Navy Grog recipes

Hello all. I've been using the navy grog recipe in the Grog Log, but have found it lacking in one main area. Honey. This stuff is a pain in the ass to work with. The recipe calls for it to be heated until liquid. Unfortunately, it returns to semi-solid as soon as it hits any liquid colder than it, aka, all the other liquid ingredients, and you end up with a big lump of it in your drink. Not too appealing.
So, I'm looking for something new. Let me see what ya's got.

Hey Sinner,

There's a Navy Grog recipe on that little tag tied to the neck of Sailor Jerry's rum. If I find one laying around here I'll post it. I've still never tried it or any Navy Grog recipe so i can't tell you how it stands up.

-FB

Sinner,
Make a honey syrup the same as the sugar syrup. Heat 1 part honey to 1 part water to a boil and bottle it. It'll mix well, stay a more usable liquid and work in a drink. Just increase the "honey" part of the recipe to compensate for the water dilution.

Sinner,
This is now one of my faves, but I had the same problem first time out. Plus, I think using a blender for mixing one drink makes too much cleanup work. So, I prepare the drink a little differently than Mr. Berry suggests.

Same exact ingredients but I microwave the honey for 15 seconds in a glass measuring jigger which gets it very liquid. Then, in a shaker, I vigorously stir in the rums which are at room temp. At that point, the honey is pretty well mixed and I add the juices which are usually not real cold. Finally I add the chilled club soda and pour. Good honey flavor, but no globby residue.

JTD

The Navy Grog recipe in the Grog Log is based on the Don the Beachcomber version of the drink. As much as I was a fan of Don, I find that I prefer Trader Vic's Navy Grog to Don's. It is very similar to the mai tai, but clearly has at least one ingredient that is different, something spicy and slightly bitter. I think that originally it may have been pimento liqueur. I don't know what they use now. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Vic's Navy Grog is made with a house Navy Grog Mix called "Navy Grog Concentrate" with is NOT the same as the retail Navy Grog Mix that Vic's sells. The "concentrate" is considerably better. I do not know what's in it exactly, I'm afraid.

Thanks all. I think I will give some of these suggestions a shot, especially those syrup and mixing order ones. Swanky, does that stuff have to be refrigerated, or can I just leave it out?
I fell in love with this drink at the Tiki Ti and now find that I crave it all the time :D

It does not have to be refridgerated, but I would. It will stay mixed, but, last time I did not, it grew mold on top.

Don't give up on the honey!

I had the same trouble with the honey glob. But the microwave heatup suggested here works well. As was said, just mix it with the room temp ingredients real well before adding the cold ingredients and ice.

Also, when making the honey syrup, I strongly suggest you buy some Florida orange blossom honey (available online) and try that. It's that special flavor you taste at the Mai Kai, and is wonderful.

Zombie,
That probably does work well, and better than the boiling water on the stove method. I tried that a few times with poor results and lots of suffering. But both mean a good bit of headache if you have guests over and are in the bar itself. No microwave in there and it would just not work. So mix up the syrup and use it behind the bar and you can make those drinks with ease!

I have had the Trader Vic's, made it our of three recipes, but bar none the Tiki Ti Navy Grog is my favorite. (big surprise)
I sadly do not have their recipe.

Mmmmm... I must say that the "Trader Vic's Grog" from the Grog Log is one of my new favorites.
Quick and easy to make and quite tasty! I like to add a little grapefruit juice for some bite.
Aloha,
:tiki:

The recipe for the Trader Vic's Navy Grog was discussed here about a year ago (use search to find the thread) and on the Maryland DC Tiki Forum
http://marylanddctiki.proboards2.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&num=1083276185
pertaining to the recipe for Navy Grog from the now closed Honululu Restaurant in Alexandria VA where the owner was once a bartender at the DC Trader Vic's. I have copied here my posts on that subject:

