Tag: TraderVics

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Dublin Tai

Had a fantastic cocktail at Trader Vic’s Emeryville, where I’ve often called a different top-shelf rum for a Mai Tai to great result. This time, I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day two days early by having a “Dublin Tai,” a Mai Tai with Jameson Irish Whiskey replacing the rum.

Irish Whiskeys tend to be lighter in overall character than Scotch or Bourbon, and in this case the cocktail was not unlike the light rum variant of the Mai Tai called Menehune Juice where the less assertive rum turns the cocktail into brighter and fruitier variant. Such was the case of the Dublin Tai where you could taste the whiskey but it was an accent flavor and not up front.

The lounge in Trader Vic’s was hopping on Saturday but our friends were lucky to snag a hi-top just in time so we could have a drink before our dinner reservation. Always nice to see things busy at Trader Vic’s and to still have a fabulous cocktail.

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Trader Vic Alley

We recently popped by Cosmo Alley / Trader Vic Alley in San Francisco.

This was the location of the then-flagship location of Trader Vic’s when it opened in 1950 and eventually became so famous that the Queen of England dined with President Reagan and had her first meal in any restaurant. This Vic’s location closed in 1994 before I got into tiki, so was never able to visit. The restaurant’s successor Le Colonial closed a while back and recent news indicates there’s a desire to transform the area from a parking lot into an urban park.

This is across the street from the old Tiki Bob’s location, now the Honey Honey cafe. We also noticed there’s a Vic’s Cleaners around the corner and wondered if this business might date from the days when Trader Vic’s was one of the leading restaurants in the city.

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Future Trader Vic’s West Hollywood Location

Some photos of the future West Hollywood location of Trader Vic’s, slated to open toward the end of the year or thereafter. The venue is located at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and N Doheny Drive, across the street from the border of Beverly Hills.

These photos were taken just before New Year’s, and as you can see there is plenty of work needed. There are so many people who are looking forward to the return of a full blown Trader Vic’s location in Southern California for the first time since 2017. We’ll hopefully learn more soon.

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Bamboo Room Takeover at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

The Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s recently opened in the Esmé Hotel in Miami, positioned as a drinks-focused tropical lounge featuring original cocktails and some Trader Vic’s classics. This concept is one of Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group’s venue concepts and isn’t a tiki bar but leans towards a cozy chill nightclub vibe, often featuring jazzy live music or DJs.

On Friday, Trader Vic’s brought a little bit of Miami beach to Emeryville by setting up the Lanyu Island room as the Bamboo Room featuring mood lighting and a special cocktail and food menu. Wait service was provided and the chairs and decor were drawn from items formerly in the Trader Vic’s London location.

The four cocktails were drawn from the Bamboo Room’s original cocktails and all were very good with Date in Dubai and The Park Lane being the best overall.

  • El Polinesio with Brugal 1888 rum, Vic’s grog mix, mint syrup, and lime is served in a fab flamingo class and has fruity notes.
  • Date in Dubai with date-infused bourbon and pistachio orgeat was a delight, a rich mouthfeel thanks to aquafaba and the blend of nuttiness and fruitiness was perfect.
  • The Park Lane with Tea-charged Tanqueray, amaro, coconut, passion fruit, white chocolate leaned the closest to traditional Trader Vic’s cocktails, but the light touch of coconut and rich flavors were truly outstanding.
  • Hinky Dinks is a clarified Mai Tai with Zacapa 23, lime, orange curacao, and orgeat. We spoke with some folks who didn’t really care for this but I found that this was a good midpoint between a traditional Mai Tai and the overly silky mouthfeel of many clarified cocktails. But having a more flavorful rum than Zacapa would definitely improve this.
Hinky Dinks

We didn’t try the food options as we had dinner in the restaurant. The Bamboo Room drinks could only be ordered in the lounge so I had to carry some back to our table. The chill music made the vibe in the room truly relaxing and provided a sense of what visitors can expect in Miami.

The Park Lane
El Polinesio and Date in Dubai
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Trader Vic’s Mai Tai with Lemon Hart 151 Float

One of the most popular Mai Tai riffs of the past decade is the San Francisco Mai Tai, a standard Trader Vic’s Mai Tai with a 151 float. This was inspired by the story that Martin Cate tells in the Smuggler’s Cove book about an elderly man who would ask for a 151 float back when Cate was bartending at the now-shuttered Trader Vic’s in San Francisco. This became known as the “Old Way” Mai Tai because the gentleman was, you know, old.

