Has Anybody Heard of a Backscratcher?

It has been a while since my last post...sorry..However, I have been looking for a drink recipe for a Backscratcher. Has anyone heard of the drink? I remember being young on a trip to Hawaii with my parents and begging my mom to order this drink because 1)it came in a very large tiki mug and 2) it had a long wooden backscratcher in it used i guess as both decoration and a stirrer. Anyway, please pass along any info you folks might have!

[ Edited by: tikisobayli on 2004-01-06 19:28 ]

I seem to remember a drink like that known as a 'Tropical Itch'.....

There's a drink in Intoxica! called the "Tropical Itch" that was served at the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki that came with a wooden back-scratcher. Could this be it?

8 oz. passion fruit juice or nectar (not syrup)
1 1/2 oz. Bacardi 151
1/2 oz. orange curacao
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz. dark Jamaican rum
1 oz. bourbon

Fill a large hurricane glass with crushed ice, add all ingredients, and stir well. Garnish with pineapple, mint leaves, orchid and a wooden back-scratcher.

[ Edited by: Doctor Z on 2004-01-06 19:35 ]

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-10 13:39 ]

They still serve it at the Hilton Hawaiian Village also. Ya get to keep the backscratcher but not the mug (I don't remember it as being anything special, the mug that is).

They serve a Backscratcher at Trader Dick's in Sparks, and you keep the wooden scratcher. It's not very tiki looking and the drink isn't very good at Dick's either. Always stick with the Navy Grog at Dick's - it's a sure bet!

Backcover of the BOT, that Tropical Itch had a plastic back scratcher in it. Wonder if it was customized (with the Crane Kon Tiki logo on it), never seen one.

Thanks everyone for the info. Dr. Z's reference to Intoxica reminds me that one can never have to many books (as I only own Grog Log). It is interesting that the drink has bourbon in it, not an ingrediant you see often. Again, thanks!

Famous Honolulu bartender Harry K. Yee first served the Tropical Itch with a back-scratcher as a stirrer in 1957.

I can't find his recipie anywhere, but I bet Beachbum's is pretty close.

Here is one from the Great Tiki Drink Book if you only want a small drink.

1.5 oz Pineapple Juice
0.5 oz Passion fruit syrup
2.0 oz Dark Rum
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Fill a highball glass with ice, pour everthing into the glass, stir and serve.

Caliente Tropics has Tiki Back-scratchers now (without the drink) . I can only imagine what those will be used for at Oasis-4. (last years Bax Balls aka TC Beach Balls almost started a riot!)

One of my fondest Kahiki memories is about the backscratcher, and resultant backscratchers-

My dad would order a backscratcher when we would go- and for YEARS afterwards, the silly bamboo scratchers would accumlate in the downstairs 'boys' bathroom at our house. Similar to the souvenir mugs and swizzles, the cheap backscratchers were 'take home goodies!'

It was a very DAD thing.

Anyhow, sometimes when we hadn't been to Kahiki in a while my Dad would make bad jokes about getting 'the itch' to go back to Kahiki. Particularly in winter when it snowed- clearly a 'tropical' itch.

In tribute, my home bar always keeps a supply of cheap bamboo backscratchers on hand for backscratcher cocktails so my friends can 'get the itch' to return. Now if only I could find a place that would custom imprint them for me... (for now, I just paint them myself.)

Very funny memory Sabina....Dads always seem to be full of the "bad jokes"!

On 2004-01-07 11:12, martiki wrote:
They serve a Backscratcher at Trader Dick's in Sparks, and you keep the wooden scratcher. It's not very tiki looking and the drink isn't very good at Dick's either. Always stick with the Navy Grog at Dick's - it's a sure bet!

I tried Trader Dick's version on Saturday. According to the menu, It's made with Bourbon, Curacao, and passion fruit. It wasn't bad but they were out of back scratchers and it was more expensive than most drinks there (I assume to pay for the back scratcher). In adition to the Navy Grog, the Shark's Tooth is good (and very strong) at Trader Dick's.