I first tasted a Navy Grog at the Honululu and that spoiled me. I purchased some Trader Vics mix thinking it was the same thing and was sorely disappointed. I asked David Chan about the drink and he said it was a secret recipe of his (based upon the TV drink I wonder ?) and that he made his own mix. I now have a fine collection of new and vintage bar books after unsuccessfully searching for a recipe for Navy Grog. Since it was a Trader Vic drink, that spurred my collecting all of his books.
The drink does not appear at all in his earlier books. When it does appear in later editions, the recipe uses the mix as posted earlier. I suspect that it was one of the earlier mixes (versus syrups such as grenadine or Orgeat) in their product line due to more advanced prep time needed to make it for use behind the bar (hint: it is cooked).
David Chan, owner of the recently closed Honululu in Alexandria Va, makes a mean Navy Grog that is markedly different from the Trader Vic version. Now, remember, Mr Chan was a bartender at the DC Trader Vics before opening his own place. He made his own Navy Grog mix for use at his bar. He mentioned to me that he might make that mix available (along with the MaiTai mix) on their website. However, I heard from another regular that he said the MT mix would be the only one he kept for himself. Anyway, the last week they were open, I asked him to taste my homemade Navy Grog mix that I had been making based upon tasting his mixed drinks, and he allowed me to taste his NG mix stright (i.e. not diluted into a drink). His was very dark (like the MaiTai mix) and much more complex in flavor than the bottled Trader Vic stuff. He proclaimed mine very good and asked for my recipe which he said was very close and told me where I was off from his. I will share as soon as I determine if he is actually going to sell his commercially. Our discussion then ventured into Trader Vic's commercial mixes. Mr. Chan made some very interesting comments regarding them. He said that the drink recipies and the mixes had changed over the years. Now we know that the mixes and syrups were originated for and are still used in the restaurants (except in the case of the MaiTai if you ask for a San Francisco style).
This leads to some question as to what really is the recipie to their drinks? It would not surprise me if the old Trader changed the recipies for publication to make the in house drinks a little better than you could make at home and to delete hard to find ingredients while promoting his own line of mixes etc. Now back to David Chan. He took over the Honululu back in 1978. Prior to that, he had another place in Canada and before that worked at the DC Trader Vic's. That location opened in 1961. It stands to reason that there were original employees there when Mr. Chan worked there in the early 70's. It is entirely possible that what we were tasting was Mr Chan's version (changed a little and made his own perhaps) of 1961 vintage drinks.
Just look at the variations and use of esoteric ingedients (Van Der Hum, Parfait de Amour etc) in some of the other drink books including Don the Beachcomber and Grog Log compared to the relative simplicity of the published versions of T.V. drinks for further support to my theory that T.V. drinks may not be what they once were.
To close, the Navy Grog recipie from the Honululu use a homemade mix plus light and amber rums (cheap stuff: Ronrico), sour lemon (bar supply house bottled reconstituted unsweetened lemon juice), quarted of a lime squeezed in and shell left in and pink grapefruit juice. In other words, it is basically a MaiTai with the addition of grapefruit juice and the substitution of a different flavored sugar syrup.

So, is anyone else out there a Navy Grog fan and do you have your own recipie?

Okay, I think I finally have a workable recipie for replicating the Honolulu Navy Grog at home. Please try it out (cut the recipie in half if in doubt) and try it over the weekend.

Navy Grog Mix Recipe
Inspired by the Navy Grog mixed and served by David Chan, owner of the Late Great Honolulu Restaurant

Makes one 750ml bottle

Note, recipe can easily halved.

Ingredient List:
2 12oz cans Coca cola , preferably warm (no substitute)

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root (you CANNOT substitute dried ground ginger powder for this, the only acceptable substitute is candied ginger, whole or puree)

12 whole cloves (very important that they be whole and not ground for clarity of the finished product, if you absolutely must use ground cloves, substitute a scant ¼ teaspoon and use a fine sieve with cheesecloth to strain later)

2 Whole Dried Allspice berries (no substitute, you cannot put in little enough of the powder to not dominate the taste)

1 teaspoon Orange Bitters (available from Fee Brothers or put in the peel of one orange)

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon “sour salt” (this is pure citric acid powder used in canning and pickling, it can often be found near Kosher for Passover products, it allows you to add sour without adding sweet and keeps fruit from darkening due to exposure to air, if unavailable, leave it out and add more lemon or lime juice when making the drink itself)

