Filed under: West Coast , Restaurants , Recipes , Fruit , Rum , How To , America We posted recently about the new developments over at the Beverly Hilton . The new owners have proposed tearing down parts of the property in order to build new luxury condos. Part of the tear-down strategy includes Trader Vic's , the old-school Hollywood hangout and original creator of the island-inspired  Mai Tai . Recently I was at the Beverly Hilton blogging the Milken Global Economics Conference and had an opportunity to stroll over to Trader Vic's for an after-conference cocktail. I ordered a Mai Tai, which definitely has an old-school Hollywood price of $12. However much I balked at the ridiculous ticket price, the Mai Tai at Trader Vic's is worth it. There is definitely $12's worth of alcohol in that glass. If for nothing else, it's worth a trip to to the restaurant before it's torn down just to say that you had a Mai Tai where Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra could have sipped the same drink. Or, you can make the same Trader Vic's recipe at home. Pour 2 oz of 17-year old J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice. Add juice from one fresh lime, ½ oz Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao, ¼ oz Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup, ½ oz French Garnier Orgeat Syrup, then shake vigorously. Add a sprig of fresh mint. The Trader Vic's plastic toothpick with maraschinlo cherry and pineapple wedge is optional. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments