Vintage Metrecal Cocktails

Hi!

I have been reading up a lot about the restaurant chain Trader Vic's and found out that around 1961 they used to serve a "Metrecal Cocktail." My mom and aunts all tell me Metrecal was everywhere so I find it fascinating that it would end up at a tiki restaurant. I did a lot of research about this for a video I am working on and could not find this item on its menu from that time-period - staff at the restaurant claim that it must've been a special cocktail advertised separately on paper menus. I know it's a long shot but I was hoping to ask if anyone happens to have menu photos of such drink. Has anyone ever heard of this cocktail? Or would anyone have any idea if any aficionados from that area would have any images of it? Anything that is a metrecal cocktail image or menu item would be awesome but of course a TIKI Metrecal cocktail would be GOLD :D

Thank you all in advance for your help!!

Sara

Wall Street Journal Article from 1961 about a Chicago Location

New Yorker Magazine Article from 1961 about the old NYC location (Plaza)

I may have found your answer via Google...
" While clients could imbibe on a Blue Hawaii at Trader Vics, the tiki themed restaurant also offered a 325 calorie lunch which was 1.5 ounces of rum mixed with nutmeg and Metrecal."

Found here:
https://envisioningtheamericandream.com/2015/06/01/metrecal-for-lunch-bunch/

It's about half way down the page, under the Metrecal or Martinis section. Hope that helps!

Fascinating. I would hazard a guess that they would have used one of the chocolate flavors, if it was being paired with rum and nutmeg. Looking at the total calories (325) we can deduce a likely recipe: for ease of service they would have probably taken a whole premixed can (8 oz, 225 cal) and added the 1.5 oz rum (roughly 100 cal), shaken, and dusted with nutmeg.

I kinda want to try this with some Slim Fast, just for the sake of research.

Metrecal and other similar products were pulled off shelves after the FDA connected 59 deaths, between late 1977 to early 1978, to liquid protein products.[8]

Here is the Wikipedia quote I like "Stating that "most users agree that the stuff is vile-tasting", Time reported that many dieters would add liquor to make it more palatable." :lol:

I am trying to make some of the recipes from that old Trader Vic's cookbook from Cuba and many of them have MSG in them.
Man it is hard to find MSG these days.

Going to have to buy that Accent meat tenderizer stuff instead.

Skip, you might try your local Asian grocers. Here by me they sell MSG in plastic bags by the pound.

MSG is available on Amazon in case you don't want to go out in the snow :wink:

Looking further into the reasons why Metrecal and other products were pulled by the FDA, this NYT article from 1977 implies people were dying of extreme weight loss and vitamin deficiency because they were subsisting on nothing but protein shakes - and only spoonfuls of it at a time.

...a careful examination of 10 of the deaths had determined that the women, who were between the ages of 25 and 44, had lost an average of 90 pounds, had died suddenly of heart irregularities either while on the diet or shortly after going off of it.

Dr. Sours and his colleagues said they had not determined the exact cause of the deaths, although one theory is that the cardiac irregularities were caused by the depletion of potassium in the body...

Obviously they didn't add enough nutmeg.

On 2018-03-13 11:55, MadDogMike wrote:
MSG is available on Amazon in case you don't want to go out in the snow :wink:

Thanks Mike, you talked up the snow.3/14/2017
But, I have gone to many stores Asian, Indian, Mexican and just regular ones too.
Nobody had it.

I just got the Accent, it is pure MSG.
Know a guy going to Japan, maybe he can bring back the good stuff from the yakuza syndicate.

Happy Spring from Ohio!
The frozen butt hole of America.