Traditional Bitters to taste- 1 or 2 dashes (I prefer Fee Brothers to Angostura brand for its more complex flavor)

Instructions:

Open cans of coke and pour into pot or saucepan.
Scrub ginger to remove loose peel segments and slice thinly (dime thickness). Slices can be further divided if they are larger than about dime sized. It is important, however, not to be tempted to dice or shred the ginger too finely since it will break apart some when cooked and make it harder to strain out later.
Add ginger to pan of coke.
Add orange peel (if using) to pan. (If using bitters, it gets added later)
Add cloves to pan.
Add Allspice to pan. (if using)
Allow this to steep at room temp while the coke goes flat. (This keeps it from foaming too much when heated)
Add honey and sour salt (if using) and simmer the contents of the pan for about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool.
Strain out all solids (ginger, peel, cloves)

Add Orange Bitters (if using)
Add Traditional Bitters (if using)
Put into empty clean 750 ml bottle
Add water to make up full volume
Note, some alcohol: grain, vodka or even rum, could also be added as a preservative.

To make one Honolulu Restaurant Style Navy Grog Drink:
1 oz Navy Grog Mix
1 oz bottled reconstituted lemon juice (ReaLemon or equivalent)
1 to 1 ½ oz Pink Grapefruit Juice (to taste)
1 oz Amber Rum
1 oz Light Rum
¼ Lime squeezed and shell left in
Combine all; shake with ice, garnish and serve.

I have had folks who taste tested this tell me that it is too gingery. If you are worried this might be the case, reduce the amount of ginger and the simmer time. Also, feel free to substitue fresh lemon or lime juice for the RealLemon; I was simply being true to the original I was trying to duplicate.

Okay, I just tried the recipe for the mix. RIGHT ON. In my experience the Trader Vic's Navy Grogs have the same spice flavor, but some club soda, and a bit sweeter than the one listed above. But the mix...BRILLIANT. Well worth the effort. Made the whole house smell nice.

Thanks a million for posting this!

TT

I have to try this recipe. I never would have thought Coke.
Navy Grog became one of my favorite drinks after having it mixed up at Forbidden Island. Now I am thirsty!

Has anyone tried making allspice syrup? I stumbled upon a recipe and think this might be one of the ingredients used in some Navy Grog recipes as a stand in for the ultra rare Pimento Liqueur.

Place:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
and 6 level tablespoons crushed dried allspice berries in saucepan

Heat until sugar is dissolved, simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1-2 hours.
Strain and refrigerate.

I can't wait to try it.

I've also tried the recipe listed above and it was very good. Next time I think I'll add more allspice and ginger to give it a little more kick.

[ Edited by: TraderJonah 2007-01-11 20:54 ]

On 2007-01-11 20:54, TraderJonah wrote:
Has anyone tried making allspice syrup?

Yes. The recipe you have listed is Beachbum Berry's, which is the same I used. Essential for a Nui Nui, unless you have Pimento Liqueur, which would be even better. I'm working on the liqueur, which takes about a month and a half. That's a long time to wait for this microwave slave!

Navy Grog Mix Recipe
Inspired by the Navy Grog mixed and served by David Chan, owner of the Late Great Honolulu Restaurant

Makes one 750ml bottle

Note, recipe can easily halved.

Ingredient List:
2 12oz cans Coca cola , preferably warm (no substitute)

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root (you CANNOT substitute dried ground ginger powder for this, the only acceptable substitute is candied ginger, whole or puree)

12 whole cloves (very important that they be whole and not ground for clarity of the finished product, if you absolutely must use ground cloves, substitute a scant ¼ teaspoon and use a fine sieve with cheesecloth to strain later)

2 Whole Dried Allspice berries (no substitute, you cannot put in little enough of the powder to not dominate the taste)

1 teaspoon Orange Bitters (available from Fee Brothers or put in the peel of one orange)

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon “sour salt” (this is pure citric acid powder used in canning and pickling, it can often be found near Kosher for Passover products, it allows you to add sour without adding sweet and keeps fruit from darkening due to exposure to air, if unavailable, leave it out and add more lemon or lime juice when making the drink itself)

