Scorpion
Blend ∙ 4 min ∙ 13% ABV ∙
The Scorpion is a blended tiki cocktail of light gold rum, Cognac, orange and lemon juice, and orgeat, poured unstrained over crushed ice. Slushy and cold, with a nutty sweetness melting into bright citrus tang and a soft, fruit-laced warmth lingering through the icy finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Blend all ingredients with ice: Light gold rum 45 mlCognac 20 mlOrange juice 50 mlLemon juice 30 mlOrgeat (almond) syrup 15 ml
- Add half a scoop of crushed ice and blend again
- Pour unstrained into the chilled glass
- Garnish with an orange wheel and a mint sprig
Tips
- Blend the base ingredients with ice first, then add the extra half scoop and blend again for a properly slushy texture, not a thin one.
- Pre-chill the glass so the unstrained, crushed-ice pour doesn't melt and thin out before it's served.
- Use freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice; bottled juice flattens the balance against the orgeat's sweetness.
History
The Scorpion is a tiki cocktail credited to Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron, who traced it to a bar called The Hut in 1930s Honolulu, where it was made with the local Hawaiian spirit okolehao rather than rum. Bergeron adapted the drink for his own Trader Vic's restaurants, substituting the more readily available rum and brandy for the okolehao, and the recipe first appeared in print in his 1946 Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink as a punch of more than a dozen ingredients meant to serve about a dozen people, including gin and white wine alongside rum and brandy. Over the following decades he simplified the formula and republished pared-down versions, including in his 1972 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, which fixed the leaner rum-brandy-citrus-orgeat build that became standard.
Because the drink was served from a large communal ceramic bowl decorated with island motifs and garnished with a floating gardenia, it also became known as the Scorpion Bowl, with the name eventually used for the shared version while "Scorpion" denoted the single-serving cocktail. Some accounts hold that Trader Vic did not truly invent the drink but simply brought back and popularized what he encountered in Honolulu, a distinction Bergeron himself acknowledged by attributing the original to the luau scene he described witnessing there.
FAQ
What is in a Scorpion drink?
A Scorpion is made of light gold rum, Cognac, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, and orgeat (almond) syrup, blended with ice and poured unstrained into an old-fashioned glass. It is garnished with an orange wheel and a mint sprig, and comes in at about 13% ABV.
How do you make a Scorpion?
Blend light gold rum, Cognac, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, and orgeat syrup with ice, then add a half scoop of crushed ice and blend again briefly. Pour the whole mixture unstrained into a pre-chilled old-fashioned glass and garnish with an orange wheel and a mint sprig.
What's the best rum for a Scorpion?
A light gold rum is the right choice, since it gives enough sugarcane depth to stand up to the Cognac and orgeat without overpowering the fresh citrus. A rum that is too dark or heavily spiced will clash with the almond sweetness of the orgeat.
What's the difference between a Mai Tai and a Scorpion Bowl?
A Mai Tai is a shaken, single-serve rum sour built on lime juice and orange curacao, served over crushed ice with no blending, while a Scorpion is blended with orange and lemon juice, Cognac, and orgeat and poured unstrained. A Scorpion Bowl is simply a larger, shareable format of the same blended recipe, often served with straws for multiple drinkers.
