Navy Grog - How to Make the Classic Rum & Honey Tiki Cocktail

Here's how to make the classic Tiki drink the Navy Grog, which is made with Light Cuban-Style Rum, Dark Jamaican Rum, Demerara Rum, (or in this case, a Navy Strength combination of the two), Lime Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Honey Syrup, Soda Water and an Ice Cone for garnish. This is the 1941 Don the Beachcomber version. The other popular variation is the Trader Vic’s version.

The Trader Vic’s version uses the same combination of rums and citrus, but swaps the honey syrup and soda water for simple syrup and pimento dram. Some of the measurements are a little different as well, but it’s pretty close. The Trader Vic’s version is the one that Martin and Rebecca Cate feature in their book, Smuggler’s Cove. It’s also the version that Beachbum Berry fell in love with and that made him a dedicated, obsessive fanatic of tiki culture, which set him on a path to writing several books on the subject, opening his own tiki restaurant and selling some tiki gear that was hard to come by otherwise.

Because of this and the obsession it triggered in Berry, the Navy Grog is arguably the most important tiki drink in the canon of exotic cocktails. Berry is the reason for the tiki revival and his tireless efforts to research, reconstruct and resurrect the lost art of tiki cannot be overstated. Berry went above and beyond. He was the Indiana Jones to the raiders of the lost tiki. He collected notebooks, cracked codes, found hidden scraps of paper with recipes scrawled on them, he interviewed bartenders, coerced and cajoled widows and children of the godfathers of the tiki world and eventually was able to unearth a lot of the lost art of the tiki drink. Berry conquered all of those questions and we are enjoying the exotic fruit juices of his labor.

The name of this drink is an allusion to the British Royal Navy’s rum ration. In 1740, Admiral Edward Vernon, who was called “Old Grog” because he wore coats of the cheaper fabric, grogram, decided that the daily allotment of half a pint of full-strength (57% ABV) rum was too much, so he cut the ration with water. This mixture of rum and water became known as “grog”. Some 55 years later, citrus was also added to the daily rations.

Both Donn’s and Vic’s version used a blend of three rums, a light rum, a dark Jamaican rum and a Demerara (Guyanese) rum. For the Jamaican and Demerara, I’m using a Hamilton Navy Strength, a blend of the two. It is “60% Guyana rum at 154 proof and 40% Jamaican rum at 170 proof” and are slowly blended and stirred “for 48 hours before dilution to 114 proof.” This blend is not 50/50 like Donn’s recipe called for, but it works wonders in this drink. But be careful because this is going to be a strong one. Okole Maluna!


Recipe:
1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum
1 oz Demarara Rum
1 oz Honey Syrup
0.75 oz Lime Juice
0.75 oz Grapefruit Juice
0.75 oz Soda Water
garnish Ice Cone with straw
(instead of Jamaican and Demarara, I used 2 oz of a Navy Strength blend of both rums)

Add all ingredients (except ice cone) to a shaker. Shake with ice. Strain into Double Old Fashioned Glass over Ice Cone. Serve with straw through Ice Cone.


Music:
El Que Quiera Bailar 3 by Martin Landh
via Epidemic Sound


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Featured in this Episode:

Caña Brava 3 Year Rum
http://bit.ly/2rHr8tQ

Hamilton Navy Strength Rum
http://bit.ly/2gRpv8n

Soda Siphon
http://amzn.to/2vK87VU

Smuggler's Cove by Martin & Rebecca Cate
http://amzn.to/2pEXt0m

Potions of the Caribbean by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
http://amzn.to/2rdHc57


Bar Tools:

Beachbum Berry's Navy Grog Ice Cone Garnish Kit
http://amzn.to/2ujBWP7

Pilsner Glass
http://amzn.to/2pmgGTk

Chopsticks
http://amzn.to/2gR3iY6

Double Old Fashioned Glass
http://amzn.to/2owVAF9

Bamboo Paper Straws
http://amzn.to/2sw20WG

Cuisinart Citrus Juicer
http://amzn.to/2ujQkFf

Lewis Bag & Ice Mallet
http://amzn.to/2nz12CK