When Admiral Edward Vernon of the British Royal Navy issued his Captain’s orders regarding rum rations in 1740, little did he know the historical influences his edict would have. The addition of water to the sailors’ rum was originally intended to lessen the “fatal effects to their morals as well as their health” that came from drinking a pint of rum neat. Go ahead, try it yourself a few times a day and see how many sheets you can actually set to the wind. In addition to that command, he advised to “let those that are good husbanders receive extra lime juice and sugar that it be made more palatable to them”. This line would prove to be effective not only in medical history as the first step in reducing scurvy, but for us rum imbibers, was the first instance of combining rum, sugar, lime, and water to create something palatable.
Many years later, “Old Grog”’s advice still rang for sailors and rum runners alike. Donn Beach took this old term and Naval tradition and on his first menu placed the Kona Grog, a mix of Demerara rum, spices, and kona coffee. Also found on the list were a Hot grog, and Don’s Own Grog, each quite varied from the original Grog combination of sugar, lime, rum, and room temperature water. Still, Grog certainly had marked its place in the pantheon of tropical drink categories.
The most famed of Grogs gracing tropical drink menus is undoubtedly the Navy Grog. This drink, which originally landed on Don the Beachcomber’s menu in the 1940s, took the Grog concept even further than before, with an assortment of rums, honey in place of sugar, and grapefruit in addition to the lime. The Navy Grog was famously served with a cone of ice with a straw through the middle, helping keep reduce dilution (much to Admiral Vernon’s chagrin) while keeping the drink quite frosty!
Now of all the drinks that Trader Vic “borrowed” from Donn that got their names changed, this one remained the Navy Grog at Trader Vic’s establishment. One subtle difference that Trader Vic
