Black Tot Day

Today is Black Tot Day and the 45th anniversary of the last ever daily rum ration served to sailors in the Royal Navy. After over three hundred years of tradition, at six bells in the forenoon watch (11am) on 31 July 1970, ‘Up Spirits’ was piped on the Bos’n’s call and the grog tub was rolled out for the last time across the British fleet.

The rum ration had held a sacred place in the hearts of Navy sailors since it was first introduced in 1655 as part of the standard Navy rationing of beer, wine and spirits in place of tea, coffee, cocoa and water on all shifts. Until 1740 each sailor was entitled to half a pint of neat rum (40% proof) and a gallon of beer if they wanted it – and most did. 

The rum ration in particular was doled out in a ceremony announced by the Bos’n piping “Up Spirits”. At this call, senior crew members would convene at the door of the Spirit Room, the heavily padlocked home of the ship’s casks of hard liquor. Inside, the Butcher tapped a cask and drew off the day’s ration for the entire ship’s company. Neat tots were issued for the Chiefs and Petty Officers and then the remainder, in a padlocked cask or breaker, was carried to the rum tub.

At Rumcall (played on the bugle) the breaker was unlocked and emptied carefully into the oak tub, with the company arranged in reverence to its shining brass hoops and inscription of “The King – God Bless Him”.

At this point the Petty Officer would consult his ledger and grandly announce the number of tots to which each mess was entitled. Once served, the remainder was poured away down the scuppers (or snuck back to the officers’ cabins).

By 1740, however, Admiral ‘Old Grogram’ Vernon had decided that drunkenness was a scourge up with which the Navy should not put and introduced a ‘Grog’ of 4 parts water to 1 part rum.

However even this dilution was not enough to keep the sailors in a shipshape condition. By 1745 the Navy had decided to cut back on mixing their drinks and moved to issue beer and spirit rations on alternate days. Eleven years later, the thoughtful addition of lime to the rum further mitigated the effects of the Grog and also had the benefit of guarding against scurvy, although it did give the British the nickname of Limeys.

By 1810 it was clear that the Admiralty was taking its dipsological responsibilities seriously as they codified the rum blend to be used across the fleet (thus creating Navy Rum and a recipe still used by Lamb’s to this day) and by 1824 space considerations were clearly more of a concern and the ration was halved to a quarter pint per man (also known as a tot). This freed up more space in the hold for limes, cannonballs, cabin boys and all the ephemera of a modern naval force.

Again, in 1850, Parliament raised concerns about the level of drinking on the high seas and proposed the abolition of the rum ration. Fortunately common sense prevailed and in some presumably excellent negotiations, the decision was made to merely halve the ration to 1/8 pint per sailor per day, to be served once a day, rather than twice, at noon.

Finally on Black Tot Day the ration itself was abolished in an occasion of great solemnity and mourning; some sailors wore black armbands, and some tots were buried at sea.  It was widely accepted that the extra can of beer that had been added to daily rations was scant compensation.

Genuine Navy Grog

1. Add four parts water to one part navy rum.  Add lime (post 1756) and enjoy.

Modern Navy Grog

1. Dissolve three teaspoons of honey in 50ml rum.
2. Add 10ml fresh lime juice, two dashes of Angostura bitters and 50ml water.
3. Add cubed ice and shake for twenty seconds.
4. Strain into an ice filled old fashioned glass and garnish with a wedge of lime

Espresso Martini

Early April in the UK brings showers, cold winds and this year, Easter. Over in Italy and Brazil however, it is time for National Coffee Days. Now these are two nations that take their coffee seriously so it would be remiss to let both Brazilian Coffee Day (14 April) and Italian Espresso Day (17 April) pass without comment. 

As for the drink, there’s really only one choice this year and it is perhaps the one of only two worthwhile survivors of the 1980s trend of calling every drink a Martini. Long before the vodka and Red Bull hit the scene, the Espresso Martini was the ultimate boozy pick me up and will certainly perk you up before a night on the town:

1. Shake 50ml vodka, 20ml espresso and 10ml sugar syrup with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
3. Garnish with a couple of coffee beans.

Bloody Mary

Whether you overdid it on roast lamb, red wine and Easter eggs yesterday, or whether you are just celebrating Fresh Tomato Day, today’s recipe is the restorative classic Bloody Mary. 

Originally made with gin (The Red Snapper), the drink was developed as a hangover cure in Paris in the 1920s. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the spiced vodka version became the dominant hangover or brunch drink that it remains today. 

When making a Bloody Mary it is important to resist the temptation to go big on spice and throw in a few pinches of everything hot you can find. That is not going to result in a balanced drink. Instead focus on a few complimentary flavours, add a little at a time and keep tasting until you reach the optimal level of piquancy. As a young barman I used to compete with my colleagues to create the best. (Read hottest) post-shift Bloody Mary. Usually by the time we’d added a dash of the third variety of hot sauce the resultant concoction was painful and I drinkable. 

I would, however, recommend the use of a pepper vodka or a homemade horseradish infusion if you’re so inclined. 

1. Shake 50ml vodka (Absolut Peppar or a horseradish infusion if you have one), 100ml tomato juice, 10ml fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of horseradish, three splooshes of Worcestershire sauce and three splooshes of Tabasco with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled highball glass.
3. Garnish with pepper, a wedge of lime and a stalk of celery.

American Breakfast

Photo courtesy of haikus, some rights reserved.

A sunny Sunday morning calls for a drink redolent of summer holidays on the continent, and in particular the brightly coloured, cheek-suckingly sweet fruit juices that accompanied them.

I always avoid grapefruit juice when it is offered at hotel buffet breakfasts, but the addition of maple syrup (and bourbon) is a surefire way to temper the sharp citrus fresh juice, and brighten up even the dreariest muesli breakfast.

The American Breakfast is made as follows:

1. Add 50ml bourbon, 12.5ml grapefruit juice (preferably pink) and 12.5ml maple syrup to a shaker of ice.
2. Shake well and double strain into an old fashioned glass over ice.
3. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit peel.

The drink is weighted quite strongly in favour of the bourbon, with just a hint of sharpness from the fruit juice, and sweetness from the maple syrup.  This combination of two classic breakfast ingredients, and the equally common (in this house anyway) breakfast bourbon will add a colourful and refreshing splash to your summer breakfast table.