Cocktail Umbrella
A cocktail umbrella is a small paper parasol on a toothpick-style stick, set on a tropical drink as decoration; it adds no flavour and is not eaten. Harry Yee, a bartender at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, told Rick Carroll in 1998 that he put the first one in a Tapa Punch in 1959, though the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation reports Dale DeGroff saying that Donn Beach of Don the Beachcomber likely started the trend around 1932. Add it just before serving, angled off the rim.
Quick Facts
Dry and sealed until use; damp softens the paper and makes the colours run.
About Cocktail Umbrella
Paper, a stick and nothing to taste
The umbrella is a paper or card canopy on a pointed stick, sometimes with plastic parts. It brings no flavour, no aroma and no chill, and nobody eats it. Its job is to look the part on a drink that is already tropical, which is why it has no house recipe and no keeping time beyond staying dry. Bought in boxes of dozens, folded shut, they last indefinitely until the first splash of drink, after which they are spent.
Its origin rests on a bartender’s own account
Harry Yee, who ran the bar at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, told an interviewer in 1998 that he put a parasol into a Tapa Punch in 1959, and that he had put the first Vanda orchid into a drink in 1955. The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation reports the cocktail historian Dale DeGroff saying that Donn Beach of Don the Beachcomber likely started the trend around 1932. Each is a claim rather than a record.
The umbrella against the tiki garnishes that are eaten or smelt
Cocktail umbrella
- Eaten
- No
- Scent
- None
- Keeps
- Indefinitely, kept dry
- What it adds
- A signal of style
Orchid
- Eaten
- Edible if sold as food; usually left
- Scent
- Faint
- Keeps
- Several days, refrigerated
- What it adds
- Colour
Gardenia
- Eaten
- No, lifted out
- Scent
- Strong
- Keeps
- A day or two, refrigerated
- What it adds
- Scent
Pineapple wedge
- Eaten
- Yes
- Scent
- Fruit
- Keeps
- About a day once cut
- What it adds
- Something to eat
| Garnish | Eaten | Scent | Keeps | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocktail umbrella | No | None | Indefinitely, kept dry | A signal of style |
| Orchid | Edible if sold as food; usually left | Faint | Several days, refrigerated | Colour |
| Gardenia | No, lifted out | Strong | A day or two, refrigerated | Scent |
| Pineapple wedge | Yes | Fruit | About a day once cut | Something to eat |
It goes in last and leans out
Add it as the drink leaves the bar. Push the stick into the ice or through a pineapple wedge so it leans away from the straw, and use one. On a stirred, spirit-forward drink it reads as a joke at the drink’s expense, so leave it in the box.
Using Cocktail Umbrella
Usage
Pushed into the ice or a fruit garnish at the last moment, leaning off the rim, clear of the straw and the drinker’s nose. One is enough. It belongs on drinks that already look tropical: tall, over crushed ice, with fruit on the rim.
Pro Tip
Stand the umbrella in the garnish rather than the ice when you can. A pineapple wedge or a cherry holds it at the angle you set; crushed ice lets it slump as it melts.
Top Tips
- Add it last. Paper takes up water and printed colours can run.
- Lean it outward, away from the straw and the side the drinker sips from.
- Use one. A second umbrella adds nothing the first did not.
- Keep the box sealed and dry between uses.
Possible Substitutions
- Paper parasol clip
- Cocktail flag or pick
- Citrus wheel garnish (for visual impact)
Production Method
A paper or thin card canopy on a toothpick-style stick; some use plastic for the stick or the catch.
History & Context
Harry Yee, of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, told the journalist Rick Carroll in 1998 that he popped a tiny parasol into a Tapa Punch in 1959. The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation reports the cocktail historian Dale DeGroff saying that Donn Beach of Don the Beachcomber likely started the trend around 1932. No contemporary record settles who was first.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is a cocktail umbrella made of?
Who invented the cocktail umbrella?
Why do tiki drinks have umbrellas?
Where should a cocktail umbrella go?
Can you reuse cocktail umbrellas?
Do any of your cocktails need an umbrella?
Sources.
Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.
- Rick Carroll, reproduced on ultimatemaitai.com, “Harry Yee, King of Tropical Cocktails (1998 interview)” (“Popped a tiny parasol in a Tapa Punch in 1959”).
- Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, “The Myth (and History) of the Cocktail Umbrella” (secondary source: DeGroff on Donn Beach, around 1932; Berry on Harry Yee at the Hilton Waikiki, 1959; Joe Bergeron on Trader Vic’s umbrellas before the war).
From the Guides
Made with Cocktail Umbrella
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026