Shannon Mustipher

By Shannon Mustipher Published on May 6, 2026 In its heyday, the mai tai was the “it” drink. Invented by Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron in the 1940s, the cocktail inspired a slew of imitators and was such a hot ticket that disputes arose around who invented it. The debate was so heated that Trader Vic not only filed a lawsuit against a rival bar to prove he was the inventor, but he also took out a full page ad in The New York Times attesting to this. What would inspire such an uproar?

By Shannon Mustipher Published on May 6, 2026 In its heyday, the mai tai was the “it” drink. Invented by Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron in the 1940s, the cocktail inspired a slew of imitators and was such a hot ticket that disputes arose around who invented it. The debate was so heated that Trader Vic not only filed a lawsuit against a rival bar to prove he was the inventor, but he also took out a full page ad in The New York Times attesting to this. What would inspire such an uproar?

By Shannon Mustipher Updated on January 16, 2025 Synonymous with a day on the beach in Rio, the caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail, and it’s ubiquitous anywhere cachaça is served. At turns funky, floral, bright, and elegant, the drink has been gaining in popularity over the past 20 years, as newer brands (among them Leblon Cachaça and Avuá Cachaça) have emerged seeking to engage the cocktail-savvy crowd. Cachaça is a fresh sugarcane juice spirit made in over 500 distilleries in Brazil.