The Mai Tai was invented in Oakland in 1944

I was looking through the archives of Angela Woodall's Tribune Outakes and came up on a piece of Oakland history I had never heard about. Apparently Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron invented the Mai Tai in his Oakland restaurant back in the 1940s. The drink went on to be a hit and mainstay in Hawaii, Tajiti and other tropical locations. Funny to think it all started in The Town. A 1970 excerpt from Trader Vic himself is below. Click HERE for his full story.

UPDATE:
It just goes to show, when you think you know The Town, it will sneak up and surprise you with a little tid-bit that is as fascinating as it is random.  Since learning this, I've made it a point to have a  Mai Tai whenever the opportunity presents itself , and you should too! lower bottoms up!

I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of 17-year-old rum. It was J. Wray Nephew from Jamaica; surprisingly golden in color, medium bodied, but with the rich pungent flavor particular to the Jamaican blends. The flavor of this great rum wasn't meant to be overpowered with heavy additions of fruit juices and flavorings. I took a fresh lime, added some orange curacao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy Syrup, and a dollop of French Orgeat, for its subtle almond flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Half the lime shell went in for color ... I stuck in a branch of fresh mint and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti, who were there that night. Carrie took one sip and said, "Mai Tai - Roa Ae". In Tahitian this means "Out of This World - The Best". Well, that was that. I named the drink "Mai Tai".

Woodall also reports that the owners of The Conga Lounge on College Ave are in talks with city council member Rebecca Kaplan's chief-of-staff to declare the Mai Tai Oakland's official cocktail!