Grog: The Drink of Sailors

What Is Grog?

Grog originated in the British royal navy, specifically with vice-admiral William Penn. Penn landed in Barbados in the 17th Century and captured modern-day Jamaica. Although this was significant for many reasons, one of them was the introduction of rum to the royal navy. While Jamaica had little beer or wine, there was plenty of rum to be found, and it soon became popular among sailors of the British Royal Navy to consume a generous amount of navy rum to make the long, arduous passages more bearable.

But sailors kept getting drunk with the rum so in the 18th century, Vice Admiral Edward Vernon, a British admiral who's nickname was "Old Grog," chosen for his grogram cloak of wool, silk and mohair. decided to that each man's half-pint of rum ration would be diluted with a quart of water.

The sailors weren't too happy and named to the diluted alcoholic drink, "grog" after how much they despised it. When it ports they would purchase brown sugar and lime juice to make the drink taste a little bit better.

The sailors soon learned that the "disgusting alcoholic beverage" soon saved their lives from scurvy.

So can you still find grog on ships? Well, maybe on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. On July 30th, 1970 went down in history as the last day that the Royal Navy's sailors received a grog ration. This date was known from then on as Black Tot Day, as a "tot" was another word for the ration of rum given to sailors.