Expert: Spencer W Thomas - 6/24/2004

Question
Please tell me the reciepe for grog? Is it a beer based drink? Or is it a rum based drink? Can you give me any historical tidbits on this? I have heard many versions from watered down rum, to watered down beer. In the Seattle area, they use the drinking term "Tying on a Grog" for getting loaded. Have you heard that one? Thanks. Larry

Answer
This isn't really a beer question, as grog is most commonly diluted spirits (such as rum.)  At least, that's the original meaning.  The Oxford English Dictionary says

A drink consisting of spirits (originally rum) and water.

but also includes these definitions as secondary uses:

A social gathering at which grog is drunk.
and in Australia and New Zealand: Alcoholic liquor, including beer.

The term arises from the practice of the British Navy in the
18th and 19th centuries. They carried liquor such as rum because it kept well and required little storage space, but then they watered it down before issuing it to the sailors to try to reduce drunkenness.

Of course, as with all things, if you look you can find many other uses of the term.  Here's one recipe labelled "grog" that is still based on watered rum but adds some other ingredients for more flavor:

Grog
1 shot rum
1 teaspoon sugar (preferably superfine)
Squeeze of lime juice
Cinnamon stick
Boiling water

And, no, I haven't heard the expression "tying on a grog."

=Spencer