Traditional Bitters to taste- 1 or 2 dashes (I prefer Fee Brothers to Angostura brand for its more complex flavor)

(quote)

Okay, Neal's hands down spot on Trader Vic's Navy Grog uses this mixture instead of the honey that Beachbum Berry calls for in Grog Log. I tweaked it a little, because Trader Vic's bartender guide calls for Pimento Liquer. Given that fact, I felt I needed more than just two allspice berries. I added about a tablespoon of ground allspice and a alot of honey because I wasn't going to use any other sweetener in the drink.

This is the closest thing to Tv's Navy Grog after countless attempts. The scret is the compination of the mixture and by using Trader Vic's brand Dark Rum, which seems to be perfumed up and may contain some vanilla, though it is not labeled as a "spiced" or "flavored" rum.

Juice One lime
1 oz navy grog mix
1 oz FRESH grapefruit juice
heavy dashes of bitters

1 oz Trader Vic's Dark Rum (as used in Trader Vic's FOR navy grogs, I've seen 'em do it)
1 oz Demerara Rum
1oz Gold Bacardi

Shake with ice and, pour, then add club soad dash, (even though Trader's never did this.)

The Dark Rum gives it that authentic almost black look, which is essential.
Thanks to WillTiki for this great recipe.

I work with honey all the time mixing Rum Barrels. The trick is just to add it to the rum and other room temp. liquids first, shake without ice. This will dissolve the honey completely in the rum, and it won't congeal again.

OK, I have brewed a small batch of this brew and it's pretty tasty. But I used it to mix a Tiki Puka Puka, that asks fos TV's Navy Grog Mix, and the drink tasted quite different to the TV's. So, should I understand that Chan's mix is very different to TV's?

Enough of the theory! Come out to Surf City, USA and Marie at Don the Beachcomber will show you what a REAL Navy Grog tastes like! But she surely WON'T give you Don's Original recipe!

Friends,
The other night a sports journalist from the Long Beach Press Telegram dropped into Don the Beachcomber in Surf City USA, and ordered a Navy Grog, but substitute the Rum with Vodka. My bartender refused, saying that we don't serve Donn's drinks in any form but his original formula. He walked out, saying that he was insulted, and wrote me an eMail to the effect that our policy was screwed up, and that every other Tiki bar would make it for him.
And today he put the following in his column:
"Incidentally, Mr. Selmanson, who, contrary to widespread belief, has not been to every bar in America although he has been to every other one, was stunned to hear about my recent dark experience at Don the Beachcomber in Sunset Beach when the bartender refused to mix me a Navy Grog because I wanted it with vodka rather than rum."
I would like to hear the comments of any fellow Tikihead on the subject of whether we should just have served it to him, in spite of the fact that it was insulting the name given by our Great Leader? Or, for the moment should we have re-named it "Russian Navy Grog"?
Please respond!
Art

Anyone who insists on subsituting rum with vodka in a classic Tropical drink should be exited head first out of the Tiki Bar !! Thank you Art and Marie for maintaining the highest of Tiki standards. :)

A bartender should prepare drinks to order as the customer prefers them. Period.

I can go into any bar (tiki or not) and modify a cocktail by adding or removing something or order a call drink if I prefer a particular brand of liquor. If the bar has the necessary ingredients on hand this is not an unreasonable request and they can charge me extra for this service.

The idea might even catch on, at some point someone ordered a Bloody Mary with gin instead of vodka and now this is an accepted variant.

If you don't want to call it a Navy Grog then don't, just ring it up as a call drink.

I gotta agree with rev_thumper. I salute you for offering properly mixed Don the Beachcomber drinks, but refusing to make a substitution seems a wee bit precious. Don't call it a Navy Grog, and definitely no refunds if he doesn't like it, but why chase away patrons? Especially patrons from the media.

should we have re-named it "Russian Navy Grog"?

Yeah for maintaining some standards in classic drinks.

Boo for not being a gracious host and accommodating your (their?) guests.

