What drink was served inthe Don the Beachcomber bust mug?

I don't recall ever seeing the mug as a graphic on a menu. I would assume it was used for the Zombie. It's also rather odd that the mug came along long after Donn was no longer really involved in the operation. Must have been some sort of cruel joke by Sunny. There are too many here to have been a Hawaii only mug, and being on Hawaii makes that even less likely due to costs and resources.

I think it would help to try and establish a date for the mug. I've heard speculation it was a Getty mug, but I would think it would match their revised look of "Don" into that hirsute handsome fellow, which the mug clearly isn't. My money is on pre-Getty.

There is a drink called the "Don Beach" and that might be a more likely suspect for this mug.

True, although it was originally served in a glass. Here's an illustration from a menu I have which is dated to 1963:

However Don's appeared to be using the same menu since 1941 and only updated the prices. They were using a new one by 1965 and eliminated the drawings and replaced them with watercolors, and the Don Beach is still only shown in a glass, so it's likely sometime after 1965—if that's even the correct drink!:

There's at least one mug out there that is hand signed ("Vermonde Original"), which might be an indication that the mugs were only made for one location for the long-neck green mugs at least. But which came first, the long-neck green mug, or the shirt-necked yellow/brown "Asian-eyed" mug?

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2013-08-07 13:49 ]

Can someone post a picture of the mug in question
are you not talking about the Don Tribute mug made by Tiki Farm some years back?

The original Don mugs & not the Tiki Farm reproduction, right?
nothing on the bottom of the mug?

I remember someone telling me these are from Don's Waikiki 1970's or 80s?
is this the same info you boys have?

On 2013-08-07 16:39, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
The original Don mugs & not the Tiki Farm reproduction, right?
nothing on the bottom of the mug?

Correct, the original. The one that I have is glazed and unmarked on the bottom.

I remember someone telling me these are from Don's Waikiki 1970's or 80s?
is this the same info you boys have?

Never heard that before. I doubt they're that recent, though, because my mug has high lead content in the glaze, which was regulated by the FDA in 1971.

Don't forget the FDA only monitored samples
on a small percentile for actual testing, as many lead content items
made it into stores (especially from China) during the 80s & 90s

So lead content can not be an absolute measure on a production date
and for the home ceramicist there also was many unsafe glazes on the market also.

Aloha,

No, not that green one. That's earlier.

The yellow mugs by Daga with the Chinese eyes were used in Waikiki in the 70's... (And the Daga/Polynesian Pottery cane raiser with the logo.)

Thanks Phillip, I think Polypop or Sven may have more info on these also....

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-08-07 21:24 ]

Aloha,

If I had to guess, i'd think it was a generic rum (Planter's) punch type of concoction. Just exrapolating....

Where is that thread with the potter's signature? I cannot look under mine cuz I'm not home, but we previously deciphered the name, maybe there is some new info on his work on the web.

His name was Vermonde. He also did some bamboo mugs for DTB in Hollywood, so I'm guessing he was a local. I haven't been able to dig anything else up. The fact that he did the bamboo mugs and they're clearly marked "Hollywood" makes me think these are likely fairly early. I have trouble imagining Sunny commissioning a mug of Donn after he left for the war, but maybe I'm wrong. The key might be to check census records in LA for a Vermonde, it's an unusual name.

Ah ha! More clues. Look at this:

Signed by Vermonde, but stamped with three locations. The latest was Las Vegas, which opened in 1962. Looks like I was wrong (I hate it when that happens!). :)

I wonder if maybe no drink was ever specifically paired with the mug. Maybe they were only available in the gift shop. Or maybe if you bought one they'd put any of the drinks on the menu in it.

Just for reference, here's the two long-neck versions, flanking the short neck mug.

On 2013-08-08 14:41, arriano wrote:
I wonder if maybe no drink was ever specifically paired with the mug. Maybe they were only available in the gift shop. Or maybe if you bought one they'd put any of the drinks on the menu in it.

I believe that's probable. Those hat brims are awful vulnerable for regular restaurant use, what with bussing tables and washing.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2013-08-08 16:21 ]

That's assuming a gift shop. If there was, I would think we'd see a lot more of these around. Consider the Mara Amu mug at the Mai-Kai. The mug you can buy and take home is one of the most common marked mugs in Tiki next to the Kahiki #1.

But it is also true that it would have been expensive to make and hard to keep intact.

Maybe this is a question for BVD when I talk to him again. Even with Donn out, he'd have to know about a mug made in his likeness.

Who is BVD?

Here is my long neck yellow version. To the best of my knowledge this is the oldest of the variations. Assumed to be from the late 50's -60's it stands to reason, primitive technique and the bottom is glazed with kiln markings and no locations. Very delicate with the hat attached. I agree, I don't think the mug was cocktail specific because of vulnerability my guess as well it was sold from a gift shop or stand or from the back bar. Holden, Paul, Squid would also help us to understand the process of vintage mug making in production mug types and would be well suited to help pin point it's era. This mug is fantastic and a wonderful example of now vintage production. I love production mugs, I call them nickel mugs, because mine were my parents hand me downs or bought at garage sales and early eBay for 5 cents to 99 cents. Advertisement mugs practically a throw-a-way, not made well particularly but to me that's what a tiki mug is and there is something very endearing about them to most of us.
I also heard from a few prize collectors that the short neck is a rip off job not commissioned by DTB came out much later. True? Your thoughts?

I've seen a green version of the long neck which was unglazed and signed on the bottom and had much more detail. I would imagine that's the earliest, before the mold started to wear out. The short necked mugs were made by Daga, so likely only for the Hawaii locations.

Not my sale...

http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/321934830003