The Q.B. Cooler is a vintage tiki cocktail invented by

Donn Beach Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Gantt; February 22, 1907 – June 7, 1989) was an American adventurer, businessman, and World War II veteran who was the "founding father" of tiki culture. He is known for opening the first prototypical tiki bar, Don ...

that calls for a mixture of several rums (Puerto Rican dark rum, Jamaican rum, Demerara 151 proof rum), two syrups (

fassionola Fassionola is a typically red colored syrup that is fruit flavored (Passion fruit (fruit), passion fruit and others) that was frequently used in tropical drinks during the 1930s but is now a relatively unusual ingredient. It also comes in green and ...

falernum Falernum (pronounced ) is either an 11% ABV syrup liqueur or a nonalcoholic syrup from the Caribbean. It is best known for its use in tropical drinks. It contains flavors of ginger, lime, and almond, and frequently cloves or allspice. It may ...

), fruit juices (orange, lime), and honey, mixed with club soda and dashes of

Pernod Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or ''Ricard''). The world’s second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

, bitters, and grenadine. Another version purported to be from 1937 is slightly different and calls for varying rum proportions and ginger syrup in place of the fassionola and Pernod.

History

Beach created the Q.B. Cooler for his ''Don the Beachcomber'' restaurants, which he limited to two per customer. An aviation themed drink similar to Beach's

Test Pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

, Beach had served in the US Army Air Corp. during World War II. The "Q.B." stood for

Quiet Birdmen The Quiet Birdmen is a secretive club in the United States for male aviators. Founded in 1921 by World War I pilots, the organization meets in various locations, never announced to the public. Members, called QBs, must be invited to join, and they ...

, or more fully "ye Anciente and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen", a fraternity of male aviators dating back to the first world war.

Mai Tai connection

Beach is generally acknowledged as the father of the "Tiki bar", and his obituary in the New York Times alleged he had invented 84 bar drinks, but the

Mai Tai The Mai Tai is a cocktail made of rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice. It is one of the characteristic cocktails in Tiki culture. History Victor J. Bergeron claimed to have invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at his restaurant, Trader ...

cocktail was claimed to be originally created by both Beach and Victor Bergeron (aka,

Trader Vic Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polynesia ...

). Although Trader Vic's won an out of court settlement as to the naming rights for cocktail, the drink's true origin continues to be debated. According to Mick Brownlee, who worked with Donn for over 10 years, the drink Bergeron named the Mai Tai was created in his efforts to try to emulate the flavor of a Q.B. Cooler.

References

{{reflist Tiki drinks Cocktails with rum