A Navy Grog with Vodka would not be as good, at least in my opinion, but I'm not the one drinking it. Making the substitution should not have been an issue except in how to put it in the register machine. And calling it a Russian Navy Grog would have been an entertaining way to handle the situation.

If the bartenders actually care about what their doing and not just blindly following provided recipes they should have enjoyed the challenge of trying to balance the flavors in the drink without the rum.

But that is just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

Agreed with the comments above.

Bartending is like cooking in some ways & it's surprising what you can learn by switching-up just a single ingredient.

Of course it's not a "real" navy grog when vodka is used rather than rum (the "navy" part of grog = RUM), but that doesn't automatically make it a drink unworthy of being made.

Have you tried it?

me either.

but you never know.....

I do know that I once tried a Trader Vic's MaiTai at a Trader Vic's made with Vodka. The bartender suggested it & I said "no. I don't think so....." He brought me one to try anyway - to prove to me that it wasn't so bad. And, you know what? It was actually quite drinkable. Surprisingly so, I'll say. Did it replace the standard MaiTai for me? Absolutely not! But is wasn't a horrible drink unworthy of being made either.

Your bartender should have made what the customer wanted.

& then maybe served-up a 1/2 size one to the patron (on the house) made the traditional way to work with the patron & maybe (or not...) educate them a bit with both the flavor & the history of why it is traditionally made the way it is made. Give 'em what they want & then try to bring them into the light. They may or may not come into the light, but there's no harm in trying. If something like this had transpired, the write-up may have been a very very different one about how knowledgeable the bartenders are, a reco for an outstanding place to go for a well-made cocktail by bartenders who know their stuff, etc, etc.....

OK, in general, yeah "the customer is always right." But as a member of the media in my wage-earning life, I'm more than a little disturubed by a SPORTS writer complaining about this in his column. Unless it's a column/story/feature/etc. about dining or drinking, he should've kept his personal complaints & vendettas out of it.

I've seen too many self-important media folks use their celebrity & access to whine about personal stuff.

Hey, I dare any of you guys to visit the Tonga Hut on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and ask Kelly to add some pineapple juice to your Mai Tai.

See what happens then. :D

hahaha!

Yeah, a patron at our local Tiki Bar (The Rendez'vous - Kenosha, WI) complained a few months back that there wasn't enough pineapple juice in his MaiTai.

The comment was met by much laughter & a few eye rolls.

And, the patron proclaimed to "know" his MaiTais because he visits many tiki bars (but had never been to a Trader Vic's, just an hour away....). I think he must be visiting those "Florida-style" bars with a thatch roof & a sign above the bar that says "tiki bar"... :lol: :lol:

Then there was the patron who said that his MaiTai wasn't "sweet enough".
I kid you not.
He's a regular. And a jerk. I still give him crap about it, too.

To put this thread back on the Navy Grog track, let me tell this story. This last weekend in Las Vegas, I visited a new place that opened in the Mirage, the Rhumbar. They specialize in both classic and new rum drinks. After sampling the Mai Tai (which was the TV recipe), I asked if they did any Tropical drinks off the menu. They said sure we can make you whatever you want. I then requested a Navy Grog. The bartender replied "I've never heard of that" but looked it up in something titled "The Bartender's Black Book". She then said "sorry, we don't do blended drinks". (!!)

Here's the exact recipe that she showed me:

1 cup of ice
1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1 oz Demerarra rum
.5 oz OJ
.5 oz guava or passion fruit juice
.5 oz pineapple juice
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz orgeat syrup

Blend until smooth. Garnish with lime and mint sprig.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-04-20 07:53 ]

A Navy Grog at Trader Vics and Dons isn't blended.
hmmmmmmm?

Jeff(btd)

On 2010-04-20 07:09, JOHN-O wrote:
Here's the exact recipe that she showed me:

At least it sounds yummy! Maybe we can give it a new name, the Navy Grog Frappe!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good online source for hard rock candy swizzle sticks? I see several on Amazon, but some have really mixed reviews. And I'd prefer to order around a dozen rather 72 or a gross.

