The grog recipe
for your table
Rinse the handled glass with hot tap water and pour it away, so the glass is warm before you start.
Put the sugar syrup and lemon juice in the glass and stir them together briefly.
Add the rum and top up with hot water at about eighty degrees; do not let the water boil.
Stir once more and garnish with a lemon slice studded with a few cloves, plus a cinnamon stick.
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The story
The usual story is that grog originated in the British navy. On board, the crew received a daily rum ration, and to prevent drunkenness on deck, that ration was diluted with water; lemon and sugar were added because they made the mixture drinkable. The claim that the name came from the nickname of the admiral who gave the order is an anecdote, not an established fact. What is true is that the principle has barely changed since then: spirits, hot water, acidity and sweetness, in that order. At its core, every hot toddy is a grog made with a different bottle.
The right glass
A grog calls for a glass with a handle, because the contents are hot and you want to be able to pick up the glass without burning your fingers. Choose tempered glass, which is made to withstand hot water, and a capacity of twenty-five to thirty-three centiliters, so there is still plenty of room for another ten centiliters of water after adding the rum, lemon juice, and sugar syrup. Transparent glass also shows how the color changes as the rum and water mix. If you also serve coffee in glassware, take a look at our coffee glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Icon Mug Tea Glass 32 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochère Louison Tea Mug 25 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 61,90.
The right tools
For a grog, besides the glass, use a jigger to measure precisely, a citrus juicer for the lemon juice, and a bar spoon to stir in the sugar syrup. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 60,80.
What do you make a grog with?
For a grog, you need rum. Well-known bottles include Havana Club and Captain Morgan. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Replace the hot water with strong black tea for a fuller, darker version known in the Alps as Jagertee. A splash of honey instead of sugar syrup makes the whole drink rounder and smoother. If you use whisky with honey and lemon, the same drink is called a hot toddy; with cognac, you get a fruitier hot drink. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Always rinse the glass with hot water first, because a cold glass immediately draws out the heat, leaving your grog lukewarm within two minutes. Push three or four cloves into the lemon slice instead of dropping them loose into the glass; that way, they release their flavor slowly and you will not keep coming across them.
Good to know
Why the water must not boil
Alcohol evaporates well below the boiling point of water, and the volatile aromas from the rum and lemon peel are the first to disappear with it. If you pour boiling water into the glass, you strip away the top layer of flavor in one go, and the lemon juice also becomes flat and bitter. Keep the water around eighty degrees instead: it feels clearly hot but is no longer bubbling. In practice, you can do this by switching off the kettle and waiting half a minute before pouring.
The difference from a hot toddy
At their core, they are the same kind of drink: spirits, hot water, acidity, and sweetness. The difference lies in how they are made. Grog uses rum and sugar, while a hot toddy is usually made with whisky and honey, and a toddy more often includes a clove, cinnamon, or slice of ginger. Because honey is thicker than sugar syrup, a toddy feels rounder and smoother. Tasting the two side by side, you mainly notice the difference between the sugar cane in the rum and the grain in the whisky.
Grog is not mulled wine
Mulled wine is made with red wine that is gently heated with spices and sugar, so it ends up with a lower alcohol content than the bottle you started with. Grog starts with spirits and dilutes them with water, so it works in exactly the opposite way. The flavors also differ: mulled wine is rich in cloves, cinnamon, and star anise, underpinned by the wine’s tannins, while grog is sharper and fresher because of the lemon juice. What they have in common is that neither should ever be brought to a boil.
Variations with tea or honey
Replace the hot water with strong black tea and the drink becomes darker, fuller and somewhat more tannic; in the Alps, that version appears on menus as Jagertee. Honey instead of sugar syrup gives a rounder sweetness that pairs well with dark rum, but dissolve it first in a little warm water, otherwise it will remain at the bottom. A few slices of fresh ginger or a piece of orange peel make the whole drink more wintry without really changing the recipe.
Which rum works best
Choose a dark rum with some time spent in wood: it brings caramel, vanilla and a light woody note that pair well with hot water and lemon. White rum is too neutral and disappears in the glass. A strong overproof rum makes the whole drink sharp and overpowering, especially since the heat already brings out the alcohol. Spiced rum works well, but be careful with extra cloves and cinnamon, as the bottle already brings those flavors itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a grog?
A grog consists of 5 cl dark rum, 2 cl lemon juice, 1.5 cl sugar syrup and 10 cl hot water. Nothing more. The garnish is a lemon slice studded with cloves and a cinnamon stick; they add flavor without changing the recipe.
What is the difference between a grog and a hot toddy?
The bottle and the sweetener. Grog is made with rum and sugar, while a hot toddy is usually made with whisky and honey. Otherwise, the composition is the same: spirits, sour, sweet and hot water in a preheated glass. In that respect, every hot toddy is a grog with a different base.
How hot can the water for grog be?
Around eighty degrees, so clearly hot but not boiling. Boiling water drives the alcohol and aromas out of the glass and makes the lemon juice bitter. Turn off the kettle and wait half a minute before pouring.
Which glass do you serve grog in?
In a tempered-glass mug with a handle, holding twenty-five to thirty-three centiliters, which you rinse with hot water first. The handle keeps your fingers cool, and the tempered glass can withstand the heat. See our tea glasses for suitable models.
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