Cocktail of the Month: The Spiegel Grove
By • May 12, 2026 0 789
The history of the navy and spirits goes back centuries. Daily liquor rations were relied on to maintain morale, preserve water supplies and act as “liquid courage” for sailors.
The British Royal Navy started issuing a daily “tot” of rum in 1655. Fresh water would turn rancid in barrels, so rum was chosen because it was potent and didn’t spoil.
Possibly one of the first cocktails was invented in 1740. Adm. Edward Vernon ordered the rum to be diluted with water to reduce drunkenness, creating a mixture known as “grog.”
When the U.S. Navy was formed, it followed tradition, issuing a daily spirits ration, initially half a pint of rum, later whiskey.
During World War II, another seafaring tipple appeared. Sailors made “torpedo juice,” a mix of torpedo fuel (grain alcohol) and fruit juice, leading the navy to put toxic additives in fuel to deter drinking.
Brands of “navy strength” (57-percent ABV) rums are sold to this day. The term originated because the Royal Navy required high-proof spirits that would still allow gunpowder to ignite if the alcohol spilled on it.
Despite this storied legacy, only one U.S. Navy ship has the honor of having a cocktail named after it. It’s leagues above the utilitarian concoctions of yore.
Commissioned in 1956, the USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) — named for Rutherford B. Hayes’s Ohio estate — spent 33 years participating in such key operations as the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Desert Storm.
After its retirement in 1989, the ship was transferred to the James River in Virginia. In 1998, its title passed to the state of Florida, which planned to sink it to make an artificial reef off Key Largo. In 2002, the ship finally got the green light to be towed south.
As things turned out, it wasn’t so simple. The ship sank prematurely, forcing workers to abandon it, and ended up upside-down, with its bow protruding from the ocean and its stern on the ocean floor. After much effort, the Spiegel Grove was rotated onto its starboard side.
The primary photographer covering this prolonged event was renowned Keys documentarian Andy Newman. This was back before drones, so Newman had to photograph the whole event by helicopter. While recording this drawn-out process, Newman often visited Key Largo’s Fish House restaurant, where he became a regular.
One day, Newman suggested to co-owner Doug Weydener that they should create a cocktail to commemorate the event. Weydener’s reply: “That’s one hell of an idea!” Immediately, Capt. Dana Banks, bartender at the time, went to work and produced an alluring blue concoction served in a martini glass.
Came the pronouncement: “This is great — you don’t need to do anything else!” Thus, a new cocktail was born. Forged from three types of flavored rum and blue curaçao, this potent potable surely does the Navy proud.
The sunken vessel became a popular scuba diving spot with a massive artificial ecosystem. It later righted itself during Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
When passing through, Newman, who is retired and lives in the Keys, makes a point of stopping at the Fish House to order a Spiegel Grove. Capt. Banks went back to being a full-time charter captain. The Fish House is still a family-run operation, with Weydener’s son Phil taking the helm. Says the younger Weydener: “We are truly a multigenerational establishment with many second-generation family members working here, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons.”
So as the days of May wind down and Memorial Day arrives, toasting with a Spiegel Grove can serve a dual purpose: first, to honor those who served; second, to promote active coral restoration and marine biodiversity, as these ecosystems support 25 percent of marine life and provide vital coastal protection.
The Spiegel Grove
½ oz. Parrot Bay coconut rum
½ oz. Bacardi orange rum
½ oz. Bacardi Limón
½ oz. blue curaçao liqueur
1 1/2 oz. sour mix
Combine all in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, strain and pour into a chilled martini glass.