On 2013-02-25 10:45, arriano wrote:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good online source for hard rock candy swizzle sticks? I see several on Amazon, but some have really mixed reviews. And I'd prefer to order around a dozen rather 72 or a gross.

Trader Joe's has been carrying them very recently - in 6-packs, if I remember right.

For rock candy swizzle sticks, just head to your nearest ol' timey candy store, I've even seen them in some of the local car washes. I buy mine by the box of 72, but the candy stores, car washes (even the hospital gift shop) sell them individually or in packs of six.

Thanks Croe, I'll check out TJ's. And Blue Kahuna, I apparently need to move to your town. :)

Bali Hai menu:

Myers Dark
Ron Rico Light
Grand Marnier
Cruzan 151
Sweet n Sour
Pineapple

Thoughts???

Jon

On 2013-03-02 18:38, hang10tiki wrote:
Bali Hai menu:

Myers Dark
Ron Rico Light
Grand Marnier
Cruzan 151
Sweet n Sour
Pineapple

Thoughts???

Jon

Thoughts about what? The measurements? The ingredients? The taste?

As a cocktail, it's fine even though it doesn't taste like a Navy Grog, specifically because of the omission of grapefruit juice. If I were going to recreate it I'd guess 1 oz of each ingredient (well, maybe 1/2 oz of Grand Marnier and maybe slightly more pineapple juice). Blend with ice and serve.

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2013-03-03 15:21 ]

On 2013-02-25 10:45, arriano wrote:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good online source for hard rock candy swizzle sticks? I see several on Amazon, but some have really mixed reviews. And I'd prefer to order around a dozen rather 72 or a gross.

I went for the 72 and ordered from the very appetizingly-named BulkFoods.com.

Good price per unit, and I knew I'd get through 72 eventually.

kevin

Beachbum Berry and Cocktail Kingdom have created a Navy Grog Ice Cone tool:

http://beachbumberry.com/

On 2013-06-20 10:57, arriano wrote:
Beachbum Berry and Cocktail Kingdom have created a Navy Grog Ice Cone tool:

http://beachbumberry.com/

And it works very well! It's easier than using a pilsner glass because it's open at both ends so you can run your chopstick or whatever you use to make the straw hole through very easily. The Beachbum Berry ice cone mold comes with a metal ramming tool but it's too thin think and I'm back to using the trusty old chopstick.

That cone is very cool

I would also like to see the mold they use for a Dr Funk (the ice mold that the glass is in) the bartender at TV used to put my puka puka in that glass and it was awesome

I was interested in the cone maker at first for $18. But with shipping costs it came out to $30 and that's when I decided I really didn't need it.

Pilsner glass vs. ice cone mold: Which method is best?

The very unscientific research is posted here, along with a couple of my favorite recipes ...

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2014/06/11/navy-grog-ice-cone-lost-art-is-revived-by-cocktail-enthusiasts-handy-gadget/

Enjoying my second-ever Navy Grog as we speak, this time with an improved ice cone (when compared to my first attempt).

We all know about using either a pilsner glass or Beachum Berry's stainless steel mold to make an ice cone. If you're in a financial position to support the Bum by buying his mold, please do so. But there's definitely a frugal element to tiki culture, so if you're strapped for cash and need to save your money for rum, here's an economical way to make a decent ice cone.

I don't have any pilsner glasses and don't regularly need them, so I didn't really want to buy one just to use as a Navy Grog ice cone mold. Instead, this weekend I went to Dollar Tree and picked up a 2-pack of plastic champagne flutes for $1. Then I filled one flute with crushed ice and used the handle of my metal bar spoon to create a space for the straw before removing the cone from the flute and putting it in the freezer.

Benefits of this method include the price and the fact that the champagne flute is plastic, thus making it less vulnerable to breakage and a better option for transportation.

The cone turned out great, much better than the first time when I used a conical cocktail glass for the mold.

Here is my personal variant the Commodore's Grog:
http://thejokeblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/in-time-for-tiki-month-2017.html

On 2017-03-29 12:35, jokeiii wrote:
Here is my personal variant the Commodore's Grog:
http://thejokeblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/in-time-for-tiki-month-2017.html

That sounds awesome!