Category: History

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The Shingle Stain Cocktail from Trader Vic’s

Trader Vic’s Emeryville has a special retro menu for the summer, including vintage cocktails and food from decades past. One cult classic is the Shingle Stain which is named due to its red color. Also notable is the paper drink topper first employed by Trader Vic’s in the 1960s (see menu from the Beverly Hills location below). I’m not a roofer by trade but I’m really not sure what to think of the illustration featuring a man with his behind hanging out and a woman on the other side who’s lost her bikini top. Times have changed.

Nevertheless, you can order this juicy cocktail today in Emeryville including the topper that you can take home as a souvenir. This was the second version of the cocktail, first published in Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide Revised and significantly different from the original published in Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink.

From the Beverly Hills Trader Vic’s menu, 1960s

Shingle Stain (1946)
Half a Lime *
1 oz Dark Jamaica Rum (Red Heart or Myers’s)
½ oz St. James Rhum
¼ oz Pimento Dram
Dash of Pomegranate Syrup (Grenadine) *
Shake with cracked ice and pour over cracked ice in a 12 oz chimney glass
* Vic said that the juice of one lime is equivalent to one ounce and “dash” of this style of ingredient equaled a quarter ounce.

The Pimento Dram and Grenadine provide a tart taste but pleasant taste not unlike Cranberry, which likely led to the second version of the cocktail.

1946 Shingle Stain at home

Shingle Stain (1972)
Juice of one Lime
2 dash Angostura Bitters
¼ oz Grenadine
1½ oz Cranberry Juice
½ oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum
Shake with ice cubes and pour into a ten-pin pilsner glass. Decorate with fresh mint.

Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum was likely was a bold and pungent rum blend. Its use in the Shingle Stain tells me that you need that boldness to compete with all the juices and notably the strong flavors of Cranberry Juice. In Emeryville they use Trader Vic’s Royal Amber Rum. While I do like this rum in the Mai Tai it does get a little lost in the Shingle Stain with all the other ingredients. I’d recommend using an aged Jamaica rum for this cocktail.

Frame print at Trader Vic’s Emeryville
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San Francisco Rum Festival and Congress Presentation

Coming on August 31, I’ll be presenting at the San Francisco Rum Festival and Congress alongside Matt Pietrek of RumWonk.com and CocktailWonk.com fame. Our seminar covers rums of the Mai Tai, including some historical details rarely seen or discussed.

Rums of the Mai Tai – Secrets Revealed

Few cocktails highlight rum better than the Mai Tai, the king of tiki cocktails and created by Trader Vic 80 years ago. Join Kevin Crossman and Matt Pietrek for a look at the evolution of the rums used in the Mai Tai through the decades, including deep dives into historic rum expressions.

“NOTE: These sessions are restricted to Rum Congress (Aug 31st) ticket holders and require an additional $ to attend. Very Limited seats available – ORDER HERE“

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Retro Cocktails at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Had sort of an impromptu visit to Trader Vic’s Emeryville on Thursday night to sample some of the cocktails from their special vintage food and cocktail menu that’s been on special this summer. We’ll cover the Shingle Stain in a separate post, but we enjoyed trying two other vintage items: the Potwasher and the Bamboo Punch.

The Potwasher was the signature cocktail for the short-lived 1979 spin-off restaurant Mama Gruber’s Fishhouse, and after closing was on the Señor Pico menu. The description says this contains Dark Rum and Sloe Gin, Pineapple, Spiked with Grog Mix. I thought the mouthfeel and balance of this cocktail was pretty good, and you’re getting a lot of rich flavor from the Vic’s Grog Mix. I wasn’t able to find the recipe but we do have a photo of the original signature mug.

Potwasher

The Bamboo Punch dates back to at least the 1960s and also appeared in the Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide Revised. This didn’t really have a ton of depth to me, and needed a little more sugar to balance the tart and bitter elements.

Bamboo Punch (1972)
Juice of one Lime *
2 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
½ oz Passion Fruit Nectar
1 dash Trader Vic’s Rock Candy Syrup *
1 oz Trader Vic’s Puerto Rican Rum
1¼ oz Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum
* Vic said that the juice of one lime is equivalent to one ounce. Vic later said that “dash” of this style of ingredient equalled a quarter ounce.

At the time of publication, the Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum was a blend of 70% Jamaica rum, 20% Martinique, and 10% Virgin Island rum. It likely was a bold and pungent rum blend, designed for the Mai Tai. In Emeryville they’re using Trader Vic’s Royal Amber Rum. I’d recommend using an aged Jamaica rum for this cocktail to better balance against the light Puerto Rican rum.

Lava Haze and Bamboo Punch

The modern cocktails recently added to the cocktail menu at Vic’s address contemporary sensibilities for more assertive flavors, such as the smoked pineapple in Mrs. Mai Tai’s Lava Haze, and serve as a counterpart to these vintage drinks when customers liked things a little lighter.

