The Mysterious Doctor Funk
Doctor Funk is a classic tropical cocktail served in practically every Tiki bar and Chinese restaurant on the planet. Like most Tiki drinks, the recipe varies wildly depending on the establishment, but one thing that seems to remain constant is the fact that it's almost always served in some variation of a Fu Manchu mug. The only exception to the rule I've found is Trader Vic's Doctor Funk of Tahiti, which is served in a chimney glass.
The creation of the Doctor Funk was attributed to a 1937 Don the Beachcomber recipe by Beachbum Berry in his 2nd cocktail guide Intoxica!, but Sven Kirsten, author of The Book of Tiki and Tiki Modern, has revealed that its origins go back much further, all the way to the beginning of the 20th Century, and perhaps even earlier, when he came across the following paragraph in a 1919 narrative of Polynesia called, White Shadows in the South Seas, describing not only a much earlier version of the Doctor Funk cocktail, but also revealing that Doctor Funk was in fact a real person...a German doctor living in Samoa, and the personal physician of author Robert Louis Stevenson.
A general description of the Doctor Funk cocktail recipe appears in the 1921 book, Mystic Isles of the South Seas:
"I had been introduced to a Doctor Funk by Count Polonsky, who told me it was made of a portion of absinthe, a dash of grenadine,—a syrup of the pomegranate fruit,—the juice of two limes, and half a pint of siphon water. Dr. Funk of Samoa, who had been a physician to Robert Louis Stevenson, had left the receipt for the concoction when he was a guest of the club. One paid half a franc for it, and it would restore self-respect and interest in one's surroundings when even Tahiti rum failed."
So that's sorted, but the question remains: how did a German doctor in Samoa wind up getting an Absinthe cocktail served in a Fu Manchu mug named after him? Unfortunately, no one has figured that one out yet, but you can ponder the sublime mystery of Doctor Funk while enjoying Don the Beachcomber's delicious version of his eponymous cocktail:
2 1/2 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum (Cruzan Blackstrap)
2 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 oz. Club Soda
1/2 oz. Grenadine
1/4 oz. Absinthe (Mr. Jeykll)
Shake all ingredients except club soda in a cocktail shaker with 1 cup of crushed ice. Pour into Fu Manchu mug or 12 oz. chimney glass. Top with soda and more crushed ice to fill.
[Link: The Real Dr. Funk]
[Link: White Shadows in the South Seas (ebook)]
Comments
Oh, I love that mug!
Posted by: Kathryn Hill | July 10, 2008 8:39 PM
It's not vintage, but it's one of the first I ever bought, so it has some sentimental value.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | July 10, 2008 8:45 PM
I find this extremely interesting. I have read books about the South Seas since i almost was a child, and i can recall reading a book about a german doctor..and i can also recall reading about Stevenson.
This is really something though..how did a German doctor in Samoa wind up getting an Absinthe cocktail served in a Fu Manchu mug named after him?
Want to make a Dr Funk..but have no Absinthe..
Posted by: Tiare | July 10, 2008 9:38 PM
This sounds tasty!
Now to find a Fu Manchu mug...
Posted by: Xopher.tm | July 10, 2008 11:28 PM
@Tiare: further research seems to indicate that Doctor Funk created his drink as a medicinal tonic, a very common practice in the 19th Century.
@Xopher: these mugs are quite common. You can order them new online, or pick them up cheap on eBay.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | July 11, 2008 6:52 AM
Love the mug too! Hmmm I could use a Dr Funk right now. Where does one get absinthe?
Posted by: Lili | July 13, 2008 2:21 PM
Absinthe is available in the US now, Lili. You live in a pretty hip neighborhood, so just check your local bottle shop.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | July 13, 2008 4:25 PM