Ingredients
Drink
- 50 mlTuzemák or dark rum
- 200 mlhot water
- 2 tspsugar
- 1 sliceof lemon
Directions
- Use Tuzemák if you can find it. It is not rum at all but a Czech spirit distilled from sugar beet and flavoured with rum essence, and it is what a Czech pub actually pours.
- Warm a heatproof glass by filling it with hot water and pouring it away.
- Warming the glass matters more than it sounds. Grog is served in thin glass, and a cold one drops the temperature the moment you pour.
- Put the sugar into the warmed glass.
- Pour the rum over it, so that the sugar starts dissolving into the spirit before any water arrives.
- Top up with hot water, not boiling.
- Water off the boil, around 80°C (175°F). Boiling water drives the alcohol off and scalds the lemon into bitterness.
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the slice of lemon last, floating on top, and do not squeeze it.
- Leave the lemon unsqueezed. Its oils scent the steam, but crushed into the glass it turns the drink sour and cloudy.
- Serve immediately with a spoon standing in the glass.
- It is ordered through the winter in Czech pubs, the standard measure being a small shot of Tuzemák topped up at the bar.
Technique
- Tuzemák was sold as tuzemský rum until EU rules reserved the word rum for cane spirit.
- Grog and svařák, mulled wine, are the two standing winter pub orders.
- No spices go into it. This is not a hot toddy with cloves and cinnamon.
Substitutions
- Any dark rum, accepting that it will taste less like the original.
- Brown sugar for a rounder, slightly molasses flavour.
Variations
- With honey in place of sugar.
- Made with hot tea instead of water.
- The Croatian and Slovenian versions, which are near identical.
History
A Czech winter pub order, usually made with domestic Tuzemák rather than cane rum.
Frequently asked questions
What is Grog?
Grog is a cocktail from Czechia: hot water with rum, sugar and lemon, ordered in pubs. A Czech winter pub order, usually made with domestic Tuzemák rather than cane rum.
How long does Grog take to make?
Grog takes 3 min of preparation and 2 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Grog?
Yes, within limits. Any dark rum, accepting that it will taste less like the original. Brown sugar for a rounder, slightly molasses flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Grog?
Add the slice of lemon last, floating on top, and do not squeeze it.
