Forget the pink, juice-heavy resort version. A real Mai Tai is amber, sharp and complex: funky Jamaican rum, lime, a nutty whisper of orgeat and orange curaçao, all poured over a mound of crushed ice and crowned with a big bouquet of mint.
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Taste4.8
Balance4.7
Easy to make3.2
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Garnish: Mint sprig, lime wheel and pineapple spear · Ice: Crushed ice
Method
Add both rums, orange curaçao, orgeat, lime juice and demerara syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for about 10 seconds.
Strain into a double rocks glass filled with crushed ice, or dump everything in for a more rustic serve.
Top with more crushed ice to form a small dome.
Garnish with a big mint sprig, a spent lime shell or wheel and a pineapple spear.
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Mai Tai
Taste
Tart, nutty and rich with deep rum funk, bittersweet orange and a cool mint aroma. Strong and complex.
History and origin
Victor Bergeron, better known as Trader Vic, said he created the Mai Tai in 1944 at his restaurant in Oakland, California. According to his account, he mixed it for two friends visiting from Tahiti, one of whom tasted it and exclaimed "maita'i", Tahitian for "good". His original recipe was built on a 17 year old Jamaican rum from J. Wray and Nephew; when that became scarce he blended other rums to recreate the flavor.
Donn Beach, founder of Don the Beachcomber, later claimed he had made a drink of the same name in the 1930s, but the recipe that became famous is Bergeron's. The drink turned into a symbol of the tiki craze and of Hawaii tourism in the 1950s. The IBA spec keeps the spirit of the original with Jamaican and Martinique rum.
Bartender tips
Place the mint right next to the straw so every sip comes with its aroma.
Use real orgeat made from almonds; cheap almond-flavored syrups taste of marzipan and little else.
If you only have one rum, a good aged Jamaican rum alone still makes an excellent Mai Tai.
Variations
Trader Vic 1944 style
Use 60 ml aged Jamaican rum, 30 ml lime, 15 ml orange curaçao, 15 ml orgeat and 7.5 ml rock candy syrup.
Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai
The 1950s hotel version with pineapple and orange juice, sweeter and fruitier.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the Mai Tai?
Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron said he created it in Oakland in 1944; Donn Beach later claimed an earlier drink with the same name.
What does Mai Tai mean?
It comes from the Tahitian word "maita'i", meaning good.
Does a Mai Tai contain pineapple juice?
Not in the original or IBA version. Pineapple juice came with later resort variations.
