Polynesian Pearl Diver Cocktail from Django | In The Drink

The Pearl Diver is one of the definitive classics when it comes to tiki cocktails. Infamous for its use of butter in the Gardenia Mix, it is absolutely one of my favourites. It was invented by Donn Beach some time around 1937, and was 'lost' for many years, until the Gardenia Mix recipe resurfaced in 2007 - giving the cocktail an air of mystery.
However, it anachronistically appears in the film Django: Unchained in a nod to an old Film Noir called The Blue Gardenia. I have seen some articles and videos refer to this order of the 'Polynesian Pearl Diver' by Leo DiCaprio's character as the filmmaker's way to convey to the audience the decadence that this plantation owner lives in, as they would not recognise any of the lavish cocktails from the so-called 'Golden Era' in the 1860s. This doesn't make much sense to me, and I therefore conclude that Tarantino was simply making a reference to an old film as a means to portray Monsieur Candie's lifestyle as decadent.
Recipe:
- 1oz. orange juice
- 0.75oz lime juice
- 2 barspoons velvet falernum
- 0.75oz. gardenia mix
- 1.5oz Gold Puerto Rican Rum
- 0.5oz Jamaican Rum
- 0.75oz aged demerara rum
- Shake well with ice
- Open pour
- Garnish pineapple fronds, orchid, and cocktail umbrella
Gardenia Mix Recipe:
- 250ml unsalted butter
- 250ml honey (orange blossom if you can get it)
- 15ml vanilla syrup
- 30ml cinnamon syrup
- 15ml allspice dram (pimento dram)
- Heat only enough to soften butter to the point of being able to mix in the rest of the ingredients (I accidentally browned my butter a little).
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