Well its all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
It’s all for me beer and tobacco
For I spent all me tin with the lassies drinking gin
Far across the western ocean I must wander
“All for Me Grog” – traditional song
If a pirate bangs his fist down on the bar at The Goose & Bull and orders grog…not only is he in the wrong decade, he’s most likely a “faux pirate.” Why? Because the famous, or infamous, grog was created AFTER the Golden Age of Piracy.
Here’s the story, and it starts with the British navy in 1655 off the island of Jamaica. Rum had to taste better than the stale water and beer aboard ship, the lousy food, and it helped to relieve the boredom of long days at sea. Plus rum was plentiful in the West Indies and sugar planters were only to happy to have their product a fixture on British ships.
The only problem with daily fuddling, or drinking of rum, was it tended to make sailors tipsy and unreliable. So to avoid mutiny, and still keep the custom, Admiral Edward Vernon issued an order in 1740 that the rum be “mixed with the proportion of a quart of water to every pint of rum,” and that the daily ration be served twice daily instead of once. The first tot was served between ten and noon, the second between four and six in the afternoon. To avoid dishonest pursers from watering the rum down too much, and pocketing the profit, Admiral Vernon required the Lieutenant of the Watch to supervise the dilution on deck. This daily drink became an official part of the Admiralty’s naval code in 1756.
Admiral Vernon’s nickname was “Old Grogram”, because he wore a coat made from “grogram” fabric. So his new rum drink was named grog. In addition to instituting the new diluted rum ration, Admiral Vernon also added that crewman could exchange their salt and bread allotment for “sugar and limes to make [grog] more palatable to them.” Coincidentally the addition of citrus to the daily rum allotment mollified the effects of scurvy. Later it was discovered that a lack of ascorbic acid (found in citrus fruits) caused scurvy, the idea was proven by Scottish surgeon James Lind in 1753. English sailors were then dubbed “limeys” because the navy required the addition of one half ounce of lemon or lime juice to the daily ration.
So just how much alcohol were the sailors consuming? Although it is difficult to determine the proof of those long ago rums, the ration was approximated to be the same as five cocktails a day. The daily ration was halved in 1823 and again in 1850 and replaced with more tea, cocoa and meat. Sadly, for the sailors, the last official British navy rum ration was dispensed on July 31, 1970 – known as Black Tot Day.
It’s all for me beer and tobacco
For I spent all me tin with the lassies drinking gin
Far across the western ocean I must wander
“All for Me Grog” – traditional song
If a pirate bangs his fist down on the bar at The Goose & Bull and orders grog…not only is he in the wrong decade, he’s most likely a “faux pirate.” Why? Because the famous, or infamous, grog was created AFTER the Golden Age of Piracy.
Here’s the story, and it starts with the British navy in 1655 off the island of Jamaica. Rum had to taste better than the stale water and beer aboard ship, the lousy food, and it helped to relieve the boredom of long days at sea. Plus rum was plentiful in the West Indies and sugar planters were only to happy to have their product a fixture on British ships.
The only problem with daily fuddling, or drinking of rum, was it tended to make sailors tipsy and unreliable. So to avoid mutiny, and still keep the custom, Admiral Edward Vernon issued an order in 1740 that the rum be “mixed with the proportion of a quart of water to every pint of rum,” and that the daily ration be served twice daily instead of once. The first tot was served between ten and noon, the second between four and six in the afternoon. To avoid dishonest pursers from watering the rum down too much, and pocketing the profit, Admiral Vernon required the Lieutenant of the Watch to supervise the dilution on deck. This daily drink became an official part of the Admiralty’s naval code in 1756.
Admiral Vernon’s nickname was “Old Grogram”, because he wore a coat made from “grogram” fabric. So his new rum drink was named grog. In addition to instituting the new diluted rum ration, Admiral Vernon also added that crewman could exchange their salt and bread allotment for “sugar and limes to make [grog] more palatable to them.” Coincidentally the addition of citrus to the daily rum allotment mollified the effects of scurvy. Later it was discovered that a lack of ascorbic acid (found in citrus fruits) caused scurvy, the idea was proven by Scottish surgeon James Lind in 1753. English sailors were then dubbed “limeys” because the navy required the addition of one half ounce of lemon or lime juice to the daily ration.
So just how much alcohol were the sailors consuming? Although it is difficult to determine the proof of those long ago rums, the ration was approximated to be the same as five cocktails a day. The daily ration was halved in 1823 and again in 1850 and replaced with more tea, cocoa and meat. Sadly, for the sailors, the last official British navy rum ration was dispensed on July 31, 1970 – known as Black Tot Day.
So, it's not just a breakfast drink?
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