| The Trident | |
|---|---|
 The restaurant in 2023 | |
  Location in San Francisco Bay Area | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1966 (1966) |
| Closed | 1980 (1980) |
| Head chef | Joseph Offner |
| Food type | American |
| Street address | 558 Bridgeway |
| City | Sausalito |
| County | Marin |
| State | California |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 94965 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 37°51′13″N 122°28′43″W / 37.85361°N 122.47861°W / 37.85361; -122.47861 |
| Website | thetrident |
The Trident is a restaurant in Sausalito, California, opened in 1966 as a bar-restaurant-music venue by the Kingston Trio. It is noted for its psychedelic murals dating to the 1960s, and its ties to the music counterculture of that era. The modern version of the Tequila Sunrise cocktail was invented there in the early 1970s.
History
Trident bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice created the modern version of the Tequila Sunrise cocktail at the restaurant in 1972. It was served at a private party there organized by Bill Graham to kick off the Rolling Stones' 1972 tour in America. Mick Jagger had one, liked it, and he and his entourage started drinking them. They later ordered them all across America, even dubbing the tour itself their "cocaine and tequila sunrise tour".
In the 1968 action film, Bullitt, the live band playing in the background of the restaurant scene with Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bissett is Meridian West, a jazz quartet that McQueen had seen performing at The Trident and included in the movie.
During the summers of 1974, 1975 and 1976, Robin Williams worked as a dishwasher and busboy at The Trident.
The Trident closed in 1980. Shortly thereafter, Horizons opened and became a popular tourist destination until 2012, when it resumed its Trident title. The current owners also operate the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. The restaurant is located in the former 1898 home of the San Francisco Yacht Club.
References
- "Original" Trident website
- Burkhart, Jeff (2011-06-19). Doug Bunnell (ed.). "Barfly: when it's not just another tequila sunrise". Marin Independent Journal. Novato CA: David Rounds. ISSN 0891-5164. OCLC 61313188. Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
Mick came up to the bar and asked for a margarita, I asked him if he had ever tried a tequila sunrise, he said no, I built him one and they started sucking them up. After that they took them all across the country.
- Richards, Keith (Oct 26, 2010). "9". Life. New York: Little, Brown. p. 326. ISBN 978-0316034418. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
The '72 tour was known by other names—the cocaine and Tequila Sunrise tour, or the STP, Stones Touring Party.
- Richards, Keith (October 14, 2010). "Exclusive 'Life' Excerpt from Keith Richards". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
- "By 1968 the group was performing at The Trident, a prominent jazz club in Sausalito and the group became a regular performer at Glide Memorial on Sundays. By March of 1968, Meridian West had been noticed by Steve McQueen, the actor, who was captivated by a performance at The Trident. McQueen gave the group a visual cameo appearance in the movie, "Bullitt," which was being filmed in San Francisco in April." - Meridian Meridian West web site (archived at WebCite). A similar account is available at Meridian West Folk Jazz Ensemble with Allan Pimentel (archived at WebCite).
- "We'll Always Love You Robin!". Thetridentrestaurant.com. August 13, 2015.
- "The Trident in Sausalito is revived and reviewed". SFGate (Hearst Communications). 24 Dec 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- Paolo Lucchesi (4 Oct 2012). "The Trident (re)opens in Sausalito". SFGate (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- "The Trident: History". The Trident. Retrieved 14 March 2015.