Savage Renewal: The prototype Grog Log and its 'lost' drinks

Above is a photo of all four of Jeff Berry’s wonderful food and drink guides. Wait, what was that? You’re not familiar with that out of place, oversized version of the Grog Log in the photo? Let me tell you a little bit about it.

This version of the Grog Log is copyright 1995, and is photocopied onto 11x17 paper folded in two, with a one-sided color copy for the cover (hence the white border). All the non-headline text is written in all caps in a charming yet hard-on-the-eyes Flintstone looking font. It has 58 pages total, and all together the thing feels not unlike a well-produced ‘zine you’d find in your local independent record store.

And that is exactly where I found my copy: in Streetlight Records in San Jose. I got a hold of a copy of this Grog Log back in 1995, waaaay before Tiki Central. At the time I was into Tiki quite a bit but I was just realizing there was a Tiki Culture out there -- I didn’t know Jeff Berry; I didn’t know Otto (although I knew of him) and I don’t think I had even visited the Tonga Room in San Francisco, where I was living at the time.

When I first saw it in the zine shelf I knew exactly what it was and I bought it immediately. I couldn’t wait to try the drinks in it. Little did I know that I simply wasn’t going to be able to get the ingredients necessary to make most of them.

You see, this version of the Grog Log has a much smaller selection of drinks in it. There are a lot of great ones in it, like the Mai Tai, Navy Grog, Blackbeard’s Ghost, Planet of the Apes, and of course the Painkiller. But it wasn't until recently that I found out there were some drinks in my prototype that are not in any other of Jeff Berry’s books, as far as I know.

I’ve spoken to Jeff about the origins of it, and to Otto as well. It turns out this was kind of a proof-of-concept for the real Grog Log that Jeff, Otto, and Bosko (who did the cover) put together in Otto’s basement, figuratively speaking. From what I recall, Otto did most of the layout and they just photocopied a bunch and shopped them around to different outlets. That record store in San Jose was one of them. Apparently a lot of them got water damage and couldn't be sold. My copy has had it's share of orgeat and pineapple juice on spilled on it but it's still in pretty good shape.

For the longest time, I didn’t realize that the spiral bound version of the Grog Log had different drinks and layout in it. There was some discussion about them on the old Tiki Central Yahoo club when the first Grog Log came out, but I don’t remember the specifics.

I only recently went through all the books to pin down the drinks “lost” to the Grog Log prototype, and here they are (although I might have got some wrong). I have not made any of them recently, and to respect Jeff Berry’s work I am not going to post the actual recipes here, but I’d like to know if anyone else knows about these drinks, what they think of them, or if there’s any other information about them. The descriptions are from the book as well.

Sputniki
Also known as the Golden Tulip. By Gerry Kooyman of the Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam

Stardust
Based on the Royal Daiquiri by Don The Beachcomber.

Eastern Sour
By Trader Vic.

Tradewinds
Our version of the Scorpion.

Transit of Venus
A stronger version of the Polynesian Paralysis

Zombie Headhunter
By “Blackie” Andal of the Hawaii Kai Restaurant, New York City, circa 1960s

Are any of these drinks published anywhere else? I am going to ask Jeff Berry about them but I’d love to hear from any TCer who knows something. I'm just an amateur when it comes to these drinks; what do our experts know?

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore 2008-09-10 15:15 ]

Definitely a DIY punk 'zine aesthetic at work here. I love the cut 'n' paste graphics. This is a treasure, hanford. You should make photocopies of it to use in your bar, and put the original in a hermetically-sealed bamboo showcase that all may pay obesiance to its glory with appropriate ritual and sacrifice.

I got one through the Tiki News and what stuck out to me was the small ad for it with a quote from Butthead saying "This bar guide kicks ass." That is so 1990's "zine".

On 2006-04-29 02:27, hanford_lemoore wrote:
Are any of these drinks published anywhere else? I am going to ask Jeff Berry about them but I’d love to hear from any TCer who knows something.

The Eastern Sour appears as the Eastern Whiskey Sour in the Trader Vics Tiki Party book and also in the old TV Bartender Guides. I'm guessing its the same drink.

Berry's Taboo Table has a Tradewinds drink but its obviously not the same one because its nothing like a Scorpion and he attributes the origin of the recipe as being "Carribean circa 1970s." Maybe he renamed his Tradewinds something else?

I've got a copy of the Hawaii Kai Cookbook published in 1970 and it has a recipe for a Headhunter Zombie. Now I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that its probably the same drink as that there Zombie Headhunter. :)

I kind of prefer the latter name. A Headhunter Zombie can only mean one thing: a zombie that hunts for and collects heads. A Zombie Headhunter, however, could mean that as well or could also mean one who hunts for and collects the heads of zombies! Plus it just sounds cooler. Could someone that has a Hawaii Kai drink menu look and see which name they use on the menu?

At last!!! An artifact in my measly collection that other people here might respect... Who knew?!

From now on I will have to handle it with more care.

Truus gave it to me on a visit to the rancho many years ago along with another favorite in my collection, a bug eyed Bosko mug like the one above the moai on the Protolog's cover.

That original version has collected dust in my various liquor cabinets for almost a decade. Thank goodness it's size and lack of spiral binding make it too unwieldy for regular use or I surely would have ruined it years ago. I can't remember if I tied making any of those particular drinks or not.

Mahalo Truus!
Mahalo Bosko!
Mahalo Otto!
Mahalo Jeff!
Mahalo Hanford!
Mahaolo Savage Renewal!

Mahalo! I've always wondered what the first Log looked like.

According to the Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide from 1972 the Royal Dacquiri is made like a regular one but with 1/2 ounce Parfait Amor added.

I have made the Royal Daiquiri from the Grog Log but I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed.

Thanks to everyone ... I guess we know more about these lost drinks than I tought. Kono, I did see the different Tradewinds drink in Taboo Table, so perhaps I should look for the old Tradewinds renamed. One of these days I'll get off my ass and try making a Sputniki and a Transit of Venus ... they both sound interesting.

bump