Posted by David Brooks on April 26, 2000 at 14:46:18 from 216-064-124-157.inaddr.vitts.com:
In Reply to: Re: what is Grog, anyway? posted by Mike Field on April 26, 2000 at 00:47:32:
Intrigued by these comments, I did a Web search on "grog," using Google, and found lots of recipes, including this simple one at www.FoodWine.com:
1 shot rum
1 teaspoon sugar (preferably superfine)
Squeeze of lime juice
Cinnamon stick
Boiling water
Stir all ingredients, adding enough boiling water to fill mug or glass.
I also found GROG - the Groupes Régionaux d'Observation de la Grippe - which keeps an eye on the spread of influenza, as well as a surprising number of people whose nickname is "Grog," plus lots of bars and collections of songs.
What I was really looking for and didn't find, though, was chemical or other description of why adding water to rum would shorten its shelf life, an intriguing concept. (I have vowed to drink all rum drinks more quickly in the future.)
Other searches were not helpful, either, although they were interesting. Searching for "rum and water," for example, brings up a surprising number of Web sites with excerpts from Dickens novels.