PB2Y (cocktail)

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]

Ingredients

The ingredients for the cocktail call 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]

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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