Grog

Grog is any of a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a

drink made with water and rum, which British Vice Admiral Edward
Vernon introduced into the naval squadron he commanded in the West Indies on
21 August 1740. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth and was nicknamed Old
Grogram or Old Grog. Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which agrees with
this story of the word's origin, states that the word "grog" was first used in this
sense in 1770, though other sources cite 1749.
In modern times the term "grog" has had a variety of meanings in a number of
different cultures. In Australia grog can mean any alcohol.

Origin and history

Sailors require significant quantities of fresh water on extended voyages. Since
desalinating sea water was not practical, fresh water was taken on board
in casks but quickly developed algae and became slimy. Stagnant water was
sweetened with beer or wine to make it palatable, which involved more casks and
was subject to spoilage. As longer voyages became more common, the task of
stowage became more and more difficult and the sailors' then-daily ration of a
gallon of beer began to add up.
Following England's conquest of Jamaica in 1655, a half pint or "2 gills"
of rum gradually replaced beer and brandy as the drink of choice. Given to the
sailor straight, this caused additional problems, as some sailors saved the rum
rations for several days to drink all at once. Due to the subsequent illness and
disciplinary problems, the rum was mixed with water. This both diluted
its effects and accelerated its spoilage, preventing hoarding of the allowance.
Vernon's 1740 order that the daily rum issue of a half pint of rum be mixed with
one quart of water and issued in two servings, before noon and after the end of
the working day, became part of the official regulations of the Royal Navy in 1756
and lasted for more than two centuries. This gives a ratio of 4:1 (water: rum).
Some writers have claimed that Vernon also added citrus juice to prevent spoilage
and that it was found to prevent scurvy. This is not the case and is based on a
misreading of Vernon's order in which, having instructed his captains to dilute the
sailors daily allowance of rum with water, he says that those members of the
crew "which......are good husbandmen may from the saving of their salt
provisions and bread, purchase sugar and limes to make it more palatable to
them."
In other words, there was no official addition of lime juice or other substance at
this time any addition was the result of a voluntary choice, made by and paid for
by the men themselves, and done solely if they wanted to improve the taste. It
seems unlikely that many men would have spent their meagre pay on such a
thing.
Likewise, it had nothing to do with combating scurvy, which was a disease of long
ocean voyages not of squadrons operating among islands where there was an
abundance of fruits and fresh foodstuffs and was seen by the medical
establishment (incorrectly) as the consequence of poor digestion and internal
putrefaction. Standard medical remedies focused on 'gingering up' the system by
imbibing a variety of (ineffective) fizzy or fermenting drinks. Until an official daily
issue of lemon juice was introduced into the Royal Navy in 1795, scurvy continued
to be a debilitating disease which destroyed men and disabled ships and whole
fleets. Practical seamen and surgeons however had known from practical
experience that vitamin C, in the form of citrus juice, cured scurvy and in 1795, in
defiance of medical opinion, the Admiralty and the admirals introduced lemon
juice and sugar as a regular part of the naval diet. When a few years later Spain
allied itself with France and lemons became unobtainable, West Indian limes
were substituted. It was from this time that British obtained the nickname limeys.

Royal Navy grog ration

The name "grog" probably came from the nickname of Admiral Vernon, who was
known as "Old Grog" because he wore a grogram cloak. American Dialect
Society member Stephen Goranson has shown that the term was in use by 1749,
when Vernon was still alive. A biographer of Daniel Defoe has suggested that the
derivation from "Old Grog" is wrong because Defoe used the term in 1718, but
this is based on an erroneous citation of Defoe's work, which actually used the
word "ginger."