Overview: Gemma, the rooftop restaurant and bar at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, is reintroducing a large-format Scorpion Bowl cocktail priced at $125. Beverage Director Jim Kearns notes that this exact location formerly hosted Trader Vic’s from 1955 to 2017, inspiring the property’s tiki heritage program. The cocktail features three different rums, Monkey 47 gin, and Hennessy cognac.
The Full Story
Gemma is leaning into the building’s tiki history with a scorpion bowl meant to be shared from the same oversized vessel. The drink taps into the property’s tiki history and includes familiar tiki staples such as a piña colada and mai tai alongside the scorpion bowl. Kearns builds the drink with fresh lime, orange and passion fruit juice, along with orgeat, an almond syrup commonly used in tiki drinks.
The bar program is geared toward kind of fruity, refreshing cocktails that are easy to understand, easy to drink, nice on a warm day, kind of quintessentially outdoor rooftop LA. Kearns said that history helped inspire Gemma’s cocktail program, which includes familiar tiki staples such as a piña colada and mai tai alongside the scorpion bowl.
Production & Profile
The bowl gets three different rums, followed by two ounces of Monkey 47 gin and two ounces of Hennessy cognac. The drink is poured over ice, piled high with crushed ice, topped with orchids and finished with extra-long straws.
Unlike a punch served into individual glasses, the scorpion bowl is designed to be communal, with multiple people drinking directly from the same bowl.
Brand & Industry History
“This exact location actually was a Trader Vic’s,” said Jim Kearns, director of beverage at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, noting that the famed tiki bar operated there from 1955 to 2017. Kearns said that history helped inspire Gemma’s cocktail program, which includes familiar tiki staples such as a piña colada and mai tai alongside the scorpion bowl.
What This Means
The bar program is geared toward kind of fruity, refreshing cocktails that are easy to understand, easy to drink, nice on a warm day, kind of quintessentially outdoor rooftop LA. For Kearns, the goal is part flavor, part nostalgia. He said he hopes the drink transports guests both to a tropical setting and back to an earlier era of tiki culture, while still fitting naturally with Gemma’s Pan-Asian food and rooftop setting.
Consumer Takeaway
The Scorpion Bowl is available at Gemma, the rooftop restaurant and bar at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Guests can order the $125 communal cocktail which features three different rums, Monkey 47 gin, and Hennessy cognac. The drink is served with fresh lime, orange and passion fruit juice, orgeat, crushed ice, orchids, and extra-long straws.
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