it is not quite certain exactly when the cocktail umbrella came into use. one possible source is donn beach, owner of the hollywood, california-based restaurant and bar chain don the beachcomber. according to cocktail historian dale degroff, beach started the trend in 1932 after spending much of his time collecting things from the world, most notably from the south pacific. beach sold his merchandise, including the cocktail umbrellas, to victor bergeron, owner of the emeryville, california-based bar chain trader vic’s. according to bergeron’s son joe, trader vic’s used the paper parasols until their production was halted by world war ii.