Navy Grog...
Your complete guide to what it is and how to make this classic rum cocktail
When you think of Navy Grog you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for the grog the British sailors drank from the 1700’s. But there’s no brackish water and sea shanties to be had here! Aside from rum and lime this is where the similarities end. (See our definitive guide to the origins of seafaring Grog, its history and how to make it).
Navy Grog, is a very different kettle of fish. A drink both notorious and quite literally, inspiring.
According to ex-Beachcomber barman Tony Ramos, it was one of Frank Sinatra’s favorites at the Palm Springs ‘Don The Beachcombers’. Whilst former President, Richard Nixon had more than a passing penchant for ‘Trader Vic’s’ version! The drink was regarded as so strong that it was limited to only two per person, with its potency even going on legal record when a Trader Vic bartender testified on its strength during the trial of Phil Spector and the murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson.
Shop our exclusive designs on Red Bubble
So its notoriety and bad boy reputation are apparent, but what of its inspirational qualities?
Well, without it, todays tiki scene would be a very limited affair. It is after all the drink that tiki archaeologist Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry first fell in love with. The drink that drove his passion for tiki and fuelled him on a mission to uncover many of the classic cocktails and ingredients that make up the foundation of this faux Polynesian paradox. Placing Mr Berry firmly at the heart of modern day tiki and the Navy Grog as a cornerstone of the movement.
At its base the drink is always 2-3 types of rum, plus lime and grapefruit juice, but there are many variations on how it’s tweaked, sweetened and deepened.
In this article we cover the two classic versions of the drink – Don the Beachcomber’s original Navy Grog recipe from 1941 and Trader Vic’s variation of the same drink. However, as Trader Vic’s recipe is still a partial secret (the ingredients of his Navy Grog mix have never been revealed!), we’ll be running with tiki heavyweight Martin Cate’s interpretation and the method he uses at Smugglers Cove.
PLUS, we even show you a hack on how to make your own Navy Grog Ice Cones! 
Navy Grog by Don Beach, Original 1941 Recipe
Back in the 40's, men were men and fancy cocktails were… err… a little unmanly. It wasn’t a good look to be seen ordering anything deemed ‘girly’ or ‘dainty looking’. Enter... the Navy Grog.Described on Don the Beachcomber’s menu as, “A robust rum punch dedicated to the gallant men of the American navy”, it certainly ticked all the boxes of ‘manly appeal. Don as ever matching his mixology skills with his marketing nous.So yes, it’s a classic Don the Beachcomber recipe, with all of his tiki trademarks - 3 rums instead of 1 (like why would you only use one rum eh?), white grapefruit juice and of course a singularly novel garnish. But it was his understanding of how to connect a drink with his audience that really helped the Navy Grog join the ranks of the Mai Tai and Zombie as part of the Holy Trinity of Tiki.
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1 oz Light Rum
- 1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum
- 1 oz Demerara Rum
- 1 oz Honey Mix - see the recipe below
- ¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice
- ¾ oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- ¾ oz Club Soda Water
- 1 Ice Cone with Straw - we show you how to make this super cool tiki garnish below
- 1 Mint Sprig
- 1 Lime Wedge
Method
- Place your frozen ice cone into a double rocks style glass. Insert your straw through the middle of the cone.
- Pour all ingredients into a shaker, adding enough crushed ice to show above the surface of the liquid.
- Shake your drink vigorously for around 15 seconds, until a light frosting starts to form on the outside of the shaker. Strain into the glass, around the ice cone.
- Create your garnish by first giving the mint a good slap to release the oils and then place it in your glass alongside the ice cone. Cut a slit in the lime wedge and slide it onto the rim of the glass.
Notes
Honey Mix Recipe
Why bother making Honey Mix you ask? Why can’t you just add the honey straight into the cocktail? Honey will blend nicely in something warm like tea, but as soon as it comes into contact with ice, it'll thicken up and create a lumpy mess. The process of turning it into a syrup stops this happening. The good thing is that the recipe is really simple:- Combine equal parts (1:1 ratio) of water and honey in a saucepan, over a low to medium heat.
- Stir until the honey has fully dissolved, but do not let it boil.
- Allow to cool and pour into a sterilized bottle.
How to make your own Navy Grog Ice Cone
The ice cone is a signature garnish for the Navy Grog but it can be a pain to make, Beachbum Berry collaborated with Cocktail Kingdom to create their own bespoke mold which you can purchase, but if you fancy having a go at making your own, here’s how to. What you'll need:- A plastic champagne flute or Pilsner glass. You can use any V-shaped glass as long as the thickest part of it can sit in a rocks glass.