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Mai Tai Trivia at The Kon-Tiki, August 21

Kick off Mai Tai anniversary weekend with the ultimate Mai Tai Trivia challenge coming to The Kon-Tiki Oakland on Wednesday August 21 at 7 pm. Mark your calendars and join us for Mai Tai and Tiki Bar trivia, plus drink specials and prizes. Work as an individual or team to win bragging rights for life as the winners of the first and maybe only Mai Tai Trivia night.

Mai Tai Trivia is hosted by Kevin Crossman from Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai and Derek from Make & Drink YouTube.

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“Mai-Tai Roa Aé” by Steve Dahl and the Dalhfins

Longtime Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl is best known outside Second City as the brainchild of the infamous Disco Demolition Night at a Chicago White Sox doubleheader in 1979. But in 1997 he recorded an album of Jimmy Buffett and Beach Boys inspired songs called Mai-Tai Roa Aé, with titles such as “Janet Don’t Go to Jamaica”, “Net Surfin’ U.S.A.”, and “Flying Over the Ocean.” The CD is available on the second-hand market and you can listen to the album on YouTube and music streaming services.

The title track is most notable, telling a historically accurate story about the creation and popularization of the Mai Tai cocktail. There are references to the original Wray & Nephew 17 year old rum, the Matson Line, and even a creative pronunciation of “ore-jay”. The album cover notably features portion of the longtime Trader Vic’s cocktail menu cover, likely used without permission. The song though is a bit more inspired with a pretty nice hook, and while nobody will confuse Dahl’s voice with one of the Wilson brothers, he does a fair job delivering the details. Interestingly, Dahl had issues with alcoholism and was sober for a couple years at the time of this album’s release.

Mai-Tai Roa Aé / music and lyrics by Steve Dahl
Sitting at the service bar in Oakland
Sometime back in 1944
The war was on, the empire was exploding
Vic Bergeron was looking for something more

Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend
May that special feeling never end
It’s paradise in a glass
For a world that moves too fast
Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend

He summoned the bartender from the back room
Had him bring the 17 year old rum
The freshest fruits, the almond flavored orgeat
From the finest things on Earth the drink had sprung

Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend
May that special feeling never end
It’s paradise in a glass
For a world that moves too fast
Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend

Traveled from the mainland to Hawaii
On the steamships of the mighty Matson Line
From Honolulu to the south beach of Miami
The old man’s drink has stood the test of time

Mai Tai means the very best in Tahiti
A gentle breeze, the beach, sunshine
Any time the native are getting restless
Trader Vic’s Mai Tai will do it every time

Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend
May that special feeling never end
It’s paradise in a glass
For a world that moves too fast
Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend
Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend
Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend
Mai-Tai Roa Aé my friend

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We have a Beefeater Problem

I only started procuring gin to make certain exotic cocktails, such as the Saturn shown here. I picked up a bottle of Beefeater London Dry Gin and haven’t looked back. I like the flavors that it imparts and I like the bottle design. Even better was how it was issued at 47% ABV, a step up from many retail spirits, giving this spirit a lot more flavor than vodkas and light rums. I’ve tried other gins but found that I like Beefeater and while I have dozens of rums, I didn’t feel like I needed to do much exploring in the gin category.

A couple years back Beefeater dropped their ABV to 44%, which I didn’t bat too much of an eye at though I will say I did buy a couple bottles of the 47% version that I found at a local liquor store. All seemed to be okay.

But Beefeater recently dropped their proof again and is now a paltry 40% ABV! This is a bridge too far, though I did go back to that store to buy a couple more 47s they still had in stock. But I can’t recommend the brand per se anymore. I do see that brands like Tanqueray are still at 47%, which is where I guess I’d stand from a recommendation standpoint, even though I haven’t done a side by side comparison.

What do you think, dear reader? What are your recommended gins for mixing?

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Ruin Bar in Budapest

Szimpla Kert is one of the original Ruin Bars that are somewhat prevalent in Budapest. The concept is that these bars take over a building that is falling into ruin and they decorate it with found items, artwork, spray paint, and more to make for a space for people to gather. There’s a courtyard in the back, plus a second floor with additional seating. Our tour director warned us these were fly by night operations and potentially unsafe, but Szimpla has been in business for many years and seems to be very well trafficked and very “permanent,” and even has a Wikipedia entry. The building doesn’t look totally solid, though, one reason why we didn’t venture upstairs.

Szimpla is a vast space with at least four different bars inside, offering a variety of drinks. We kept things simple, ordering an Aperol Spritz and a shot of Unicum, the Hungarian herbal liqueur that is described as “thick, black, goopy.” Mrs Mai Tai couldn’t stand this but I thought it was nice enough to consume since I was drinking like a local. After a long walk through the streets of Budapest, this was a relaxing afternoon stop.

Just as we were leaving we saw a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter wander through Szimpla’s patio. We also so several taxis drop people off and even during the day this place was quite active. We’re glad we got to check out one of Budapest’s unique cultural treasures, the Ruin Bar.