Dr Funk
Dr. Funk: The Samoan Doctor's Medicinal Tonic Turned Tiki Classic
Dr. Funk arrived in Samoa in 1880 and left to return to Germany for medical treatment in 1911. He died on 8 April 1911, aged 66, in a Berlin hospital Difford's Guide. Dr. Funk was the personal physician of Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous author of Treasure Island, during his final years in Samoa Difford's Guide. The original contained absinthe rather than rum, and also consisted of lime juice, soda water and grenadine Webtender.
After his death, a granite stone was placed in his honor on the shore of the mysterious Lake Lanoto'o in Samoa, where Funk had built a health resort. The secluded lake still contains goldfish, illegally introduced to Samoa by Dr. Funk Slammie. Both Donn Beach and Trader Vic adapted the doctor's medicinal tonic into tiki cocktails during the 1930s and 1940s, adding rum to the original formula and creating numerous variations that became staples of mid-century tiki culture.
RECIPE:
2 oz dark rum
¾ oz lime juice
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz grenadine
¼ oz absinthe
Soda water
Method:
Shake rum, lime, lemon, grenadine, and absinthe with ice
Add soda to shaker and stir gently
Pour unstrained into pilsner glass
Add ice to fill
Garnish with mint