![]() On the side of each grog tub were the brass letters THE KING GOD BLESS HIM. The scuttled butt in Vernon's orders, basically a simple cask with a lid, was soon replaced with the 'Grog Tub', a specifically designed oak cask with polished brass or copper hoops and covered with a fancy lid. With it came the phrase, "Too many and you'll be 'groggy' in the morning." Arguably, Vernon had created the world's first cocktail - the Grog. ![]() ![]() Lime juice and sugar were always made available for the sailors to add to their grog in an attempt to prevent scurvy, lending British sailors their "limey" nickname. So 85 years after rum was first issued onboard Royal Navy ships after the capture of Jamaica the daily tot ration became a right for every British naval seaman - a right that would last for another 230 years.Īdmiral Vernon was nicknamed "Old Grogram" due to the waterproof grogram (a rough fabric of mohair and silk) cloak he often wore in bad weather, so the mixture he introduced became known as "grog". ![]() The scuttled butt was an open (scuttled) fresh-water cask (or butt) on the ship decks from which the daily tot of grog was issued. The Admiral's order further specified that the rum should be diluted upon the deck and in the presence of the Lieutenant of the Watch and mixed in a scuttled butt kept for that purpose. This dictated that the standard daily issue of half-pint, neat, high-proof rum be replaced with two servings of one-quarter of a pint, diluted 4:1 with water, one serving to be before noon and the other at the end of the working day.Īdmiral Edward 'Old Grog' Vernon. On the 21st of August 1740, in an attempt to combat drunkenness, the Admiral issued his infamous Order to Captains No. Victualling Commissioners' emblem above the river gate at Royal Victoria Victualling Yard, Deptford, LondonĮnter Admiral Vernon, much admired due to his firm but humane treatment of the ranks, but also for dividing a sizable heist of gold and silver amongst his men in contravention to admiralty orders after capturing Porto Bello from the Spanish. Predictably this resulted in drunken insubordination and rum-induced accidents in the rigging. By 1739 and the newly declared war against the Spanish the daily rum ration had become standard practice in the West Indies station. The British Navy's use of rum as an alternative to beer in the West Indies was officially recognised in 1731 when new regulations stipulated that in lieu of beer a daily ration of half a pint or 2 gills (275ml) of rum be issued. Rum had the advantage that it did not go bad, so despite not being sanctioned by the Navy's Victualling Board, after Penn took Jamaica where rum production was commonplace, rum was frequently substituted for beer. More men died of fever and scurvy than in battle. This lack of liquid refreshment was obviously not an issue in home waters, but on the long voyages to the West Indies, it was not only bad for morale but was also a major health issue. The beer ration was a gallon a day but this would also go off so understandably they would drink the beer first and then turn to the water when the beer ran out. Often the water was foul at source but even if it wasn't, it would be after standing in the wooden casks where it would quickly turn slimy and develop algae. No method of distilling sea water existed at the time so water stocks could only be replenished when ships arrived at their destination or ports of call. Liquid refreshment took the form of beer and water, both stored in wooden casks. Sanitation was often non-existent and food consisted mainly of infested biscuits and salted meat. This time he took the precaution of bombarding the land fortifications before disembarking his army and within a month he had taken the island.Ĭonditions aboard the ships of the day were grim, as were the provisions. ![]() The ill-prepared attack failed but Penn was reluctant to return home empty-handed so he decided to attack Jamaica. His mission was to pursue Cromwell's aggressive policy of colonial expansion in the Caribbean against the Spanish who were also pursuing a similar policy.Īfter stopping to load more men and provisions at Barbados, then a British naval base, Penn headed for Hispaniola where he landed a force in an attempt to take possession of the Spanish-held island of San Domingo. In addition to his own flagship, Penn's fleet consisted of 37 men-of-war carrying 3,000 soldiers. The long connection between the Royal Navy and rum can be traced back to 1655 and Vice-Admiral William Penn's expedition to the West Indies. ![]()
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