PB2Y (cocktail)

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The PB2Y, or PB2Y Gremlin, is a tiki drink created by Victor Bergeron as part of a series of "gremlin" drinks for his Trader Vic's restaurants during World War II. [1] [2]

Contents

Ingredients

The ingredients for the cocktail calls for 1 1/2 oz of silver rum, 1 1/2 oz of orange juice, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz orange curacao, 1/4 oz lime juice, and 1/4 oz grenadine, along with 3 cups of crushed ice and garnished with a gardenia. [3] Bergeron's 1947 Bartender's Guide called for the drink to be served in a ceramic "gremlin bowl." [4]

History

Bergeron served three different sized versions of his Gremlin drinks depending on how many people would be drinking the cocktail. The P-40 Gremlin was for one person, the PB2Y Gremlin served two, and the B-17 Gremlin served four. Life magazine called them "formidable looking potions." [5]

The drinks were in general named after the mythological Gremlin creatures that caused mechanical problems for World War II aviators. [6] The PB2Y was a reference to the PB2Y Coronado military plane. As a morale builder Bergeron sent packages of his drinks to fliers in the South Pacific. [7] The drink may have been part of the general competition between Bergeron and Donn Beach, who had served in World War II. [8] Beach allegedly had a B-26 Bomber with a painted "Don the Beachcomber" on its fuselage named after him, and he had also created aviation themed cocktails such as the Q.B. Cooler and Test Pilot. [9] The two frequently fought over drink recipes. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Gremlin bowl

Similar to a Scorpion bowl, the PB2Y was typically served with long straws for sharing. The drink as served in a gremlin bowl featured a motif of a woman being chased across a tropical island by a Gremlin. [14] [15]

Few examples of the bowl exist in the 21st century, and they carry a resale value in the thousands of dollars. [16]

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References

  1. ↑ "Trader Vic's". Life. Vol. 17, no. 10. September 4, 1944.
  2. ↑ Vic, Trader (1972). Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide, Revised (revised ed.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday. p. 167.
  3. ↑ Siegelman, Stephen (2005). Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails and Food to Share with Friends. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.
  4. ↑ Bergeron, Victor (1947). Bartender's Guide. New York: Garden City Books. p. 18.
  5. ↑ "Trader Vic's". Life. Vol. 17, no. 10. September 4, 1944.
  6. ↑ Peters, Erica (2013). San Francisco: A Food Biography. Lanhan, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.
  7. ↑ "Trader Vic's". Life. Vol. 17, no. 10. September 4, 1944.
  8. ↑ Sinesky, Alice (September 16, 1986). "INTERVIEW WITH DONN BEACH" (PDF). The Watumull Foundation, Oral History Project.
  9. ↑ Bitner, Arnold (2001). Hawai'i Tropical Rum Drinks by Don the Beachcomber. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing. p. 46.
  10. ↑ Berry, Jeff (2010). Beachbum Berry Remixed. San Jose: Club Tiki Press. p. 69.
  11. ↑ "The Mai Tai 1944". lettersandliquor.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "The infamous Mai Tai Court Case". tikiroom.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "You deserve a Mai Tai". eater.com. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  14. ↑ "Trader Vic's". Life. Vol. 17, no. 10. September 4, 1944.
  15. ↑ Bergeron, Victor (1947). Bartender's Guide. New York: Garden City Books. p. 18.
  16. ↑ "Trader Vic's PB2Y2 Gremlin Bowl". ooga-mooga.com. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
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