Because I'm still trying to go through the basics, the drink we tried this week was Grog. (Sorry for the delay, and the fact that the best photo I have is still blurry.) This one is historically significant, and not for being the drink of pirates, but for being the drink of the Royal Navy. Per 12BottleBar:
"After the British conquest of Jamaica, the Admiralty switched its sailors’ daily ration from beer or brandy to rum. Some 85 years later, Admiral Edward Vernon found straight rum excessive and ordered his sailors’ rations cut with water and lime. As the lime juice, in the process, prevented scurvy, the drink caught on, and it became known as “Grog” — from Vernon’s nickname, “Old Grog”.
With its basic combination of sweet, sour, strong, weak, Grog is nothing more than a simple punch. There are no pretensions or complexities here. It is what it is — a tasty, light drink that’s perfect for summer."
Grog:
2 tsp Brown Sugar
0.5 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Rum
4 oz Water
Stir all ingredients in mixing glass.
Pour into a collins or rocks glass with a few large ice cubes.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
We debated whether the ice was really historical. Those sailors probably did't have any, but it was hot enough that I was happy to.
The verdict: I have to agree that it is a simple, tasty, light summer drink. It is not the hard, strong drink that I would have originally associated with sailors and pirates. As I was mixing, we ran out of lime juice, and Scott got one that had mostly lemon instead of lime. The lemon was definitely not as good, and Scott found it too acidic. The lime was a better combination with the brown sugar. It's not a crisp sort of a summer drink, it's more tropical, like a fruity drink without the fruit.
That sounds delicious and refreshing! But not very piratey, no. :)
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of http://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm which you might find interesting.
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