Trader Vic’s Emeryville is bringing back this vintage cocktail as a special fundraiser this month (this version is from the 1972 Trader Vic’s Bartenders Guide). The Tonga Punch is “a refreshing and fruity combination of light rum, curacao and grenadine mixed with orange and lemon juices” and is a very sweet cocktail that is easy to drink. Mine tasted very cherry-forward, so I wonder if maybe they used the Trader Vic’s Maraschino Cherry syrup in place of the grenadine.
For the month of February, Trader Vic’s will donate $10 for each Tonga Punch sold to the Fraternal Order of Moai, benefitting the country of Tonga for the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption.