From Trader Duck:

"Legend has it that The Suffering Bastard was birthed during World War 2 at the Shepheard’s Hotel bar in Cairo. Bartender Joe Scialom whipped up a brutal brandy and gin concoction as a hangover cure for the troops stationed there, an improvement on the poor quality of liquor in the region … only to cause more damage to the troops’ heads than the rotgut they had been drinking! Oh, the irony!

As the war rolled on, the brandy was sometimes swapped with bourbon (oh, my head!), then it contained bourbon and rum, a combo that couldn’t go wrong …. right?! Later, the legendary Trader Vic himself mutated the drink to contain light and dark rum, lime juice, Curaçao, orgeat and rock candy (!!!). But in any version, it is sure to be the cause of hangovers, not the cure, no matter how much cucumber garnish you put on it!

But the REAL reason this drink is so legendary and beloved is the classic Suffering Bastard mug, popularized to this day at Trader Vic’s! Well, yer ol’ pal Duck has always loved that mug and the pain and regret telegraphed by the countenance of that little naked guy paying for his poor decisions from the night before, and I have always wanted to do my spin on the pitiful fellow. So, I envisioned how what the embodiment of my last hangover would look and feel like, added a bit of stone texture to him (Cap’n Pat and my buddy Bob’s suggestion), and violà! Behold! It’s time to take your licks! SUFFER, YOU BASTARD!"