Tag: TraderVics

Posted on

Fireworks at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

The Golden Gate Bridge fireworks were of interest to Mrs Mai Tai, but the high threat of fog made elaborate plans seem risky, so we took a sort of safe route by heading to Emeryville to have some drinks at Trader Vic’s before heading to the end of the peninsula to see if we could see any fireworks. Powell Street was closed at Access Rd before you get to the Watergate complex but we knew we could park at the Hilton Garden Inn, then walk down the street to Vic’s and the marina later.

Trader Vic’s had the Mai Tai Lounge open in “Speakeasy” mode with a somewhat limited drink and small bites menu. Additionally, there was a private event in the back of the venue that we saw people heading back to, but the dining room was not open. The bar was not that full, mostly locals, but we enjoyed sharing the table Debbie and Greg Smith who arrived just before us. The Crispy Prawns were really great on this visit, just about the best I’ve ever had.

Since the bar wasn’t too busy we did go off-menu slightly with a couple of called rum Mai Tais, which Carlos was kind enough to roll with. The Appleton 12 Mai Tai was really good but even better was the one made with Hamilton Navy Strength whose bold flavors shine in this cocktail. We also had a San Francisco Mai Tai, Guava Tai, Chi-Chi, Trader Vic’s Grog, and standard Mai Tai and found them all to be made perfectly for a group of five that know how these are supposed to taste like.

Mai Tai with Hamilton Navy Strength Rum

The fireworks were scheduled to start at 9:30 so we walked from Trader Vic’s down the end of the Emeryville marina. Crowds had gathered but we could tell we were unlikely to see much since the fog over the bridge was quite heavy. We saw a few fireworks coming from Treasure Island, and lots more in Oakland, but not the signature show on the Golden Gate. It was sort of expected, so at least we got to have drinks at Trader Vic’s.

As we walked back to the car we saw that someone had pulled into the Trader Vic’s parking lot with a van full of illegal fireworks. It was quite the show, but seemingly dangerous where a little spark would threaten the 50+ year old tiki temple. We heard the police were called and hopefully the perpetrators prosecuted.

Posted on

The 1953 Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Didn’t have Pineapple Juice

Yes, we would break several laws to climb to the top of the Empire State Building to help everyone learn that the Mai Tai that Trader Vic brought to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1953 did not contain any pineapple juice.

It is easy to see how this myth developed, as there weren’t a lot of vintage 1950s era Mai Tai recipes floating around and there was no effort to tie these loose ends together until our work on this started in 2021. Once all the pieces were gathered it was clear that not only did Trader Vic not add pineapple juice to the Mai Tai in 1953, there aren’t any published recipes calling for pineapple until the 1960s!

Posted on

New Format for Mai Tai Day 2026 at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Mai Tai Day is the day each year where we celebrate the birth of the world’s greatest cocktail and the man who invented it, Trader Vic Bergeron. The date is based on Oakland’s 2009 Mai Tai Day proclamation, the city where the Mai Tai was invented.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville has been hosting ticketed Mai Tai Day celebrations since 2019, with varying degrees of scope depending on the year. A couple years ago it was the 80th anniversary so there was a three-day celebration including a “Black Tai” event that was all-inclusive in the restaurant along with a dressy theme. In most years, Mai Tai Day has featured a festival vibe with vendors and performances in the parking lot plus drink and food stations inside.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville recently announced this year’s theme and a different scope for event ticketing.

Mai Tai Day 2026: Mai Tais then Fly

Flight departs August 30th. Destination: paradise.

Mai Tai Day 2026 is an all-inclusive tropical takeover: themed rooms, Tahitian dancers & drummers, rum tastings, island food, and enough Mai Tais to forget you never left the Bay.
3PM – 8PM. 21+. Limited seats. This one will sell out.

This one-day event seems to be similar to the Black Tai event with an all-inclusive food/drink format and ticket price of $200 plus fees. This setup will provide for a more intimate experience but has also generated some consternation from some previous attendees who are balking at the high entry price. That’s certainly understandable, especially for those who won’t drink their “money’s worth” of Mai Tais and other cocktails. We will see if this actually sells out or not, and whether this format works better for Trader Vic’s, but in any case we’ll see you there.

The travel theme seems to be paying homage to the Oakland Airport and Kona Hawai’i locations that are opening in the near future. The airport location is supposed to open very soon, though several rumored April and May openings have passed. The Kona location is connected to a refreshed Hampton Inn by Hilton Kailua-Kona Bay property that is taking reservations for October, and the venue just launched their website and Instagram profile @tradervicskona.

Posted on

Hawaiian Scorpion: The Polynesian Drink that Inspired Trader Vic

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.

 

Posted on

Modified Scorpion Recipe

After having the individual Scorpion at Trader Vic’s last week I thought I’d revisit this classic at home. This is a prime example of the Trader Vic’s recipe style, featuring both orange and lemon juice, a split base of spirits, and Vic’s signature sweetener, orgeat.

