"What is ‘grog’ exactly?" 🍺🤔
There’s ⬇️this video⬇️ on it, but the drink made hardly has any visual resemblance to what we see in films and games.
An idea I see brought up often is that grog is made from fermented blood, but I’m not entirely convinced.
In reality, grog has historically been made from 50% water and 50% rum. Captains on ships would purposefully water down the alcohol in order to make it last on longer voyages. We could apply the same logic to grog being rationed in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Instead of rum though, which requires sugar cane, I imagine orcs would make moonshine with the grains harvested from Núrn (same grain that goes into making good ‘ol maggoty bread). Considering some moonshines can be something like 160-180 proof (80-90% alcohol), that would certainly explain its volatility. Even if poor Merry was given a watered-down version of this, it might explain his revulsion. However, there are other reasons that we may consider...
Sidenote: Moonshine was apparently also called 'rotgut', which I think suits orcish naming conventions incredibly well. The fact this has historically been an illicit brew made in the shadow of night further compliments the overall narrative.
Let us consider that moonshine and water in their pure forms would appear clear, yet the grog we see in many cases is dark brown. This could be multiple things: unfiltered water (or, knowing orcs, possibly urine), oxidation, tannins from the wooden grog barrels, stolen alcohol from human conquest being mixed in, and yes perhaps blood.
Also, blood can indeed be fermented:
Blood fermentation is a fascinating biological process that can begin within hours under the right conditions. Typically, when exposed to ai
