Navy Grog

Navy grog is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous tiki drinks out there. Though the Zombie and the Mai Tai developed more name recognition, they also changed siginificantly over time into forms that were just about unrecognizable when compared to the originals. We’re seeing more and more bars – even non-tiki bars – serving “original” Mai Tais these days, but the Navy Grog stayed fairly true to its roots over time.

Navy Grog was invented by none other than Don the Beachcomber in the 1941. It was made with a blend of three different rums, lime juice, grapefruit juice and sweetened with honey syrup. The rums included gold/aged Demerara rum, dark Jamaican rum and white Cuban rum, according to Beachbum Berry, and the combination creates a flavorful and boozy base for the drink. The Beachcomber served the drink in an old fashioned glass with a snow cone-like cone made of crushed ice that wrapped around the straw and ensured every sip was ice cold. You can even buy an ice cone kit, if you want to make your drink as authentic as possible.

This is our version of a traditional Navy Grog, made with our favorite combination of rums. We use a slightly different mix than the “original” recipe suggests, so don’t hesitate to play around with the rums that are you your bar. We can, however, guarantee that this combination will make a delicious Navy Grog every time.

Navy Grog
1 oz aged white Demerara Rum (such as El Dorado 3)
1 oz Trinidad Rum (such as Scarlet Ibis)
1 oz aged Jamaican rum (such as Appleton 12/Extra Old)
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz grapefruit juice
3/4 oz honey syrup
1/4 oz allspice dram (optional, but excellent)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with crushed ice or an ice cone. Garnish with a mint sprig.

How To Make Navy Grog Without Grapefruit Juice: We’re not huge lovers of grapefruit – though it is excellent in this drink – and don’t always have it on hand in the bar. When we don’t have it, we substitute lemon juice and add in three dashes of Grapefruit Bitters. The bitters last just about forever (unlike a whole grapefruit) and add that distinctive grapefruit flavor without too much bitterness. Truth be told, Nicole really prefers the bitters version to the “real” version, so we won’t judge if you want to mix things up when you make yours.