Get your very own set of Tribal Tiki backscratchers! 2 dozen on e-bay. No bids yet, just over an hour left to go.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2979217839&category=1467

Not my auction, but now that I think about featuring a "backscratcher" on my list of drinks served in my home bar, this seems kind of cool!

Just thought I'd give a heads up :)

-Tikiwahine

Did I say backscratcher? I meant Tropical Itch. Unless I change the name to something like..."Now featured at the Vancouver Islander...the Backyard Backscratcher!"

I wonder if I could use little plastic flyswatters...naw...that sounds kinda gross. I don't think it would go over too well.

-Tikiwhahine

On 2004-01-12 11:11, thejab wrote:

In adition to the Navy Grog, the Shark's Tooth is good (and very strong) at Trader Dick's.

We were at TD's just after Christmas. Had a Scorpion, and for an extra 4.50 you get to keep the bowl. Nice bowl, too, especially for 4.50! Next time we go we'll have dinner there. I've heard legends of the Awful Awful burger, but the menu we saw was pretty much all polynesian/asian cuisine. Is the AA burger on their lunch menu?

On 2004-01-12 17:20, TikiMaxton wrote: Is the AA burger on their lunch menu?

No, but it's on the menu in both coffee shops at the Sparks Nugget, and at the classic lunch counter at the downtown Reno Nugget. The Sparks Nugget also has the old-style nautical John's Oyster House. They have incredibly good New York pan roasts, stews, chowders, crab and shrimp Louis, and Cioppino. The fish is very fresh (it's flown in) and inexpensive. The steak house at the Nugget is also very good. The food at Trader Dick's is pretty good but I usually eat at the Oyster House and drink at Trader Dick's.

My only complaint about Trader Dick's is the awful live entertainment that starts pretty early (5 or 6). They play good Hawaiian music in the background but you can't hear it most of the time because of the live act.

I just found a great old drink guide at a flea market for 50¢, and it's full of great classic tiki drinks. Each of the 111 drink recipes feature a full colour photograph. (Tropical Cocktails by Tommy Murphy)

Here's their recipe for the Tropical Itch:

Tropical Itch

Chimney Glass 13 1/2oz
1oz 151 Rum
1/2ox Bourbon
1oz Pineapple Juice
1oz Orange Juice
1oz Sweet and Sour
1/2oz Cherry Brandy
Mix all ingredients except cherry brandy over crushed ice. Float cherry brandy on top. Garnish with pineapple wedge, cherry, bamboo back scratcher and vanda orchid.
NOTE: Orange juice and bourbon won't marry normally but orange Curacao helps make a perfect marriage.

I find this note strange, since the recipe doesn't even call for Curacao. Also, it's interesting how they float the cherry brandy, not the 151.

Here is my recipe for the Tropical Itch from an old drink recipe book called The Official Handbook Drinks of Hawaii by Paul B Dick 1971. I found this book in Hawaii several years ago in a flee market.
The recipe says a more appropriate title would have been "Tropical Stroke"

Tropical Itch

1/2 oz Bourbon
1 oz 151 Rum
1 oz Okolehao
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
Dash Angostura Bitters
Passion Fruit Juice

Use a 15 oz tall glass with crushed ice. Put in order filling the remainder of the glass with the passion fruit juice.Mix well. Now stand back!
Enjoy!

They still server a Backscratcher at Disney's Polynesian Resort — and it comes with a bamboo backscratcher as a souvenir. I don't have their recipe, but the drink description has a bit of the backstory and lists the main ingredients:

Back Scratcher - From the Coconut Palms Resort in Hawaii where Elvis filmed the movie "Blue Hawaii." Made with light and dark rum, Passion Fruit juice, topped with a secret ingredient, this drink will help you get that itch inside and out.

The ingredient list matches up pretty well with the Intoxica Tropical Itch recipe.

[ Edited by: Hot Lava 2008-09-28 05:53 ]

The "secret ingredient" is Jack Daniels believe it or not. Somehow it creates a taste not unlike Demerara rum. Possibly the best drink on the menu at the Tambu Lounge at Disney World's Polynesian Resort (along with the Lapu Lapu). Both are pictured below from my visit in February:

Well, both Jack Daniels and Elvis are from Tennessee so sure why not.

