My Version of Pisco Grog

piscoIn the latter part of the 19th and the early 20th century, windjammer sailors in the nitrate and guano trades to Peru and Chile drank significant quantities of pisco when they arrived on the west coast of South America. Pisco is a brandy named after a southern Peruvian port. No doubt, most sailors drank it straight. These days the favored drink is the pisco sour, which is claimed as the national drink of both Peru and Chile. On a recent trip to Peru, I downed more than a few pisco sours and enjoyed each one. The drink is fundamentally a blend of pisco, sugar, lemon or lime juice and ice. The Peruvian version, developed in the 1920s, is a touch fancier, with a blended egg white for frothiness and a dash of Angostura bitters as an accent.

Since returning from Peru, I have come up with my own variation — pisco grog. The Peruvian pisco sour with blended egg white seems a bit too elaborate for a sailor’s drink. The Chilean version is just fine over ice, which is great in warm weather. It occurred to me that the primary ingredients of a pisco sour are not all that far from grog, the diluted run ration served in the Royal Navy. The recipe for grog was described in the ditty: One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak which is to say, one part lime juice, two parts sugar, three parts rum and four parts water.

The version of grog I have fixed on my own boats on cold days is a shot of dark rum, (Lambs or Pusser’s if available,) a half shot of lime or lemon, sugar to taste, and an around a half cup of hot water. Substituting pisco instead of a dark rum creates a “pisco grog.”  It has bit more of a tart tang as compared to the sweeter rum. In addition to being a nice change of pace, pisco grog is also an homage to the windjammer sailors that continued sailing square-riggers around Cape Horn until well into the 20th century. Arriba, abajo, adentro!

 

Comments

My Version of Pisco Grog — 4 Comments

  1. There’s an Italian drink or liquor that’s really nasty, normally used after dinner in a small glass, but in Argentina they love it mixed with cola.
    I’ll have look through email to find it.
    Its made mostly of herbs and wormwood herb and is 55% alcohol.

  2. Here it is:

    Fernet Branca
    The current undisputed king of Extremely Bitter Drinks: Fernet, as it’s called, has passed from bartender fascination to mainstream awareness (if not acceptance). It’s been around since the 1800s and also has its roots as a medicinal cure-all that didn’t actually cure anything. As you know if you’ve ever even passed by a bar in San Francisco, Fernet is huge there for reasons that remain somewhat unknown. Lots of people drink it, but it’s hard to find anyone who will tell you they love it.
    Tastes Like: Mentholated bark.
    Best Time to Drink It: Anytime you are in San Francisco, or when a mixology-inclined bartender offers you a buyback.

    More here:
    Sloshed: 10 Putrid Drinks You Might Actually Love
    http://www.grubstreet.com/2014/02/sloshed-bitter-liquor-liqueur-guide.html