Post #123584 by Kono on Thu, Nov 4, 2004 6:03 PM

You've made me grab my 1972 revised TV Bartender Guide and do a little digging.

"This is a redo of my first Bartender's Guide which was published some thirty years ago. There have been a lot of changes made since then-not in the preparation of drinks-but in the recipes, the likes and dislikes of people."

"So I've modernized this book to give you new recipes and old-recipe changes to the best of my ability."

Obviously, Vic recognized the fact that drink recipes can evolve over time as tweaking of an original recipe may yield a better tasting drink.

[Tangent]One of my minor gripes with Vic is that he harps on using precision when measuring drinks, yet many of the recipes, like the aforementioned Trader Vics Punch calls for "a half lemon" or "a whole lime." How big a lemon Mr Bergeron? Minor gripe though. [/Tangent]

His anecdotal first mai tai was: an unsaid amount of 17yo J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum, a fresh lime, "some" orange curacao from Holland, a dash of rock candy syrup, a "dollop" of French orgeat, a generous amount of shaved ice and a branch of fresh mint.

J$ posted the TV website original recipe with proper amounts added.

Here's the Revised (1972) TVBG Trader Vic Punch recipe:

1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
1 dash orgeat syrup
1 dash rock candy syrup
1oz light Puerto Rican rum
1oz dark Jamaican rum

Which is a bit different than the recipe in Johnny Dollar's older Bartender Guide.

Seems to me TV had no problem with a recipe evolving or having variations. In the 1972 guide he mentions the original recipe and then two current (1972) recipes, a traditional (the one everyone knows) and a commercial (using TV rum and TV mix). It's all good (if you cut back on the lime :wink: ).

I've had TV macadamia nut liqueur and Kona coffee liqueur but I've never had any of the TV rums. How are they?