice + spices for non-alcoholic version) — 4 cl (alcohol)
- Hot water — 12 cl (dilution)
- Lemon juice — 1 tablespoon (anti-scurvy, acidity)
- Brown sugar — 1 teaspoon (sweetness)
Method
- Heat the water without boiling.
- In a mug, dissolve the brown sugar with the lemon juice.
- Pour in the rum, then the hot water, and stir well.
- Taste and adjust acidity or sweetness. Serve hot (family version: replace rum with hot apple juice and a pinch of cinnamon).
How it was made : Grog was born in 1740 when Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed 'Old Grog' for his grogram coat, ordered rum to be cut with water to limit drunkenness aboard. The addition of lemon or lime against scurvy became widespread in the Royal Navy at the end of the 18th century.
The contemporary twist : Non-alcoholic version for families: spiced apple infusion, lemon and honey, served steaming in a pewter tankard.
Davy Jones · Charactorium