- Chopstick
- Wax paper
- To crush the ice you'll need a blender or a mallet and a Lewis bag.
Navy Grog by Trader Vic, Smuggler's Cove Recipe
So Victor Bergeron, Donn’s tiki rival and peer, made his own riff of the Navy Grog. Unlike the Mai Tai, this was never a drink that was under any dispute as to who invented it. Vic brought his own twist to the game, changing some of the proportions, tweaking the rums, and most noticeably, splitting the sweetener into two parts - Demerara Syrup and Pimento (Allspice) Dram. Producing a drink that is preferred by many due to the additional layers and subtleties of the allspice.
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1 oz Aged Trinidad Rum
- 1 oz Aged Demerara Rum
- 1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum
- ¼ oz Allspice Dram
- ¼ oz Demerara Syrup - see recipe below
- ¾ oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- ¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 Mint Sprig
Method
- Pour all ingredients into a blender, then add a couple of scoops of crushed ice, enough to sit level with the top of the liquid, and then flash blend for 2-5 seconds depending on the strength of your blender. See our tips below on how best to do this.
- Open pour the drink into a double old fashioned glass. Then when you've filled about 3/4 of the way with both ice and liquid, use a gated finish to control the ice (put the strainer on the blender cup), filling with liquid to the top of the glass.The idea is that you use the gated finish to control the volume of liquid in your drink depending on how large your glass is.
- Create your garnish by first giving the mint a good slap to release the oils and then place it in your drink so it hangs over the edge of your glass. As an addition, this drink works really well with a Rock Candy Stick, giving you the option to sweeten it up a bit if desired.
Notes
For those of you that believe the devil is in the details, there are a few things to take note of here:
- The secret to Trader Vic's drink over Don's is his use of the sweetener.
- What we've given here is the sweetener as used by Martin Cate of Smugglers Cove. The reason being that this is what he used when he worked at SF Trader Vic's back in 2005.
- The commercially available Trader Vic's Navy Grog Mix (ie, the sweetener) is different to the Grog Concentrate they use behind the bar at Trader Vics. The concentrate is the holy grail of mixes, so if you can get your hands on it then you should go for it!
- And to confuse things further, Trader Vic's Grog is a completely different drink to Trader Vic's Navy Grog (the drink we have here)! Oh, sweet sweet tiki, you are a tricksy and convoluted mistress!
How to Flash Blend your Drink
The idea of flash blending is to perfectly chill, dilute and aerate your cocktail - releasing the aromatics, loosening up the alcohol and creating just the right mouthfeel - all without making a slushy. When you pour it in your glass, you should still be able to see crushed ice in with the liquid. If you have a top-down blender or stand-up mixer like the ‘Hamilton Beach’, then a 2-3 second blitz is normally fine. This may vary depending on the strength of the blender. A hand-held immersion blender would also work well. However, if you’re using a standard blender (with the blades at the bottom of the flask) then there’s a knack to flash blending without over-diluting your drink.- Make sure you put all your ingredients in the blender, only adding your crushed ice just before blending. Don’t let the ice sit around in the liquid, otherwise it’ll just straight up melt.
- Now, turn it on to blend and immediately hit stop. If you have a pulse button then use this, but if you don’t you’ll need to turn it on and off fast.
- Pulse it again.
- One more pulse and you’re done.
Demerara Syrup (Smugglers Cove Recipe)
- Add ½ cup of demerara sugar and 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar to 1 cup of water in a pan (making a 2:1 rich syrup).
- Heat the pan and bring the mix to a simmer. Do not allow to boil. If it boils then water will evaporate and your syrup has the potential to crystallize when in the bottle.
- Stir continuously until the mix is clear and the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Allow to cool, then pour into a sterilized bottle and refrigerate. It should last a couple of weeks.
A Presidential favorite
Trader Vic’s version of Navy Grog was said to be a firm favourite with the then President Richard Nixon, a former Navy Lieutenant who had served in the South Pacific. Nixon would have his staff call ahead to the Trader Vic’s bar in DC - which was housed within the Capital Hilton Hotel - and have them clear the bar of its customers and staff, all except for one trusted bartender. After being secretly driven down, Nixon would spend hours drinking his favourite drink and pouring out his heart to the barman. True to his honour the bartender never shared what Nixon told him. If only we were a fly on the wall...We put a whole lotta love, lime and rum into our work, so if you think your friends would find this article useful, we’d be thrilled if you could share it with them!
Thank you. Mahalo.
Facebook
Pinterest
