This month is one for the Pirates… GROG!
A little history
After the successful Royal Navy invasion of Jamaica in 1655, rum became a popular drink as opposed to beer, which often spoiled at sea and took up too much space on the ships. Rum did not spoil and was easier to store, so the naval tradition of the daily rum ration (or ‘tot’) began. Being a sailor was a hard and high-risk job. Rum was essential for morale and to make the putrid water and food more palatable.
In 1740, Vice Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed ‘Old Grog’ after his Grogram cloth jacket (silk, wool and gum), issued the Captain’s Order No 349 - ordering all rum rations to be diluted with water (at 1:4 ratio) after sailors would save up their ‘tots’, get ‘legless’ and forget their duties. The phrase ‘three sheets to the wind’ refers to being drunk; the sheet is the line that controls the sails on a ship and if not secured, the sail flops in the wind. If all three sails are loose then the ship will be out of control and loses headway.
In this period, scurvy was one of the biggest causes of naval death. Sailors would trade bread and salt rations for lime and sugar, which they would add to their rum ration to make it more palatable. In 1975 the Navy stipulated that citrus juices should be added to the Grog to prevent scurvy. Hence the American slang nickname for the British as ‘Limeys’.
Grog evolved into a watered-down rum with added sugar and lime.
The British Navy eventually brought about the demise of the daily rum ration in the late 18th-early 19th century due to concerns of the risks of sailors operating increasing complex naval machinery whilst drunk. The last day of daily tot ration became known as ‘Black Tot Day’.
Grog Dog Rum
Simple and authentic rum with a distinctive flavour that will curl your lip and quench ye thirst! Yarr!
Bottled in August 2020 in Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire, it is the dog’s b*llocks. Small batch grog, distilled from sugar cane and molasses then aged in charred American Oak, infused with vanilla, raisins, dark roasted Vapatera cacao and a whisper of Allspice. A handsome flavour, distinctive and bold, bottled at 43% ABV - this is a hair on your chest kinda rum.
Enjoy neat or over ice. Pairs well with a premium cola or makes a bangin’ Grog Dog Long Island Iced Tea by mixing equal parts of Grog Dog Rum, Vodka, Gin, Tequila and Triple Sec, a dash of cola, lime and a fistful of crushed ice. After a few of these you might feeling a big groggy the next day!