Shark’s Tooth (Trader Vic’s)
A refreshing, sour and bubbly rum cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 12.4% ABV ∙
The Shark’s Tooth (Trader Vic’s) is a tiki highball of overproof white rum, lime, lemon, sugar syrup and grenadine, shaken and topped with soda.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Save a spent lime shell from juicing for garnish
- Shake the first 5 ingredients with ice: White overproof rum 40 mlLime juice 15 mlLemon juice 15 mlSugar syrup 10 mlGrenadine syrup 10 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass while also pouring Soda water 60 ml
- Garnish with the spent lime shell
Tips
- Save the spent lime shell from juicing rather than a fresh wedge; it's the drink's intended garnish.
History
Trader Vic's Shark's Tooth is Victor Bergeron's own version of a tiki drink he included in Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, the 1972 revised edition, where he described it as one of the earliest drinks made at his restaurant. Bergeron, known as Trader Vic, built his tiki-bar career after converting his Oakland restaurant, Hinky Dink's, into Trader Vic's in the 1930s, and his guide lists this simple rum, citrus, and grenadine highball built with a splash of soda.
The name Shark's Tooth was also used by Bergeron's rival Donn Beach for an unrelated recipe served at Don the Beachcomber restaurants beginning in the 1930s, a blended drink combining rum with pineapple juice and maraschino cherry syrup. That version, decoded and published decades later by tiki historian Jeff Berry, is a different build from Trader Vic's rendition, and the two "Shark's Tooth" drinks are best understood as separate recipes sharing only a name.
FAQ
What is in a Shark's Tooth cocktail?
40 ml white overproof rum, 15 ml each of fresh lime and lemon juice, 10 ml sugar syrup, 10 ml grenadine and 60 ml soda water.
How strong is a Shark's Tooth cocktail?
About 12.4% ABV. The citrus and soda stretch the overproof rum into a long, fizzy drink, much lighter than its base spirit suggests.
