A bowl large enough to embarrass you, straws long enough to make a statement, and orchids draped across crushed ice while Los Angeles sprawls out below. That’s the opening scene at Gemma, the new Old Hollywood rooftop restaurant and bar atop the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The drink is a scorpion bowl. The neighborhood has history with this sort of thing. And Beverage Director Jim Kearns is building a program that leans directly into that legacy.
More Spirits Than You’re Expecting
A $125 communal bowl built for groups — and it earns the price through sheer ambition.
The scorpion bowl isn’t quite a cocktail in the conventional sense. It’s a communal format: one oversized vessel, multiple straws, everyone leaning in from the same bowl. Gemma’s version combines the following spirits and mixers:
- Planteray 5 Year and Coruba Jamaican rums
- Monkey 47 gin
- Hennessy Privilege VSOP cognac
- Fresh lime and passion-fruit juices
- Orgeat, the almond syrup that tiki culture has relied on for decades
It arrives over ice, buried under crushed ice, garnished with orchids, and served with extra-long straws. This is not subtle, and with several spirits in a single vessel, it is decidedly spirit-forward.
Priced at $125 and bookable via OpenTable at 9850 Wilshire Blvd, the bowl is designed for two or more guests and arrives at Gemma as part of a broader tiki-inspired cocktail program that also includes a mai tai and piña colada.
The Ghost of Trader Vic’s
Beverly Hills had this once — and Kearns knows exactly what he’s referencing.
According to reporting from the New York Post, Kearns described the program as emphasizing fruity, refreshing drinks that are approachable and suited to a warm Los Angeles rooftop. He cited Trader Vic’s history as a direct inspiration for what Gemma is building.
That history is specific. Trader Vic’s opened at the Beverly Hilton in 1955, becoming a Hollywood hotspot associated with Polynesian décor, tropical cocktails, and mid-century escapist culture. According to the City of Beverly Hills historical report, the original restaurant closed in 2007. A later poolside Trader Vic’s Lounge continued until January 2017. Gemma’s tiki-leaning menu reads as a deliberate continuation of that tradition — updated for a Waldorf rooftop with a Pan-Asian menu underneath it.
Tiki bars built their appeal on more than rum. The scorpion bowl captures that logic: a shared vessel turns a drink order into a group event, something theatrical that gives everyone at the table a reason to settle in.
A Ritual Worth Planning Around
Go with people, confirm hours ahead of time, and let the LA skyline do the rest.
If you’re planning a visit, verify current menu details and hours directly with Gemma before arriving, as both can change. At $125, the scorpion bowl is transparently a group investment — but what it offers is less a round of drinks and more a reason to linger over the LA skyline long after the plates are cleared.
