A grog on cold days
I have always known the remedy (for adults) : "If you have got a bad cold, have a grog !" My grand-father used to have hot water and dark rum, a grog, when he didn't feel well, before going to bed. Later we added sugar to the drink, then lemon juice. Nowadays sugar is sometimes replaced by honey. My husband has told me that in his family they had a grog made with hot milk instead of hot water. As a child, I loved the smell of it.
A few days ago when I mentioned grog to my American cousin, I wondered where this name came from. And I discovered the beverage was created by British Vice Admiral E. Vernon, nicknamed Old Grog, in the 18th century. The word "grog" would come from the grogram coat he used to wear. He decided to give sailors the mixture of water and rum first to make water drinkable, then to avoid sailors drinking pure rum and being drunk.
Lorraine is about five hours away from the nearest sea. Are we sailors without knowing it ?
When I heard about bad weather on the American Atlantic coast and saw the small jar (on the picture) in the pharmacy, I thought it would be a good idea to advise my American friends to have a grog. It is the first time I see a preparation for grog. It's made with cinnamon, ginger, honey, lemon juice and... eucalyptus oil !!! No rum in it !!! Clearly, it is called grog but it is not a grog ! The old traditional grog smells much better.