[Sca-cooks] Grog was made from local and imported ingredients

Johnna Holloway johnnae at mac.com
Mon Jan 20 11:04:04 PST 2014


I am slightly puzzled as to why this is termed a "grog."

According to the OED, grog relates to " first as a personal nickname to Admiral Vernon, from the fact of his wearing a grogram cloak, and afterwards transferred to the mixture which he ordered to be served out instead of neat spirit. Vernon's order, dated Aug. 1740, is still extant. The statement that he wore a grogram cloak, and was thence nicknamed ‘Old Grog’, first appears explicitly in Grose Dict. Vulgar Tongue 1796, but derives some support from Trotter's allusion in a quotation from 1781."
In any case it's "A drink consisting of spirits (originally rum) and water. half and half grog, a drink made of equal parts of spirits and water."

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition defines it as "British naval drink; sugared rum mixed with hot water. Named after Admiral Vernon (early 18th century) whose nickname ‘Old Grog’ came from his grosgrain (heavy corded silk) coat."


So if grog is an 18th century term meaning a distilled neat spirit watered down with water, then why is this term being applied to this pre-Viking drink of "barley, honey, cranberries, herbs and even grape wine imported from Greece and Rome"?

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/what-was-grog-scientists-analyze-ancient-nordic-drink-2D11926342

http://www.penn.museum/press-releases/1031-patrick-mcgovern-nordic-grog.html

Johnnae


On Jan 20, 2014, at 12:38 AM, JIMCHEVAL at aol.com wrote:

> Make that pre-Vikings.
> 
> Jim  Chevallier

> In a message dated 1/19/2014 9:36:44 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
> JIMCHEVAL at aol.com writes:
> 
> Damn,  those Vikings are popping up  everywhere.
> 
> "A new study on residue  found in Scandinavian artifacts from  1500 B.C. to 
> the first century  A.D. has revealed that the wide variety of  ingredients 
> used to make  Nordic grog ranged from local fruits, grains, herbs and  
> spices 
> to  grape wine imported from southern or central Europe.   "
> http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/28731
> 




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