Sometimes I don't make any posts for a long while and it becomes in my mind a bore and a chore.
Then I am reminded of all the fun stuff I have been up to and posts come easily.
So, yeah I am having a bit o insomnia and therefore have a few posts to churn out.
We went up to Lauren's for a belated birthday luau party that was insane! Her husband Kenny had completely constructed this whole tiki bar in their backyard and was pouring Mai Tais from Trader Vic's original recipe. Ahhh, if only I could have had one. I love authentic Mai Tais. Most people dislike this drink because they think its a sweety-sweet one. Its only sweet when people make them wrong and drown them in grenadine and too much sugary juice. Yuck.
If you have never been to Old Hollywood staple Trader Vic's, you have not experienced a real Mai Tai in this town.
Here is the skinny straight from Trader Vic's lips back in 1970 on the creation:
I originated the Mai Tai and have put together a bit of the background on
the evolution of this drink, which has earned worldwide identification and
acceptance. There has been a lot of conversation over the beginning of
this drink. Many have claimed credit, including Harry Owens.
In 1944, after success with several exotic rum drinks, I felt a new drink
was needed. I thought about all the really successful drinks; martinis,
manhattans, daiquiris .... All basically simple drinks.
I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of
17-year-old rum. It was J. Wray Nephew from Jamaica; surprisingly golden
in color, medium bodied, but with the rich pungent flavor particular to the
Jamaican blends. The flavor of this great rum wasn't meant to be
overpowered with heavy additions of fruit juices and flavorings. I took a
fresh lime, added some orange curacao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy
Syrup, and a dollop of French Orgeat, for its subtle almond flavor. A
generous amount of shaved ice and vigorous shaking by hand produced the
marriage I was after. Half the lime shell went in for color ... I stuck
in a branch of fresh mint and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild,
friends from Tahiti, who were there that night. Carrie took one sip and
said, "Mai Tai - Roa Ae". In Tahitian this means "Out of This World - The
Best". Well, that was that. I named the drink "Mai Tai".
This drink enjoyed great acceptance over the next few years in California
and in Seattle when we opened Trader Vic's there in 1948. In 1953 the Mai
Tai was brought by me to the Hawaiian Islands, when I was asked by the
Matson Steamship Lines to formalize drinks for the bars at their Royal
Hawaiian, Moana and Surfrider Hotels. Any old Kamaaina can tell you about
this drink and of its rapid spread throughout the islands.
In 1954 we further introduced the Mai Tai when we included it among other
new drinks in bar service for the American President Lines. It is
estimated that several thousand Mai Tais are served daily in Honolulu
alone, and we sell many more than that daily in our eighteen Trader Vic's
restaurants throughout the world. I have let Eddie Sherman, the columnist
on the above mentioned Honolulu Star Bulletin, know who originated this
drink and think it is time the general public knows that these are the
facts of the evolution and growth of the Mai Tai.
Anyway, Kenny was pouring the real deal so Matt had a few of em to make up for Wombat and I.
Lauren looking beautiful in her lei and Hawaiian dress.
We had a yummy chocolate cake to celebrate Lauren's birthday from the month before.
It had been over 100 that day and even in the moonlight, it was hot hot hot.
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