Tag: TraderVics

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Recipe: The Space Needle

This vintage recipe recently popped up on the Make and Drink YouTube channel, where Derek described the vague history of this drink. It’s obviously a Mai Tai variant, notably substituting lemon juice for lime, but strangely Trader Vic did not take credit for the recipe in his books where the recipe was listed. Perhaps a crew member at the Seattle Trader Vic’s location did the riffing on the Trader’s behalf.

Space Needle by Trader Vic (?)
1½ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Orgeat
1 oz Orange Curacao
1½ oz Light Rum
1½ oz Dark Jamaican Rum
Flash blend with 1 cup of shaved ice, add to glass with additional shaved/crushed ice. Mint garnish optional.

I used a 50/50 blend of Clement Creole Shrubb and Grand Marnier for the orange curaçao.

This drink is not dissimilar to the original Hawaiian Mai Tai that Trader Vic introduced to Hawaii in 1953, including a blend of a light rum and a dark Jamaican rum. I used Coruba, as did Derek, though back in the 1960s the typical dark Jamaican rums were a bit higher in ABV. Nonetheless, the drink is plenty boozy with 3 oz of rum plus a full ounce of orange curaçao.

Indeed that ratio of orange curaçao is what makes this kind of a different drink than simply a Mai Tai with lemon juice. The overall character is sweeter and a bit more floral, though I felt it was richer than Menehune Juice, a Mai Tai variant made just with light Puerto Rican rum. In the case of the Menehune Juice it’s quite floral as the rum doesn’t add a lot of flavor, whereas with the Space Needle there are richer ingredients to taste and a heavier overall mouthfeel.

Derek said he thought this would be better with a little less orange curaçao, resulting in a drink that’s closer to a Mai Tai spec and better balanced. I disagree and totally loved the richness from the sweet orange liqueur.

The Space Needle is different from a Mai Tai and it’s great. I regret not making this sooner.

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Rock Candy Mystery Solved

Our trip to Vegas started at the San Jose Airport with some dinner and drinks at the Trader Vic’s Outpost. Our flight was delayed two hours so this wasn’t a bad place to spend some time (and turned out to be our only tiki bar visit that night due to the delay). Following Atlanta and Emeryville, this was our third Trader Vic’s location in 27 days – all on U.S. soil with three other stateside locations in development in Kona, West Hollywood, and Oakland Airport.

Navy Grog

The Mai Tai was good here as usual, as was the poke bowl. I decided to go a little off script by ordering a Navy Grog for the first time in forever. I like my Navy Grogs a little sweeter, so asked for extra Grog Mix syrup and it was really delicious and had a rich mouthfeel.

There’s some sort of story that the rock candy stick that comes with the Trader Vic’s Navy Grog can use used to sweeten the drink. Well, I stirred that thing for five minutes straight and it didn’t dissolve any appreciable amount. The reason Vic’s uses a rock candy stick for a garnish is because it takes five seconds to prepare vs. the Don the Beachcomber traditional ice cone garnish which takes considerably longer. But from several feet away they have the same sort of look. That tricky Trader!

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Hinky Dinks Speakeasy at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Shhh.. don’t tell anyone.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville is normally dark on Tuesdays but on this rainy February night opened the Lanyu Room as Hinky Dinks Speakeasy. This event featured a special cocktail menu including some small bites, paying tribute to Trader Vic’s original restaurant at 65th and San Pablo Ave in Oakland that opened in 1934 (this venue was later renamed Trader Vic’s, as you might have heard). Era-specific standards from DJ Speakeasy Ray set the mood perfectly, as did the mood lighting. Artifacts from the now-closed Trader Vic’s London were also a focal point.

The speakeasy motif was in force as you entered via the side door and you had to say the password obtained by calling the Trader Vic’s telephone number. This was a fun way to start the evening, including torches and a bright red light.

Cocktails for this event were well-curated and blended classic recipes with modern ones. The clarified Mai Tai called Tiki-Easy was fat-washed in peanut butter and was the standout of the evening, but the clarified Essence of San Juan was nearly as good. I also liked the Hotel Nacional which had delicious fruity notes. PB2Y2 is a Vic’s cocktail from the 1940s and uses a common Vic’s build featuring two rums and three citrus juices – leaning a bit tart but overall quite good and plenty boozy.

