Cocktail umbrella to the fact that the Hawaiian margarita contains tequila instead of rum. Nobody is quite certain exactly when the cocktail umbrella came into use. One possible source is Donn Beach, owner of the Hollywood, California-based restaurant and bar chain Don the Beachcomber. According to cocktail historian Dale DeGroff, Beach started the trend in 1932 after spending much of his time collecting things from around the world, most notably from the South Pacific. Beach sold his merchandise, including the cocktail umbrellas, to Victor Bergeron, owner of the Emeryville, California-based bar chain Trader Vic’s. According to Bergeron’s son Joe, Trader Vic’s used
Kir (cocktail) Kir (cocktail) Kir is a popular French cocktail made with a measure of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped up with white wine. In France it is usually drunk as an apéritif before a meal or snack. It was originally made with Bourgogne Aligoté, a white wine of Burgundy. Now, various white wines are used throughout France, according to the region and the whim of the barkeeper. Many prefer a white Chardonnay-based Burgundy, such as Chablis. It used to be called blanc-cassis, but it is now named after Félix Kir (1876–1968), mayor of Dijon in Burgundy. Kir was a pioneer