I finally nailed down the Backscratcher recipe from the Polynesian Resort. The secret is actually the POG (passion fruit/orange/guava) juice...

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2013/07/31/trader-sams-enchanted-tiki-bar-one-of-many-changes-likely-coming-to-disneys-polynesian-resort/#backscratcher

On 2013-08-03 20:52, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
I finally nailed down the Backscratcher recipe from the Polynesian Resort. The secret is actually the POG (passion fruit/orange/guava) juice...

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2013/07/31/trader-sams-enchanted-tiki-bar-one-of-many-changes-likely-coming-to-disneys-polynesian-resort/#backscratcher

I mixed up a bottle of POG and made a couple of these the other day after I read the recipe you posted. Thanks Hurricane! We had just been to Tambu the prior weekend (made the tallest and most gravity-defying Dole Whip Captain Cook's had ever seen!) and we had a Backscratcher and Lapu Lapu (any chance you have that recipe too?) so the flavors were still fresh in my mind when I made the ones at home and other than the difference of a bourbon substitution they tasted pretty much like the Tambu ones.

I used the rest of the bottle of POG up making J Wray Overproof rum punches, and if you like J Wray you would almost certainly like those.

I hope your new insider info on the if/when/where of a WDW Trader Sam's is in error. I'd rather see it as part of the Pleasure Island redevelopment that at Polynesian. Either way, I'm really looking forward to a WDW Sam's.

A bit off subject but I didn't realize the connection between the POG juice and the Pogs game with the cardboard discs my kids played in the early 90s. The cardboard pog discs were originally created as a marketing ploy for the POG drink.

Yeah, what a random and cool connection. The whole early 90s POG game craze was supposedly spawned when one school teacher in Hawaii reintroduced an almost forgotten game she played as a kid to her students and it spread like wildfire.

Followed the instructions for making the POG EXACTLY as given. Even went out and bought a bottle of Jack Daniels Old No.7. The drink however, when completed was waaaaay to sweet and fruity for my taste. Cut back the POG ingredient from 5 oz. to 3 oz. and added 1/2 oz. of fresh lime. Didn't help. This one won't make it to my recipe book. However,take away the booze . . . pink it up with some grenadine and call it a "Fruity Temple" and serve it to the kids!

I bet you feel more like you do now now than you did when you came in.

GENT

[ Edited by: GentleHangman 2013-08-04 18:02 ]

never heard of POG, but pineapple-OJ-guava coincidentally happens to be, after scores of experiments, the preferred juice combo I arrived at for my Planters Punch...

Sunny&Rummy: Yes, I may have a Lapu Lapu recipe up my sleeve for future consumption. The problem with both of these drinks (the only two Polynesian originals left on the menu) is that they can be very inconsistent, depending on how busy the bar is and which bartenders are working. I've seen one of them put pineapple juice in the Backscratcher. The Lapu Lapu is particularly schizophrenic. I'm told they once stocked Trader Vic's orgeat, but now most of the bartenders use amaretto (ugh). But I've also seen a non-amaretto version.

Regarding the POG juice, it's definitely something I'll be messing around with. And the pineapple-OJ-guava combo suggested by thePorpoise sounds great as well.

The bigger issue, as GentleHangman points out, is the Backscratcher is just too juice-forward. Welcome to Disney World. I'm afraid that the resort's bar program has yet to bring its rum drinks up to the same level of quality as some of its newer tequila and whiskey cocktails. You'll find lots of pseudo Mai Tais, Pina Coladas and the like across property, but they tend to be aimed at your typical middle American tourist.

The Tambu Lounge's Backscratcher is aimed at these same tourists, obviously, but it's also a tried-and-true Tiki classic, so I sought to replicate it as authentically as possible rather than try to reinvent it. (Perhaps I'll tackle that in a future endeavor. I've always thought Lemon Hart 151 would make a much better floater.) I believe that both the Backscratcher and Lapu Lapu date back to the '70s, surviving many menu purges that saw the removal of all the other drinks unique to the Polynesian (Zombie, Scorpion, Tradewinds, etc.) It's not a great drink by any means, but fits that early Disney Resort profile (see Lei Lani Volcano, Intoxica, page 47).

