The History of Trader Vic
Tiki Culture,Molakai Mike Cocktail,and the Creation of the Mai Tai
Victor Jules Bergeron Jr. is known to millions as Trader Vic, but his colorful early years are less well known. Born in San Francisco in 1903, his father was a waiter at the Fairmont Hotel, and his parents owned a grocery store in Oakland. Living above the store and helping out in the grocery helped give him the life-long love of the food business that he later put to good use. Along the way, he lost a leg to tuberculosis, and gained a great ability as a storyteller.
The Creation of Trader Vic's
Vic opened his first establishment in 1934. Hinky Dink's pub was located across the street from his parent's grocery store. The menu included Americanized versions of Asian dishes, as well as tropical cocktail inventions that he made famous. The exotic dishes and drinks, the striking atmosphere, and the owner's outgoing personality combined to make the new restaurant a hit. By 1936, the restaurant was renamed Trader Vic's, and Vic was poised to help fuel the Tiki restaurant craze that swept the United States in the 1940's and 50's.
It's safe to say that Bergeron knew how to create an atmosphere. He invented a more entertaining story to explain how he lost his leg - he lost it to a shark attack. The walls of his restaurant were lined with dried grass mats and decorated with spears, masks, and fisherman's floats. Columns took on a new look as palm tree trunks. Colorful fabrics, flickering torches, and little statues rounded out the decor. The ingredients blended together for a seemingly irresistable restaurant experience.
Trader Vic's Food and Cocktails
Of course, few people go to a restaurant more than once simply for the atmosphere, they go back for the food and drink. Asian cooking wasn't well known in the United States at the time, and Vic's adaptations were exciting and exotic to Americans. The tiki restaurant could reasonably be described as the first steps to the fusion cuisine popular today.
At least one of Trader Vic's creations has taken on a life of its own. One of the most popular appetizers at Chinese restaurants in the United States is crab rangoon, a wonton wrapper filled with cream cheese, crab meat (or imitation crab), scallions and garlic, then deep fried. Most Americans seem to take it for granted that this is a traditional Chinese dish. Crab rangoon is instead an American invention, and is commonly credited to Bergeron. If he didn't create it, his restaurants certainly deserve credit for making it an everyday part of American culture.
But one of the biggest attractions for Trader Vic's and the other tiki restaurants was always the cocktails. Bartenders competed to create the most outrageous cocktails, usually featuring tropical fruit juices, and of course, large amounts of spirits, especially rums. Trader Vic is most associated with the Mai Tai, but that was far from the only cocktail he's known for. Navy Grog, Tiki Bowl, Somoan Fog Cutter, Kava Bowl, Menehune Juice - all of these are cocktails that Vic either created, or adapted for his restaurants.
Trader Vic's Molokai Mike Cocktail
This specialty was served in a special glass that emphasized the two-toned layers, but it can also be layered in a double old-fashioned glass. The trick is in the blending. Blend the bottom layer quickly, just to mix, but blend the top layer thoroughly.
Bottom layer:
- 1 oz. silver rum
- 1 oz. orange juice
- 1 oz. lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. brandy
- 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup
- 1/2 cup crushed ice
Top layer:
- 1 oz. gold rum
- 1 oz. grenadine
- 1 oz. crushed ice
Combine the ingredients for the bottom layer in a blender and pulse for 1-2 seconds, just enough to blend. Pour into the glass. Combine the ingredients for the top layer in the blender, and blend about 15 seconds, or until smooth. Gently pour over the bottom layer.
Molokai Mike Cocktail
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