, 1888-11-01
1IPPLEs Of ouR FArhERs.
Teddy. Grog and Other Libations of Early
New EngIanders-No Side Doors.

IlPPleS OF Dun "a HERS.
Teddy. Grog and Other Libations of Early
New Englanders-No Side Doors.
Those who enjoy the rum punch, gin
izz, or ''sec" of today may be interested
to know the manner in which our New
England grandfathers INDUCED in the
"'cup that cheers" seventy or eighty
years ago. In those days the Prohibi-
tory party and other temperance organi-
cations were unknown, even the famous
W~ashingtonian movement being hardly
dreamed of at that time. Nearly all
persons-at least of the male sex-were
in the habit of using spirituous liquors
whenever their taste or inclination so
suggested.
The f~avorite alcoholic drink of this
part of the country was New England
rum, which has been a favorite tipple
from a very early period in our history.
Perhaps tine earliest record is when Gov
ernor Endicott, of Massachusetts,, was
charged five shillings for a quantity at an
old tavern in Lynn in 1850. This rum was
also the basis of several other popular
beverages. Its sale reached a
lively great magnitude, principally in the
forty or fifty years that followed the
American revolution. 1t was nearly all
distilled in this section of the country
and in towns in close proximity to Bos-
ton, hence the name of New England
was affixed to the intoxicant.
A hundred years ago there were sixty
distilleries in full working order in New
England, the bulk of the product being
from Salem, Medford and Newport, R. l,
The ''old Medford" of today originally
gained its distinction from the town
ruvlnrn - WOO rna1A -,l -.
cred as good as that of Salem, which was
especially noted for its good quality, and
that town turned out a vast quantity also,
being at the head of the list in regard to
number and capacity of distilleries. Bos-
ton, too, had a small share in the fame
of producing this liquid, but the Hub
dealers, like those of today, were not dis
%tillers, but usually jobbers, who dealt in
the suburban goods.
In those days it was not necessary for
IA man to enter any little side door"
nor was he ashamed to tell his wife that
he was intoxicated and she must take
caro- of him. Neither did he have to
give a wink to the seller, nor did he ever
call for Schiedam Schnapps, brandy
cocktail, plum juice or even our every
day lager, for those drinks were unheard
of then. The sigh Of tin pals and jugs
filled with liquor s. - not at all uncom.
non on our stree Cordials made from
snakeroot and ana, seed were sold large
ly, often peddled about the streets the
same as lemonade vendors ply their trade
nowadays on the Boston streets.
The doctors of the old school were
more liberal in prescribing liquor for
persons in delicate health than at the
present time, owing to the fact that
there was virtually no objection to its
use. The cordials of anise seed. ETC.,
were mostly gotten up at Medford, Salem
and Lynn.
There was another decoction known as
''black strap" which was made of New
England rum and molasses, mixed in
proportion to suit the taste of the buyer.
This was, of course, considerably cheaper
than the straight article, and conse-
quently was the ~favorite drink of those
who could not afford anything better.
Another drink was composed of rum and
sugar, then known as "a horn and
rum dashed with hot water and called
''toddy," often drunk by the well to do
gentlemen on old winter evenings along
with the eating of apples, which was a
favorite custom hereabouts.
\ drink composed of rum and some
llllIlS eLSe WAS Cdlleu BTOS. IL origin
ally meant rum diluted with water, but
was more often with a cordial or some
thing of that nature. The name of
''grog' was derived in a singular way.
1t is said that once Admiral Vernon, in
the British navy, and who was noted for
his generous nature, was wont to deal
out an allowance of this drink to his
sailors. He wore what was called a
~''grogann cloak in severe weather, and
after a while the men jestingly desig-
mated him as ''old grog, " hence the name
of the mixture.
Every event of more than passing no
tice called forth a goodly supply of liquor.
One important occasion was on a day
that somebody's pig was to be killed.
Such an occasion required the services of
three or four men, who took an after
noon to do the work, while the town took
a half holiday. Such an important oc-
casion as this would be an utter fzzle
were not a large supply of rum on hand
ready to use, and it sometimes cost the
owner more than the pig was worth to
furnish the drinks. Another occasion q
note was election day, when every man
drank for the good luck of his f~avorite
candidate, and after the event was over,
again drank on account of success or
hoping for better luck next year.-Bos-
ton Globe.