Admiral Vernons Lime Grog

Recipes:
• 16 ounces lime juice
• 1 pound brown sugar
• 1 pint dark rum
• 1/2 gallon water
• 6 springs mint

 Admiral Vernons Lime Grog

Preparation:

In a large bowl or jar, mix the fresh-squeezed lime juice and the brown sugar (you may want to use less sugar — try starting with 1/2 pound and working your way up). Dilute with the water and rum (use an old-fashioned dark rum — Jamaica, Demerara, Bermuda, like that). Drop in the mint. Refrigerate and serve on the rocks (unless you’re a stickler for historical accuracy).

This is a so-called “four water” grog, 4 parts water to 1 part rum. You can always tighten it up, although once you’re in two-water territory you’ll quickly find your guests “stupefying their rational qualities, which makes them heedlessly slaves to every passion,” as the good admiral warned. But then again, your guests probably don’t have a ship to run.

Leave the rum out and use the full pound of brown sugar and you’ve got a delightful punch for your kid’s birthday party. The grownups can always hit their ration with a “stick,” as it used to be called, of the ol’ kill-devil. Just keep the bottle out of range of little hands.

For an individual dose: juice of 1 lime, scant 1 ounce brown sugar (or less), 4 ounces water, 1 ounce rum (or more, or none at all).