We’ve been told that the cocktails may cycle in and out over the next few Tuesdays, with some other vintage recipes being considered for future dates. If this event is of interest we encourage you to attend in the next few weeks to keep up the momentum, and we do plan to return in a couple weeks ourselves. It’s really great to see Trader Vic’s paying homage to their history but doing so with some fresh cocktails and loungey atmosphere.

Tiki Easy, PB2Y2, Hotel Nacional, Essence of San Juan
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Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s Atlanta

Locals told us that Trader Vic’s Atlanta makes all Mai Tais using the Mai Tai Concentrate syrup unless you order by calling for a “1944 Mai Tai” so we put this theory to the test by ordering multiple Mai Tais over the couple nights we were in town. Hard work if you can get it, I know.

Original Mai Tai

Indeed, our order for an “Original Mai Tai” resulted in a Mai Tai that used the Concentrate rather than orgeat, orange curacao, and rock candy syrup from the original recipe. Thankfully the 1944 Mai Tai was made using scratch ingredients and is a wonderful representation of a Trader Vic’s Mai Tai. Our ’44 on Thursday was truly fantastic (apart from the tiny mint) and the one Friday was also very good, reminding us why we feel in love with the cocktail many years ago.

There you go Mai Tai nation. At least for now this is the practice in Atlanta and those in the know can choose their own adventure.

This Vic’s location has their own Mai Tai glass design (pictured above) that’s fantastic and pays homage to the Barney West carving on the back patio. I don’t need more Mai Tai glasses but I had to get it.

1944 Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s Atlanta

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Frozen Delights with the Peachtree Punch and Grasshopper at Trader Vic’s Atlanta

Two highlights from our visits to Trader Vic’s Atlanta were a couple of frozen drinks that are designed for very easy drinking.

The Peachtree Punch is the signature cocktail for this location, described as including light rum, peaches, oranges, and “a soft southern whisper of coconuts”. Using peaches, Georgia’s state fruit, makes a lot of sense and the flavor profile was mild and not overpowering, a plus for me. I enjoyed the punch and for me was a very good change of pace from the boozy tiki drinks I’m usually imbibing.

Peachtree Punch

Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai fell in love with Trader Vic’s Grasshopper, featuring crème de cacao, crème de menthe, and vanilla ice cream ordering it both nights were there. As desert cocktails go, this creamy blend was excellent and a true palette cleanser. Highly recommended.

Grasshopper

The Sea Dreams and Koana Puffer cocktails were also very good, comparable to other Vic’s locations. We’ll cover the Mai Tai in a separate post.

Sea Dreams and Koana Puffer
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Trader Vic’s Atlanta

A highlight of our Inuhele weekend was a visit to the last restaurant that opened during Trader Vic’s lifetime. Located in the basement of the Hilton hotel, Trader Vic’s Atlanta will be celebrating its 50th anniversary later this year and significant portions of the venue haven’t been touched since opening. The eye candy starts before you enter with large Barney West tikis behind the elevators, plus a large foyer that leads to the Mai Tai Bar and then to three distinct dining areas.

We had dinner two nights here and found the food to be comparable to other Vic’s locations, except that the portions were noticeably larger. The fried rice, wonton soup, and crab rangoon were delicious, and they still offer whipped peanut butter spread with crackers as an included appetizer. Our service was friendly and prompt both nights.

During our Inuhele weekend visits the foyer was taken over with a large selection of Trader Vic’s merchandise, with Eve Bergeron present to help with the sales and to talk to fans of the chain founded by her grandfather. Trader Vic’s Atlanta also sells their own branded merch, available throughout the year.

Toward the back of the venue there’s a patio or sorts that serves as a smoking section. There’s a large Barney West Moai facing the street and bright Trader Vic’s signage back there as well. The venue has many pieces of original art and decor, historical displays, and signature Chinese Ovens, making this a true time-machine for those looking for a vintage experience.

We had a lot of fun talking tiki and Trader Vic’s with Jim and Mick, too. Since Mick is a local he pointed out several features and history of the venue.