Scorpion
Trader Vic’s group drink—rum, brandy, citrus, and orgeat, scaled up into a bowl with multiple straws for sharing. The single-serving version works on its own; the bowl version is the original tiki theater.
The History
Created by Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic) and published in his 1947 Bartender’s Guide. Vic claimed the drink as his original; Donn Beach disputed it, as Donn disputed many things involving Vic. The bowl version—four servings shared from a ceramic scorpion-shaped vessel with multiple long straws—became the template for every shared exotic cocktail that followed, from the Volcano Bowl to the modern shareable swizzle.
Ingredients
- 2 oz light Puerto Rican rum (Bacardi Superior or Don Q Cristal)
- 1 oz brandy (VS cognac or American)
- 2 oz fresh orange juice
- 1.5 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz orgeat
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig + gardenia blossom (garnish)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender with crushed ice.
Flash-blend on high for 5 seconds.
Pour everything (ice included) into a large goblet or tiki mug.
Top with more crushed ice.
Garnish with a mint sprig and, if you can find one, a gardenia.