Scorpion recipe please

does anyone have a bona fide, original, authentic scorpion recipe (serving one person)?

Thanks!

Porgy

Here's Vic's recipe as published in 1946. It's for 12. Do some basic math and tweaking and you can figure it out for one. Just don't serve a drink for one in a Scorpion bowl, that'd be too sad.

"...Honolulu's famous Scorpion, a drink which doesn't shilly-shally or mess around in getting you under way. As originally made with okolehao and rum, the Scorpion is at its best, but the following formula is practically as good an infusion as the original."

1 & a 1/2 bottles Puerto Rican rum (Rum Merito or Brugal suggested)
2 ounces gin
2 ounces brandy
16 ounces lemon juice
8 ounces orange juice
8 ounces orgeat
2 sprigs of mint
1/2 bottle white wine.
Mix thoroughly, pour over cracked ice, let stand two hours and add more ice. Garnish with gardenias.

From 'Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook' 1968:

"In a blender with 1 scoop shaved ice:

1 1/2 ounces lemon juice
2 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce orgeat syrup
1 ounce brandy
2 ounces light rum

Blend and pour into a Grapefruit Supreme glass with cracked ice. Decorate with a gardenia and serve with cut straws."

All the other recipes I can find serve 12 but I guess you could just use a REALLY big tiki mug. :drink:

thanks guys,

the two recipes you both listed are the two I have seen frequently. This confused me. Why are their two different recipes?, and yes I see that they are vastly different in overall size.

a dash of gin is too hard to administer?

Porgy

[ Edited by: Porgy McNasty on 2002-07-28 07:56 ]

The 1946 recipe is from 'Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink' (also in the 1948 'Bartenders Guide by Trader Vic'). He probably just simplified the recipe for the later book.

I'd guess the recipe is different as one is for party/ banquet purposes another for bars. The question is was the 1946 recipe served at Trader Vic's and the other version the Scorpions later incarnation? If it changed it was probably for economics and public tastes. The original one for 12 calls for the mixture to sit in cracked ice for 2 hours. Obviously a lot of dilution was intended. Such a recipe would make no sense in a bar as "Please allow 2 hours for this drink to be made" isn't what most patrons want to see on a bar menu. The white wine was possibly omitted due to taste. It would seem to have worked like vermouth in the original and a lot of people don't like that undernote.

By the way, Woofmut, I forgot to tell you that I found my '46 TV's bartender's guide! $3 at an antique store near Astoria. Yay! Not as cool a find as yours was, but I'm glad to have it just the same...

Here's another version from the 'Sauce Guide'-

1 Shot Mountgay Gold rum
1 Shot Remy Martin Cognac
half shot orgeat
1.5 shots orange juice
two thirds shot of fresh lime juice
half shot sugar syrup

Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass

Trader Woody

Here are two recipies I have used, I guess you could cut the amounts in half to serve one.

Scorpion 1, Serves two

2 1/4 oz Light Rum
1 oz Dark rum
2 oz Brandy
2 oz Sweet and Sour mix
6 oz Orange juice
Dash of Agnostura Bitters

Serve over ice in a bowl with long straws garnish with fresh fruit

Scorpion 2, Serves two

2 1/4 oz dark anjeo Rum
1 oz Gold rum
1 oz apricot Brandy
3 oz orange Juice
2 oz Lemon juice
1 oz Orgeat
1 oz Lime Juice

Serve over ice in a bowl with long straws garnish with fresh fruit

you can add some flair by pouring some 151 rum on a sugar cube put on an orange slice floating in the bowl, ignight and serve flaming

Cheers!
Tiki King

http://www.tikiking.com Neat Tiki Stuff
http://www.mp3.com/tiki_king Hear the King sing!

[ Edited by: Tiki King on 2002-08-01 09:34 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki King on 2002-08-01 09:34 ]

Here's what I wrote about Scorpion punch awhile back. Obviously, I vote for the original recipe from 1946...

"I found a first-edition of Trader Vic's Guide to Food & Drink in the attic of my in-laws 1880's farm house. (I'm not kidding.) This gave me an opening to suggest we add the Trader's Scorpion punch to our Independence Day festivities. As the day wore on, the reactions of the various celebrants to this potion were fairly hilarious. In fact, by the time we had drained the punch bowl the art on the old Vics menus had obtained new meaning for me."

I made the batch as per the instructions, except I substituted Amaretto for the Orgeat. I used fresh squeezed orange and lime juice.
I let it chill for about three hours, then added more ice. I also tossed in some orange and lime slices. The stuff was incredibly complex tasting and very potent; two essential criteria for a good tiki drink. It served about eight of us.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-08-01 17:29 ]

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-08-01 17:30 ]

Dear Porgy,

I've got two more for ya!

As a drink for a single person (yeah, I am too, but I always fix doubles!) I have a recipe from a modern and easily found reference entitled "COMPLETE WORLD BARTENDER GUIDE".

2 oz white Rum
2 oz orange juice
1 oz California brandy
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp almond extract
3 oz crushed ice
blend and strain

Now then, you also asked for a "bona fide, original, authentic scorpion recipe". Well, from the "Hawaiian Host and Hostess Book" I've found a recipe which the author claims is pre-prohibition.

"In a large crock place a quart of okolehao. Add the juice of two lemons, and a whole lemon cut in small pieces, including the skin. Add 2 small oranges, sliced, and 1/3 cup sugar. Bruise a small bunch of mint leaves and add to the crock. Cover and let stand overnight. When ready to serve, strain the mixture and use 1 jigger to a glass of ginger ale or sparkling water."

As to Okolehao...
"Okolehao, Hawaii's own famous drink, is distilled from the root of ti plant, the shrub whose leaves provide skirts for hula dancers. In the old days, it might have been compared with the "corn likker" of the South when that distillation was at its best.
During prohibition, "oke" was made in the best bootleg tradition and much of it achieved a quality that delighted connoisseurs. In fact, oke was served and enjoyed by Hawaii's best families as well as by the run-of-the-mill drinkers of that era.
Recently oke has returned clothed in respectabiility, made in accordance with federal standards. It is again relished by Islanders for its smokey taste and its claim to hangover-free qualities.
Oke may be served in place of bourbon, scotch or brandy in your favorite drinks."

Well, this book was printed in 1964, and we don't get much oke down here in Florida....

Here's a version I've found that works alright for reducing the Scorpion to single serving size:

2 ounces light rum
1/2 ounce orgeat
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces orange juice
2 ounces champagne
dash of brandy
dash of gin

Stir together all the ingredients except the brandy and gin. Dash the brandy and gin on top before serving.

I figured I'd bump this old topic because I have been making this single serving scorpion from time to time.. I use mini bottles with my thumb over the top for the dash or gin and brandy.

gabbahey

Gabbahey, Which recipe did you end up using? The one from mbanu?

First you are going to need to learn how to milk a Scorpion
when you got that bit down I will give you the rest......