Tag: TraderVics

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Trader Vic’s To-Go Cocktails: Sunset Swimmer and Sea Dreams

I took two cocktails home with me from my visit at Trader Vic’s Emeryville, both of which were new to me. I chose these from the Coconut Concoctions section of the menu, hoping one of them would be a hit for Mrs. Mai Tai and where we’ve had great experiences with to-go Bahias and Chi-Chis. Both were prepared without ice and refrigerated for the afternoon before being lightly shaken and served over ice.

Sunset Swimmer – with Tequila, spiced coconut, and pineapple. Definitely something more than just a Pina Colada with Tequila, there are some very specific spices and flavors that can be hit or miss. I really liked it, but Mrs. Mai Tai thought it tasted weird. I felt that the combo of pineapple and spices worked very well.

Sea Dreams – Strawberry forward, with coconut, passionfruit, and “two types of rum”, both of us felt this seemed flat with very little coconut flavor. It felt like maybe there was an ingredient missing.

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Trader Vic’s Hangover Cure: Banana Cow

I challenged Trader Vic’s Emeryville bartender Troy to make a Banana Cow, one of the Trader’s earliest cocktail hits. And boy did Troy make it great, perfectly blended and totally icy smooth to the last drop.

There are two printed recipes for the Banana Cow, which evolved to be more of a true cocktail by the 1970s.

Banana Cow (1946)
1 crushed, ripe Banana
2 level teaspoons bar Sugar
3 oz fresh whole Milk
1½ oz Puerto Rican Rum (Ron Merito, Boco Chica, or Brugal)
Plenty of Cracked Ice
“Put the mess into an electric mixer and mix the hell out of it. Pour into a large glass and have at it. No foolin’ this is a pip.”
Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink (1946)

Banana Cow (1972)
1 whole Banana
1 tsp bar Sugar
1 dash Vanilla (Extract)
3 oz fresh Milk
1 oz Trader Vic’s light Puerto Rican rum
1 dash Angostura Bitters
½ scoop shaved ice
Blend in electric mixer. Serve in Planter’s Punch glass.
“The world’s finest, greatest, oh-so-good peachy hangover special. That’ll do it when nothing else will”
Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide Revised (1972)

Later, Vic wrote in Trader Vic’s Rum Cookery & Drinkery (1974) about the cocktail, saying “The Banana Cow is the greatest hangover drink as far as I’m concerned. People are in a rut serving Bloody Marys, and they really kill you rather than cool you. But milk is good for you, and bananas are good for your stomach. Many is a morning I could count a lot of people waiting for me to open my doors for a Rum or Banana Cow to cool it, heal it, and cure it completely.”

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Drunken Monkey at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

This cocktail appeared on the menu at Trader Vic’s Emeryville a couple years ago and I decided to revisit with lunch. The drink features unaged Cachaça and Tequila, along with Banana liqueur, grapefruit and lime juice, plus Trader Vic’s favorite ingredient – Orgeat. The Whipped Cream topping with Lime Zest makes this an attractive cocktail.

The blend of Cachaça and Tequila works really well here, providing different spirit notes than what you’d get with Rum or Bourbon. Cachaça is distilled from cane juice and the light herbal qualities pair well with Tequila’s agave-based flavor. The banana is there just as a hint, and when we upped the ratio at home it still wasn’t forward in the cocktail.

At Trader Vic’s the cocktail is served in this tall glass with nugget ice, which meant it was difficult to incorporate the topping into the drink due to the chunky ice. My preference would be for this to be in an old fashioned glass with a wider brim or with shaved ice that would be easier to work with.

Trader Vic’s hasn’t published the recipe but observing the prep and trying at home this seems pretty close. Give it a try!

Drunken Monkey by Trader Vic’s
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Grapefruit Juice (pink)
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1 oz Blanco Tequila
1 oz Silver Cachaça
Shake with crushed ice and top with whipped cream and banana chips.

At home I used El Jimador Tequila and Novo Fogo Cachaça, along with Latitude 29 Orgeat, and I felt this tasted even better than the one at Trader Vic’s. I’m a newbie to both spirits, so I couldn’t tell which brands were used at Vic’s.

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Trader Vic’s Lunch

My company gave me the day off for a “wellness day” and so I popped over to Trader Vic’s Emeryville for a low-key lunch.

There are really few things that are as good as Crab Rangoon from Trader Vic’s when served fresh and hot. So delightful with the sauces too.

I also really enjoyed the Aloha Bowl with Kalua Pork. Some really great flavors here, including the salad portion with Trader Vic’s dressing.

Was sad to see that one of the statues outside the front door was split in half and the other one was completely missing. They’d been victims of vandalism (see the older photo) in the past and looks like they finally met their end.

2021
2023
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Appleton 17 Legend Jamaican Rum Coming Soon

The social media accounts for Appleton Rum in the U.S. and U.K. went live today with a teaser about the “legend” returning, with a subtle “17” as part of the design. We did see May 17 being mentioned earlier today.

This is surely a reference to the Appleton 17 Legend Jamaican Rum that had a label approved by the TTB nearly a year ago.

The label says this limited edition rum expression is intended as a “re-creation of the legendary rum crafted by J. Wray & Nephew in the 1940s” that “inspired the bartending world.” There isn’t a specific mention of Trader Vic Bergeron or his most famous creation, the 1944 Mai Tai, but this certainly is intended to make you think of the legendary Wray & Nephew 17 that was the first rum using in Vic’s Mai Tai.

You can sign up for email updates on AppletonEstate.com.

Stay tuned, Mai Tai fans!

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Mai Tai Planters Punch

Felt like making it a little extra spicy tonight, so did a riff between two favorites. This was quite nice, without overpowering sweetness or spice.

1½ oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Concentrate Syrup
⅓ oz Don’s Spices #2 (50/50 Vanilla Syrup/Pimento Dram)
3 oz Jamaican Rum Blend (courtesy Andy from @easytikidrinks)
4 dashes Angostura Bitters

I love this Trader Vic’s Pilsner glass for tall drinks like this. Looks great with the classic logo treatment. We’ll see if the Mai Tai Planters Punch ever gets famous.

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Trader Vic’s Mugs

For Tiki Mug Monday, we’re looking at mugs Trader Vic’s, the home of the Mai Tai. They’ve had so many iconic mugs over the years, but these are our favorites.

  • Maori Haka, based off the totem in Trader Vic’s Emeryville. I also like the white variant.

  • Seahorse – the drink they serve the Seyhorse cocktail in, not sure which spelling is preferred

  • Marquesan Drum – great on top of the bar to store mint, garnishes, straws

  • Coconut Cup – fine for any drink

  • The Modernist – produced in 2021 in conjunction with a book from Sven Kirsten

And my personal fave? The Seyhorse with handy spines to grip the mug!

Which is your favorite?