Among Trader Vic's more tantalizing legacies is the original Mai Tai, the bracingly refreshing rum cocktail he created at his Oakland restaurant in 1944 and introduced to the Hawaiian islands in the 1950s. Tahitian for "the very best," Mai Tai became the slogan for an operation that now includes 18 Polynesian-style restaurants around the world and a line of food and beverage products enabling you to "Taste the World®" of Trader Vic's at home.

In creating his new cocktail, Trader Vic employed what was becoming the ever-present hallmark of all his recipes: a light touch, meant to enhance but never disguise nor overpower the fine original taste of the main ingredients. All of his recipes reflect the man's own personality: distinctive, lighthearted and memorable.

Trader Vic truly "wrote the book" on tropical mixed drinks and Polynesian-style food: Doubleday published Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink in 1946 and the first of several editions of his Bartender's Guide in 1947. Written in a style as pungent as one of his own Gin Slings, his books included over 1,500 recipes for how to mix everything from Alexanders to Zombies, cook succulent South Seas dishes and even decorate a room or garden to look like an island paradise.

To make it easy for you to duplicate The Trader's famous concoctions, we've excerpted a number of those recipes in two Samplers that appear to the left. These Recipe Samplers are available as brochures wherever you purchase Trader Vic's Food and Beverage Products, and are automatically sent to those ordering products directly.

For more than 60 years, Trader Vic's Food & Beverage Products, Inc. has created a "movable feast" by offering a diverse selection of the Trader's tastiest bar and restaurant specialty products to delight consumers in and out of the food industry.

Our syrup and drink mix products make re-creating The Trader's original recipes as easy as shaking, pouring and savoring. Trader Vic's International Salad Dressings turn traditional side dishes into mouth-watering mainstays. Our versatile sauces are not only excellent as marinades, in stews and to bring a zesty complexity to barbecuing, broiling or sautéing - they're also fat- and cholesterol-free!