Never mind that Trader Vic’s in Emeryville used the “Old Way” term to refer to a Mai Tai made with original ingredients and not the Mai Tai concentrate that replaces the sweeteners. But that’s a different story for a different day.

The graphic used on some Trader Vic’s menus for this cocktail clearly shows Lemon Hart 151 being used, though these days you’re much more likely to get a combination of Trader Vic’s 151 rum and Trader Vic’s Dark Rum, both distilled in Puerto Rico and lacking the heavy flavors that Lemon Hart is famous for. I think that this version is a nice upgrade, and you get a lot more booze for an extra dollar, though the Emeryville location dropped this item when they redid the cocktail menu this spring.

It wasn’t busy when I rolled into the bar at Trader Vic’s Emeryville on a Sunday afternoon while Mrs. Mai Tai was at the nearby bead show, so I asked for a Mai Tai with Lemon Hart 151 as a float just to see if the old man knew his cocktails. Expertly prepared, indeed this is an elevated version and those classic smoky flavors really do add something to the cocktail and gives you something to kind of chew on while relaxing with your beverage.

Just like the old timer wanted it. Mai Tai – Roa Ae.

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Ultimate Queen’s Park Swizzle?

I’d be meaning to make this and it was featured on this weekend’s video from Derek on Make & Drink on YouTube. Derek highlights the difference between Trader Vic’s original 1946 recipe from his Book of Food & Drink with the commonly seen modern Queen’s Park Swizzle using colorless rums and a gigantic float of Ango on top. That style looks great on menus and social media, but leans closer to Mojito territory and doesn’t hold up to the Ango as well. And let’s remember Trader Vic’s noteworthy description of this cocktail, “Queen’s Park Swizzle is the most delightful form anesthesia given out today.”

So, I went with the classic Trader Vic’s recipe that originally called for a Demerara rum. I’m actually out of 86 proof Demerara rum, so I used the Hamilton Florida Rum Society blend that’s 60% Demerara and 40% Jamaican rum, and I compared it to my boozy Jamaican-forward Ultimate Mai Rum blend to see which I preferred.

Queen’s Park Swizzle by Trader Vic
Half of a Large Lime
Mint Leaves
3 oz 86 proof Demerara Rum (Lemon Hart or Hudson’s Bay)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
½ oz Simple Syrup
Squeeze lime wedges and drop shells with mint leaves at bottom of 14 oz glass. Fill glass with shaved ice, add most of ingredients and swizzle until glass frosts. Garnish with sprig of mint.

Comparing the two drinks, the Florida Rum Society rum provided some of the classic Demerara rum smoky notes and overall worked better in this cocktail. The Ultimate Mai Tai blend didn’t work as well because I went a little heavy on the Ango which seemed to overpowered the rum. You definitely want a bold rum in this style of drink.

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Oakland Resolution Officially Designates the Mai Tai as the Official Cocktail of the City

History was made today, October 1st 2024, when Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan put forth a resolution to designate the Mai Tai as Oakland’s official city cocktail. The measure appeared to be non-controversial and passed unanimously, including two absent members, after two citizens spoke tangentially about the topic during public comment.

A memo from Kaplan stated the rationale by saying “Oakland is a thriving, diverse, and creative community that deserves recognition as the Birthplace of the Mai Tai. As the Oakland City Council Member At-large, I wish to honor its creation, and the history of innovation and hospitality in Oakland, and designate it the cocktail of the City of Oakland.” The ceremonial item passed through the Rules Committee on September 19.

Kaplan was involved with the 2009 effort led by Michael Thanos from Conga Lounge/Forbidden Island to officially designate the cocktail. That measure didn’t pass but Kaplan was able to declare August 30, 2009 as Mai Tai Day in the City of Oakland, a date that was subsequently picked up by Trader Vic’s and other tiki bars as a day to celebrate the cocktail.

The Mai Tai was created at the original Trader Vic’s location at 65th and San Pablo Ave in the summer of 1944. That location closed in 1972, replaced by the restaurant group’s current flagship location in Emeryville. Oakland currently has two tiki bars that pay homage to the city being the birthplace of the cocktail. The Kon-Tiki on 14th and Webster currently features a standard Mai Tai as well as a $44 version with rare Caribbean rum. The Kona Club on Piedmont Ave recently added a 1944 Mai Tai to their cocktail menu that also includes the venue’s long-standing Kona Mai Tai.