A grog is drunk with a cold and flu. Whether it really helps against the flu? Whether a Grog is healthy remains to be seen. Alcohol is not healthy. Despite this, the Grog is still used for flu symptoms. Grog can be made from various ingredients. With water, alcohol and sugar or honey as a base. There are many different grogs. Nowadays grog is not drunk so much anymore, because there are many other remedies for colds and flu. Still, the grog is quite tasty if you have the flu.
Does alcohol help against the flu? Perhaps the alcohol in the rum is the reason why a grog with flu can help against (high) fever, because drinking alcohol has an effect on body temperature. This can decrease, while you often do not even realize it yourself. But it remains to speculate whether a grog really helps against the flu. For medical advice in this regard, it is best to contact a doctor. Many people believe in the medicinal properties of a grog for flu. However, this has not been proven. Originally, the grog was drunk by sailors, who mixed rum with water. There are several recipes for grogs.
Basic ingredients of the grog with alcohol
Grogs are usually made up of liquor (rum or brandy) with honey or sugar, boiled hot water and lemon.
Grog, recipes
The first Grog was called a Bumboo. The base was water with rum.
Bumboo. Recipe of the first grog
- Water or beer.
- Sugar.
- Nutmeg.
- Rum.
Grog, standard recipe
- A generous splash of rum (about a shot glass).
- A teaspoon of lemon juice.
- One or two teaspoons of honey (or sugar to taste).
- Fill the glass or cup with hot water.
Grog with brandy and hot milk
- 1 dash of rum.
- 1 dash of brandy.
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
- 30 cl of boiled milk.
- Sprinkle a little grated nutmeg over the grog
Use a heat-resistant glass or cup. Mix everything together and drink the grog warm. You can also dilute the grog with strong tea instead of milk or water. A slice of lemon is pleasant to the taste, but do not mix lemon with milk because the milk may curdle.
Most famous grog recipe
The grog that was and is most commonly consumed is made with the following ingredients:
- hot water.
- honey.
- rum.
- lemon juice.
Make grog from wine
A grog is also sometimes made from wine. You need to heat the wine so that some of the alcohol may evaporate. You can make a grog with wine from the following ingredients:
- half bottle of red wine.
- tablespoon of lemon juice.
- cup of brown sugar.
- cinnamon stick.
To make the toddy from red wine you need a pan and a spoon or spatula to stir with.
- Pour half of the wine into a saucepan and add the sugar. Slowly stir and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Keep the heat low and don’t let the wine boil.
- Add the cinnamon stick and let it stand for a while, then turn off the heat under the pan for ten minutes
- Relight the fire under the pan and stir
- add the lemon juice
- add the rest of the wine
- keep stirring until well warm
- Fish out the cinnamon stick before you drink or serve the grog
Grog with black tea: Black grog
A grog can be made from any type of tea. If you choose black tea, the toddy will also turn black in color. You can make a black toddy with the following ingredients:
- let black tea steep for quite some time so that the color darkens nicely.
- a dash of rum.
- a few teaspoons of brown sugar on a glass.
- possibly lemon to taste. However, this makes the tea lighter in color.
Grog with milk: White grog
- Fill a cup halfway with boiled milk.
- Add some white sugar to taste (may be nice and sweet).
- dash of cognac.
- dash of rum.
- sprinkle some nutmeg on top, but not everyone likes the specific flavor.
- top up the cup with some boiled milk.
Grog with cloves and orange
A grog with cloves has a specific taste. If you don’t like cloves, it won’t even taste good. But if you do like cloves, you can make this grog from the following ingredients:
- 1 saucepan of hot water.
- 2 cloves.
- 3 tablespoons of white or brown sugar.
- a slice of orange with peel (cook in the pan).
- lemon juice to taste.
- cinnamon powder to taste but no more than half a teaspoon on two grogs.
- splash of rum to taste.
Only add the rum to the hot liquid in the pan at the very last moment. Let everything simmer for a few minutes. Then stir and turn off the fire. Only then add the rum and stir.
Is a grog suitable for children?
Is a grog suitable for children? The answer is obvious: no. Alcohol is harmful to everyone, but especially children. If your child has the flu and / or a (high) fever, talk to your doctor about the best. A doctor may decide to visit your child or recommend a fever-lowering pain reliever (depending on the age, the doctor may recommend paracetamol 60 mg, 120 mg, 250 mg or 500 mg to your child. give this), but only give this in consultation with your doctor and if your doctor approves. Never give a child a grog with alcohol.
Grog for children. Without alcohol
For children from 2 to 18 years old, you can make a grog without alcohol. The base can be warm tea or warm milk. Make sure that it is not too hot for children who still spill often. These kindergrogs have no effect on the flu, but just taste good, offer a little comfort. A child with a fever should drink regularly so the moisture in the grog is a good supplement. Examples of ‘grogs’ for children (from about 2 years old).
- glass of tea with 2 teaspoons of honey dissolved in it, and (possibly) a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- glass of tea with 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey dissolved in it and milk.
- cup of warm milk with a few teaspoons of brown sugar.
- cup of warm milk with aniseed sugar.
Let grogs for children cool extra well, and (of course) do not add alcohol.