Of course, we can only hope that Trader Sam's will arrive in time to solve these problems for us.

All I was able to find was Welch's Passionfruit Cocktail and it was pretty weak, not a very strong passionfruit taste. It's 25% juice; white grape, apple, & passionfruit ~ passionfruit is the 3rd listed juice. That means it is only 8% passionfruit at best (0.25 x 0.32)

I would caution against using the Ceres 100% juice. For example, their Passion fruit juice. . . the first ingredient is PEAR JUICE! Same for their Mango and Papaya. It may be 100% juice, but it's not the name of the fruit juice on the outside of the carton.
Is it just me, or is that a bit deceptive?

[ Edited by: GentleHangman 2013-08-07 16:52 ]

That is a VERY common practice and completely legal, but yes deceptive. At least it's all juice, the ones labeled "juice cocktail" are 70-75% sugar water.

Using legit POG juice will really help make a difference in authenticity. I think Disney has Minute Maid make POG juice concentrate just for them, considering Minute Maid is a sponsor/partner. There are several brands available such as Hawaii's Own, Meadow Gold, Aloha Maid Natural etc. It might take some searching (California fortunately has them all) but it'll be the best. I use POG Juice in a lot of my own drinks. That Pineapple Orange Guava stuff might be nice but its not POG juice - Passion fruit, Orange, Guava. Good luck.

So we discover another reason to be jealous of California: Easy access to POG juice :>)

I was pretty happy with my POG mix using Goya Passion Fruit Cocktail (containing passion fruit concentrate) and Kern’s Guava Nectar (containing guava puree), both available at Publix in Florida. Unfortunately, both contain high fructose corn syrup. But combined with fresh OJ, you get a very rich and sweet juice that mimics what I remember from the Polynesian.

Of course, the purest products come from Hawaii. I'll keep looking in our gourmet and ethnic groceries, but I suspect you have to be on the West Coast to find easy access. However, you can find POG online if you want to pay the price. I haven't ordered any of these yet, but they look like the real deal brands (Hawaiian Sun, Aloha Maid):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dgrocery&field-keywords=%22Passion%20Orange%20Guava%22

http://www.islandergifts.com/hawaiian-juice.html

And for pure passion fruit juice, I'll be trying this in the future:
http://www.auntylilikoi.com/syrups-and-juices/unsweetened-passion-fruit-juice.html
I'm a big fan of their syrups, so I'm confident the juice is the same quality.

Haywood you were right, the Goya Passionfruit cocktail does have much more passionfruit taste

Yeah, it comes in handy sometimes when you don't need the richness of a syrup, but want something more intense than a straight passion fruit juice.

Dollar store back scratchers. I shortened them a bit and drilled a hole for a garnish cross stick

On 2013-08-22 21:00, MadDogMike wrote:
Dollar store back scratchers.

yum, chinese arsenic-treated lumber scraps!

:D

Nice job, MadDogMike. A little essence of wood scraps won't hurt you.

:lol: !

On 2013-08-22 21:00, MadDogMike wrote:
Dollar store back scratchers. I shortened them a bit and drilled a hole for a garnish cross stick

Mike, how is it that everything - even making a simple cocktail - turns into a woodworking or craft project, with you?! :wink:
No wonder you're not much of a drinker. I wouldn't be, either, if every time I went to make a cocktail, I got sidetracked sculpting a mug or blowing a glass for it!

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-08-23 07:44 ]

On 2013-08-23 07:40, Limbo Lizard wrote:
Mike, how is it that everything - even making a simple cocktail - turns into a woodworking or craft project, with you?! :wink:
No wonder you're not much of a drinker. I wouldn't be, either, if every time I went to make a cocktail, I got sidetracked sculpting a mug or blowing a glass for it!

:lol: I'm afraid that's true LL :lol:
What's more, there isn't any alcohol in that glass ~ it's just POG :blush:

On 2013-08-23 09:31, MadDogMike wrote:

:lol: I'm afraid that's true LL :lol:
What's more, there isn't any alcohol in that glass ~ it's just POG :blush:

no alcohol?! well in that case you need a little arsenic in there or it's not even a real cocktail..!