flipLemon Grog for the Night Watches
Lemon Grog for the Night Watches
Why this dish? Brandy and tafia were part of the sailors' ration, and citrus juice was carefully preserved against scurvy. Hot, sweet, and lemony, this grog warmed the watchmen in the cold of the North Pacific, off Lituya Bay in Alaska.
A hot drink of brandy diluted with water, brightened with lemon juice and sweetened with sugar. Comforting after a freezing watch, and a pretext to get men to take their citrus dose.
On cold nights in high latitudes, when the north wind pierced the greatcoats, I allowed the watchmen to be served a cup of hot brandy. A lemon was squeezed into it—I insisted on that, for these fruits are worth their weight in gold against the disease that rots the gums—and it was sweetened with a little sugar. See the ruse: the man thinks he drinks for pleasure and warmth, when in truth I am treating him. A captain must govern bodies as much as souls, and sometimes health goes through the throat.
- •Brandy or tafia — a splash (warming, base)
- •Hot water — a cup (dilution)
- •Lemon (antiscorbutic provision) — half (acidity, health)
- •Sugar (or molasses) — a spoonful (sweetener)
Lemon Grog for the Night Watches
A hot drink of brandy diluted with water, brightened with lemon juice and sweetened with sugar. Comforting after a freezing watch, and a pretext to get men to take their citrus dose.
Why this dish? Brandy and tafia were part of the sailors' ration, and citrus juice was carefully preserved against scurvy. Hot, sweet, and lemony, this grog warmed the watchmen in the cold of the North Pacific, off Lituya Bay in Alaska.
On cold nights in high latitudes, when the north wind pierced the greatcoats, I allowed the watchmen to be served a cup of hot brandy. A lemon was squeezed into it—I insisted on that, for these fruits are worth their weight in gold against the disease that rots the gums—and it was sweetened with a little sugar. See the ruse: the man thinks he drinks for pleasure and warmth, when in truth I am treating him. A captain must govern bodies as much as souls, and sometimes health goes through the throat.
Ingredients (period version)
- Brandy or tafia — a splash (warming, base)
- Hot water — a cup (dilution)
- Lemon (antiscorbutic provision) — half (acidity, health)
- Sugar (or molasses) — a spoonful (sweetener)
Ingredients
- Aged rum or brandy — 4 cl (base)
- Very hot water — 15 cl (dilution)
- Fresh lemon juice — 1/2 lemon (acidity)
- Brown sugar or honey — 1 to 2 tsp (sweetener)
- Cinnamon stick (optional) — 1 (flavor)
Method
- Heat the water without boiling.
- In a heatproof mug, combine the sugar and lemon juice.
- Pour in the brandy then the hot water; stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Optionally add a cinnamon stick; serve very hot.
- For a non-alcoholic version (children), replace the brandy with hot herbal tea and increase the lemon.
How it was made : The alcohol ration (wine, brandy, tafia) was daily in 18th-century navies. Citrus fruits, whose empirical virtue against scurvy was known, were carried and sometimes mixed into the drink. 'Grog' (watered-down alcohol) takes its name from Admiral Vernon 'Old Grog', but the practice of diluting and sweetening alcohol was common to all navies.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a thick glass with a lemon slice studded with cloves, perched on the rim, 'night watch ration' style.
Jean-François de La Pérouse · Charactorium
