We wouldn’t dare try to top famed bartender Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s recipes, which means two things: 1) You’ll have to try them for yourselves at Latitude 29 (it’s right inside our hotel!) and 2) we were fortunate enough to stumble upon an interview Berry did with Chicagoist where he shared the recipe for his famous Navy Grog, full of plenty of rum, honey, and fragrant notes of lime and grapefruit.
The drink was almost lost to history for simply being a pain to make because of the ice cone ice cube, but through years of research, Berry not only recreated it to its original specs, but also manufactured an ice cone so that astute tiki enthusiasts everywhere can enjoy the Navy Grog just like Frank Sinatra did (supposedly it was his favorite drink).
Learn how to make it at home below. But we can pretty much guarantee his version will still taste better…
Enjoy a classic tiki cocktail like the Mai Tai, Zombie or Navy Grog at Latitude 29.
Navy Grog Recipe
Ingredients
- Demerara rum
- Dark Jamaican rum
- Cuban or Puerto Rican white rum
- Honey
- Water
- White grapefruit juice
- Fresh lime juice
- Club soda
- Cocktail shaker
- Navy Grog cone (optional; can use large ice cubes instead)
Recipe
First, make the honey mix: simply dissolve 1 part honey in 1 part of warm water. For a Navy Grog serving, you’ll need about a half-ounce of each to create 1 ounce of honey mix.
Place in your shaker 3/4 ounces each of fresh lime juice, white grapefruit juice, and club soda. Next, add in 1 ounce each of the gold Demerara rum, dark Jamaican rum, and white rum. Next, add 1 ounce honey mix. Shake well with plenty of ice. Strain into glass containing the ice cone or ice cubes.
Enjoy!