Post #284510 by Quince_at_Dannys on Fri, Feb 9, 2007 3:36 PM

Another thing to keep in mind is that Donn usually left most of the actual mixology to his star bartenders (like Mariano Licudine of the Mai Kai and Ray Buhen of the Tiki Ti) who were the real masterminds behind the drinks. The Beachcomber knew the recipes of "his" drinks, but contrary to his showy, showbiz style was not necessarily their inventor. I get the impression that the Phoebe Beach book is a hastily compiled collection of scribblings and notes, and is probably not representative of the final creations that were served in the Don the Beachcomber restaurants. Beachbum Barry's book is more accurate in that he spent the time talking to many of the actual bartenders of that era.

That's not to say that both books aren't a valuable resource--the recipes in the Grog Log are amazing as written, while the Don the Beachcomber book is a great resource for intrepid mixologists looking to backwards engineer their favorite drinks. My advice--buy them all and enjoy!