Post #615322 by Michelle66 on Sat, Nov 26, 2011 6:49 PM

After an afternoon of shopping yesterday, I called my friend Hiromi and asked her if she cared to hit TV's with me.

She said "OK", and we met there.

Didn't have the digital camera with me, so the two pics here were made with an iPhone (so they aren't the best).

The Trader Vic's in Tokyo has some cocktail selections on the menu not available in other locations. (And, of course, there are concoctions served at other TV's that you can't get here.)

One of the drinks that I had always wondered about is the "Hinky Dinks Fizzy". This one isn't even on the TV's website, and since it's got the pre-Trader Vic's name attached to it, I presume it might be a drink from Vic Bergeron's first establishment.

But, I'm not a wine fan, and since champagne is one of the ingredients, I kept shying away from it. (I just cajoled Hiromi into ordering one so I could get a shot of it! :wink:)

This is the listing of the drink as it appears in the special English version of the TV Tokyo's cocktail menu:

HINKY DINKS FIZZY - Feel dizzy... Gin, light rum, apricot brandy and juice with sparkling wine. ¥1,785 (¥1,700)

Hiromi liked the drink and said it would be something she'd have again.

My second drink of the night was the newly-formulated Tiki Puka Puka. It was OK...I guess....but maybe a bit too sweet.

Why did Trader Vic's Tokyo need to reformulate the Tiki Puka Puka? It's due to the current unavailability of Lemon Hart 151 rum in Japan. (The 80-proof stuff is also unavailable.)

It seems that for some reason, importation of Lemon Hart into Japan stopped sometime last year. Trader Vic's had learned of the cessation ahead of time, and stocked up on the rum. But, they eventually ran out and needed to reformulate any of the drinks that called for it.

So, things like the Tiki Puka Puka, Navy Grog, etc. are now made with alternative combinations of rum. (I was told that Bacardi 151 and Navy Rum were combined to replace the Lemon Hart 151 that had been used in the Tiki Puka Puka.)

Now, most folks probably would never notice the change (I mean, there are a lot of other ingredients in there too). I did only because I had known ahead of time it had no Lemon Hart. Also, the Tiki Puka Puka was something I was ordering a lot when I knew TV's was getting close to the end of their supply of demerara rum. I had been used to its old taste, and the new version was just a bit different. Not bad, just not exactly the same as before.

I'm sure that Lemon Hart will eventually be imported into Japan again, and that once it is, Trader Vic's will return the drinks to their old recipes. (BTW, the bartenders are totally transparent if you ask them about which rums are being used. No secrets about anything. They will also give you any of the drink recipes if you ask. My inquisitive nature tends to get the best of me, and I've pestered the poor bartenders at TV's about the drinks more times than I can recall...)

As for the food, in addition to the Cosmo Tidbits, Hiromi and I shared a "Vietnamese Spring Roll". If you'd like to try something with a creamy peanut taste, get this! It's a steamed spring roll filled with veggies, chicken(?), and a peanut sauce (with extra sauce on the side). SO TASTY! (Not spicy, but creamy and flavorful. We really enjoyed it!)

[ Edited by: Michelle66 2011-11-26 18:53 ]