This sometimes comes out too tart, and I’ve long felt that the juicy cocktail needs bolder spirits. So, I did some modifications on the ratios by dropping the orange juice a little and bumping up the orgeat. This was originally made with a lightly aged “white” Puerto Rican rum, but I think that something with more flavor would be better. Look for something bolder like Denizen White, Planteray 3 Star, Hamilton Breezeway Blend, or Myers’s Platinum White. The brandy or cognac is often lost in this and as a richer spirit I want to taste it so I’ve doubled that from what Trader Vic called for.

  • Valencia Oranges are a little sweeter than Navel Oranges and would be recommended for this cocktail.
  • Now with four ounces of spirts, you can feel better about using this Trader Vic’s Scorpion Bowl and maybe even splitting it with someone special.

Scorpion by Trader Vic (modified)
1½ oz Orange Juice
1½ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Orgeat
2 oz Brandy or Cognac
2 oz Aged White Rum
Flash blend with 8 oz crushed ice. Dirty dump and top with more crushed ice, garnishing with gardenia, orchid, or citrus wheels. Serve in Mai Tai glass or tiki mug.

Posted on

Trader Vic Footage from “Donn of Tiki” Documentary

Trader Vic’s Emeryville hosted a special showing of a deleted scene from the acclaimed The Donn of Tiki documentary, highlighting archival footage of Trader Vic plus commentary about Vic from luminaries and experts. The showing followed a screening of The Donn of Tiki film nearby, plus the Mai Tai Lounge being open on a Tuesday as part of the Hinky Dinks Speakeasy that Vic’s has been running for a couple months.

Having seen the film before, we skipped the showing of the film and spent time in the lounge (we did buy tickets for the film, though). We enjoyed our past visit to the Hinky Dinks Speakeasy, previously held in the intimate Lanyu Room. This week the Tuesday speakeasy was hosted in the larger Mai Tai Lounge space, featuring a cocktail menu of Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s favorites plus some small bites. Music as always was pitch perfect 1940s era music from DJ Speakeasy Ray, who even showed us some rare vintage relics in his collection.

I really enjoyed the Three Dots & a Dash that used Kuleana Hawaiian Rum Agricole in place of the Martinique rhum that is normally used and I also liked the Shark’s Tooth that was light and refreshing, though Mrs. Mai Tai wasn’t a fan. I appreciated the inclusion of the Mai Tai on this special menu (reminder to you know who about who invented it), but we went with the Scorpion instead. The Scorpion can sometimes be too tart, but it was in balance on this visit.

Scorpion

As the filmgoers returned from the movie, the bar filled with people trying to get one final cocktail and then we were ushered into the Lanyu Room to watch the ten-minute deleted scene. If you’ve seen The Donn of Tiki film, you wouldn’t be surprised that the discussion of Trader Vic featured notables such as Eve Bergeron, Marie King, and Tim Glazner. There was also some archival footage of an elderly Trader Vic reminiscing about his career. This was such a treat, informative and entertaining.

We also spoke with Donn of Tiki director Max Well about plans for the VOD home video and Blu-Ray release of this incredible documentary, to be released very soon.

Posted on

Pilo Pilo Recipe

Each Trader Vic’s location has a signature cocktail that initially is available only at that location, though sometimes these cocktails come to other Trader Vic’s locations. This is a really great perk for those who seek out and visit the various Vic’s locations, and these cocktails are chosen with great care because the team a Trader Vic’s know they have to good.

Signature cocktail examples:

  • E’Ville Ewa, Emeryville
  • Munich Sour, Munich
  • Peachtree Punch, Atlanta

The signature cocktail at the Trader Vic’s location at the San Jose International Airport is the Pilo Pilo. This cocktail uses two juices, two sweeteners, and three rums and comes in a mug that’s exclusive to the San Jose location as well (the mug is also available on the Trader Vic’s website).

The cocktail was developed by Daniel Velize and the recipe was shared a couple years ago at Tiki Oasis by Eve Bergeron. Notably, it’s a cocktail that uses the top-secret Navy Grog Mix syrup that  is available for purchase on the Trader Vic’s online store.

Pilo Pilo by Daniel Velize
1 oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Lime Juice
¾ oz Trader Vic’s Passion Fruit Syrup
¾ oz Trader Vic’s Navy Grog Mix
½ oz Trader Vic’s Spiced Rum
¾ oz Trader Vic’s Dark Rum
¾ oz Trader Vic’s 151-Proof Rum
Shake with ice, garnish with three cherries and a spent lime shell.

I really liked this cocktail when I tried it a couple weeks ago before my flight to Seattle, and the blend of three rums really worked for me. I found it to be well balanced, despite all that citrus too.

The World’s Best Airport Bar