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Grog is a mixture of water and rum, created in the mid-18th century to reduce drunkenness on British Royal Navy ships. Originally, sailors were given a daily ration of rum, but Admiral Vernon diluted it with water and added citrus to prevent scurvy. Pirates created their own version with sugar and spices.
Grog is, most simply, a blend of water and rum, with more complicated versions adding spices, citrus or sugar. Grog dates back to the mid-18th century when it was introduced as a way to reduce drunkenness on ships in the British Royal Navy.
Historically, the problem of liquid aboard ships during long voyages has been difficult for sailors to deal with. Water tends to grow algae and other plants, and beer tends to spoil on long journeys. As a result, when rum was introduced in the mid-17th century, it quickly became the beverage of choice for navies around the world. The British navy was particularly dependent on it, and after 1655 sailors were given a daily ration of half a pint of rum. Unfortunately, many sailors became intoxicated and unruly from drinking rum, a problem that was exacerbated by men saving up their daily rations until they had a significant amount stored that they could drink all at once.
In 1756, an Admiral Vernon had the idea of diluting his men’s rum with water. Not only did this make it less alcoholic, but the water also made the rum susceptible to spoiling should sailors choose to save it. From 1756 to 1970, the British Royal Navy served a daily ration, or total, of grog aboard every ship at 11am. Admiral Vernon, inventor of this practice of diluting rum, was known not only as a friend of sailors, but also for the waterproof cloak he wore, made of grogam wool. This cloak earned him the nickname Old Grog, and after his invention of the new ration, the nickname carried over to his creation.
In later years, citrus fruits were added to the traditional Royal Navy grog to ward off scurvy among sailors. Since sailors aboard Royal Navy ships often had to go for many months without fresh fruit or vegetables, adding lemon or lime juice to their grog helped keep their vitamin C intake at sufficient levels. Another version of grog, popular aboard pirates, was known as bumbo or bumboo. Since pirate ships tended to be out for shorter periods of time and kept better fed, lime and lemon juice could be left out of their concoction. Instead, they added sugar, nutmeg, and occasionally cinnamon to help flavor the grog and make it more palatable.
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