In a large part of the South Pacific, grog refers to Kava, the mildly narcotic drink made from the roots and stems of piper methisticum, a relative of the black pepper that graces our dinner tables. I’ve encountered the term most widely on Fiji, a former British colony and current commonwealth member. It’s likely that when British sailors and Fijian natives observed each other imbibing a favorite and culturally distinct intoxicant, they locked the two drinks’ names together in translation (Though I have no specific citation for this.) Kava delivers a mild intoxication, closer to that of marijuana than alcohol, though in early stages, it tends to bestow the same gregarious demeanor as booze, if not the aggression. It’s both important ceremonially in most South Pacific cultures, and as a lubricant for social interaction and decision making at informal village gatherings. And its drinking is usually an exclusively male activity.
I’m not an authority, but this articlesets out what I had always heard.
A wiki article on the same thing. Basically it was rum mixed with…just about anything. I think it was pretty much the Royal Navies all purpose intoxicant.
-XT
Kava is very well known these days, as you can see from Wikipedia:Kava and 164 experience reports on Erowid.
As for drinking it, well, it tastes disgusting. I’m not ruling out the possibility that some Brits developed a taste for it, but I can’t image it becoming generally popular. Also, I find the idea idea that Kava was an essential ingredient of grog and then disappeared rather difficult to believe.
I don’t believe generic39 is stating that what British sailors called grog was kava distillate. I believe he is stating that the South Pacific islanders have a drink that they call “grog” that is kava distillate. He is then proposing how that beverage came to be named the same name as rum and water mix.
There are several types of kava. Different strains, preparation methods and dosage can produce different effects. I would also disagree that the effects are more like marijuana than alcohol. More like diazepam without the corresponding loss in mental acuity. Something more akin to what a some might call a “body high.”
