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First Cocktail 5,000 Years Old

Posted by Zonk on from the it's-got-a-little-bit-of-age-to-it dept.

Praxiteles writes "The first cocktail was...grog?! From the article: 'The first cocktail ever was made in Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago, using wine, beer, apple juice and honey. Patrick McGovern defined the mix as "grog", an archaic drink that in the United States is sold as the Midas Touch'."

12 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. "Grog" is now sold by it's commercial name: by pwnage · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Boonesfarm."

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    1. Re:"Grog" is now sold by it's commercial name: by 1u3hr · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Grog means Rum. This is beacuse Admiral Grog, of the (British) Royal Navy ordered that all British sailors be given a tot of rum every day.

      Grog is not (straight) rum, there was no Admiral Grog, and the sailors already drank rum, since the 17th C, and it became part of their official ration in 1731.

      "Old Grog" was the nickname of Admiral Vernon (1684-1757), from his grogram cloak, afterwards applied to the mixture he ordered to be served out to sailors instead of neat rum.

      By Vernon's time straight rum was commonly issued to sailors aboard ship - and drunkenness and lack of discipline were common problems. On August 21, 1740, Vernon issued an order that rum would thereafter be mixed with water. A quart of water was mixed with a half-pint of rum on deck and in the presence of the Lieutenant of the Watch. Sailors were given two servings a day; one between 10 and 12 AM and the other between 4 and 6 PM. To make it more palatable it was suggested sugar and lime be added. In 1756 the mixture of water and rum became part of the regulations, and the call to "Up Spirits" sounded aboard Royal Navy ships for more than two centuries thereafter.
  2. I dont geddit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does it run linux or something?

  3. Arrrr! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Everyone know that grog be rum and water.

    1. Re:Arrrr! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's true. Pirates used rum to keep stagnant water from making them sick.

  4. Monkey Island TM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "What is in that grog stuff anyway?" Guybrush Threepwood

  5. I'm wondering... by demondawn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If the traces of apple and honey weren't actually from alcohols based on those particular ingredients (apple brandy or mead, for example.) Other than that, though, it is pretty amazing how much they can find out about the diets of ancient peoples using a combination of archaeology and chemistry.

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    1. Re:I'm wondering... by ergo98 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Other than that, though, it is pretty amazing...

      It's most amazing how conclusively these findings are presented. I guess it doesn't sound as interesting to say "The first cocktail appears to be 5,000 years old and made with these ingredients, based upon current archeological knowledge, which of course is almost certain to change as we uncover more information in the future".

      Perhaps I'm a cynic, but I've seen these sort of absolute statements proven wrong countless times.

  6. Grog contains one or more of the following: by umofomia · · Score: 5, Funny
    "What is in that grog stuff anyway?" Guybrush Threepwood
    Grog contains one or more of the following:
    • kerosene
    • propylene glycol
    • sulphuric acid
    • artificial sweeteners
    • red dye no2
    • rum
    • acetone
    • battery acid
    • scumm
    • axle grease
    • and/or pepperoni
  7. Origins of colloquial "grog"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not sure about other English speaking parts of the world, but Australians still refer to "grog" as a general term for alcoholic drinks.

    Interestingly, dictionary.com quotes its origins as such

    "After Old Grog, nickname of Edward Vernon (1684-1757), British admiral who ordered that diluted rum be served to his sailors, from grogram(from his habit of wearing a grogram cloak)."

  8. Midas Touch by pancake_lover · · Score: 5, Informative

    Midas Touch is made by Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware. It's an interesting drink, hard to catagorize.

    More info can be found on their web site:

    http://www.dogfish.com/beer/midastouch.cfm

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  9. Re:Thanks Slashdot by Hannah+E.+Davis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hey, the title of the site does not specify what kind of nerds it caters to -- sometimes us science/history nerds need news too. It's neat learning where things come from, whether those things are ancient cocktails or pieces of software.

    Plus the booze angle appeals to the average computer scientist/student :)