As we were pulling together our pirate-party theme, we set out to find the best pirate grog recipe.
Come to find out, that was a much harder task than we originally thought.
But we are happy to say, we persevered and are pleased to share the best pirate grog recipe we found, as well as a bit of history about this historic elixir.
WHAT IS GROG … ?
By definition, grog can mean any type of alcoholic beverage.
That’s a really, really wide description and not very useful when you’re trying to pull together a pirate-themed party.
Especially on Talk Like a Pirate Day, we were looking for something a little more specific, a little more festive and lot more authentic. So we did a bit of digging …
Come to find out, grog came into its existence as a simple way for sailors to deal and cope with the absolutely horrid conditions they had to endure on ships, particularly during the 1600s and into the colonialism eras.
Nipping a bit (or a likely lot) of alcohol seemed to take the edge off and made life a bit more tolerable (some things never change).
Rum was their elixir of choice, mainly because it was readily available and had a long shelf life.
Beer and wine weren’t as readily available in the New World.
However, many aboard the ships were prone to over indulging and the captains quickly recognized the need to keep their men from drunkenly steering their ships.
Likely into the shore …
Edward Vernon, an English Admiral, came up with the idea of mixing each man’s daily rum allowance with one quart of water, as well as some sugar and lime.
Grog was born.
As it turns out, the Vitamin C from the lime became a true lifesaver from the sailors, as it prevented scurvy.
For more about the history of grog, check out The Definitive History Of Grog by Nick Hines.
Here is our take on the traditional grog cocktail, which incorporates a bit more than just rum, sugar and lime juice.
But we think it’s simply the best! Enjoy!
BEST PIRATE GROG RECIPE
1 ounce white rum
1 ounce demerara rum
1 ounce dark rum
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce white grapefruit juice
1 ounce honey syrup
2 ounces club soda
Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well. Strain into cocktail glass filled with ice.
Garnish with one orange slice and one cherry.
(Recipe courtesy of The Spruce Eats)
Leave a Reply