We thank Derek at Make and Drink for doing the heavy lifting to recover this recipe for the Scorpion cocktail that inspired Trader Vic to make his own version. In fact, Vic was quite transparent about the origin of this cocktail, as he often was, stating plainly that he had this during a visit to Honolulu. Interestingly, the drink includes both orange and lemon juice, a combo that Vic often favored.
Derek found newspaper clippings that described the original version of the drink, which notably including local Hawaiian spirit ʻŌkolehao. This truly means that this cocktail has a Polynesian origin, a rarity in the tiki cocktail genre where the Caribbean is usually the source or origin or inspiration. including Derek’s recipe that made some adjustments to balance the drink, and note that I made a half-sized version.
Hawaiian Scorpion / adjusted by Derek from Make and Drink
3½ oz Lemon Juice
5½ oz Fresh Orange Juice
2 tbsp Demerara Sugar
10 oz ʻŌkolehao
Put all ingredients into a mason jar, adding lemon/orange rinds and large mint sprig. Shake and let steep in refrigerator for 24-48 hrs. Strain solid ingredients and put into tiki bowl and garnish with citrus wheels, orchids, or fire depending on what you have.
We found this to be light and refreshing, with the subtle mint flavors to be pleasant and the overall character to be bright and lemon-leaning. The ʻŌkolehao doesn’t really assert itself in this recipe, though it is unclear if the ʻŌkolehaos of the day might have been different. In any case, Vic’s version is a pretty good approximation as that has light rum and brandy which are also more like background players in the mix.