The Scorpion (1972 Trader Vic's) Cocktail Recipe

The Classic 1972 Trader Vic version of the venerable Scorpion

The Scorpion is a cocktail consisting of rum, cognac, orgeat, fresh lemon juice, and fresh orange juice.


Who Created the Scorpion?

According to cocktail legend, the Scorpion Bowl had its beginnings back in the 1930s at a little bar in Honolulu called The Hut, where some storied, unnamed barkeep poured rum, citrus, orgeat syrup, and brandy over ice, garnished with an Orange, and dubbed it “Scorpion.”. There are probably more recipes for this drink in cocktail books than any other drink in history. It was adapted by Trader Vic, but even he published at least three completely different recipes in different editions of his cocktail book -- and none of them are the recipe that is actually used in his namesake restaurant chain! The bonafide original Scorpion, as served in Trader Vic's restaurant in Oakland, was a remarkably complex blend of some fifteen ingredients. The recipes in the "Common Recipes" section are listed with the year the recipe was published.

Below is the Trader Vic's Classic 1972 version.

Ingredients:

    2 oz Orange Juice

    1½ oz Lemon Juice

    ½ oz Orgeat Syrup

    2 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum

    1 oz Brandy

Multiplied by about four, and you have youselves the Scorpion Bowl, a large-format cocktail.

Directions:

Blend ingredients with a scoop of shaved ice at high speed for five seconds. Pour into cocktail glass. Add more ice to fill. Garnish with a gardenia.
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My Notes: 

A delicious citrus forward Tiki-sipper without the overt sweetness sometimes common to Tiki cocktails.
CHEERS~Dr.Cyclops
From “Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide,” by Victor Bergeron, 1972