And Some of Our Favourite Cocktails to Use Them On

The Story of the Drink of Umbrella

Must Have Cocktail Recipes and Accessory

Not an hour goes by every day that doesn’t include a cocktail being served somewhere in the world with a brightly coloured drink umbrella decorating the chosen cocktail. The sight of a beautiful glass with its paper embellishment immediately brings a smile to the recipient’s face and transports them wistfully to a far off tropical paradise, unless of course they happen to be sitting on a warm sandy beach when the cocktail arrives at their table.

While it is no doubt that everyone knows of the cocktail umbrella, it is a surprise that even though its one of the worlds most colourful inventions, used in every country around the world, that very little is known about its exact origins. I think we would all like to imagine some multi-millionaire sitting on a beach due to his or her ingenious idea of shrinking a colourful parasol to decorate delicious cocktails around the world. Unfortunately, there isn’t one.

What is known is that the drink umbrella began showing up in bars and restaurants in the early 1930s and most historical accounts give credit to the Polynesian restaurant Trader Vic’s in San Francisco as an original place that began using the umbrellas. The restaurant group acknowledges that they got the idea from a restaurant at the time called Don the Beachcomber which is no longer operating today.

It’s believed that the idea was actually a Chinese-American idea that was used in Chinese restaurants as a glass decoration along with other ornaments. Others believe that the origins were as a way to shade iced drinks from melting quickly. The fact remains that no one knows exactly where or when the drink umbrella was created but we can all celebrate the smiles it brings and the wonderful drinks they adorn.