How Nevada Popularized The Shrimp Cocktail

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of their plump, little lives. The story of the shrimp cocktail is a juicy one (sorry), from its humble beginnings to its permanent spot in American popular culture and food history. By the time shrimp cocktail made its way to Nevada, the dish had been wildly popular for years, thanks in part to Prohibition. Americans needed something to do with all those cocktail glasses they weren't using downstairs at the speakeasy. Before that the shrimp cocktail wasn't about shrimp, it was about oysters. The story goes like this: A gold miner asked for oysters and whiskey in a glass after a hard day's work chasing the California dream. He added vinegar, ketchup, horseradish, and Tabasco to the mix. The miners went wild for his concoction and a star was born.

While cocktail sauce was first paired with oysters, shrimp took center stage by the 1950s. Depleted oyster beds and advances in refrigeration made the classic shrimp cocktail recipe possible outside of California. Around 1946 shipping fresh shrimp by truck became a regular thing, thanks to advances in refrigeration and a booming shrimp industry. America — already obsessed with appetizers, destination travel, and television — was ready to embrace anything new, and that's when the Italo Ghelfi, the managing partner of the Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas, had the idea of a lifetime. Turns out chilled shrimp and gambling pair very well together.

Italo Ghelfi was a native Californian and seafood lover, and in 1959 he did what any savvy business owner with a craving would do. He brought his beloved local favorite to landlocked Nevada as a marketing promotion for the Golden Gate. For 50 cents anyone could enjoy a fresh shrimp cocktail, served in a fancy glass, nowhere near the ocean. Perhaps Ghelfi was inspired by a commercial for Sau-Sea Shrimp Cocktail, which first hit stores in 1948, making it possible to easily enjoy one at home. By 1991, the Golden Gate Casino had sold 25 million servings of the iconic appetizer, and that's when they raised the price to 99 cents. In 2017, after a long and wild run (selling 2,000 shrimp cocktails in a day) the Golden Gate took a break from its longstanding promotion, but you can still order a shrimp cocktail from many other casinos today. 

Don't fret if tiny, boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce plopped into a glass isn't your thing. Pay some homage to this retro appetizer and learn how to peel and devein shrimp for the perfect shrimp cocktail at home. It's all about your method, and poaching is the way to go. Once you learn how to (gently) cook the main ingredient for shrimp cocktail, they'll shrink up just enough to form a perfect "C" shape. This makes them hang off the rim of any glass perfectly, just waiting to be dipped into the cocktail sauce of your choice.