Crushed ice piled high, a big sprig of mint, the scent of almond and lime: a Mai Tai looks and smells like a holiday. This version keeps the orgeat and fresh lime that define the drink and uses fruit juice and a little black tea to fill the gap left by the rum.
1 oz
lime juice
¾ oz
orgeat
1 oz
orange juice
1½ oz
pineapple juice
1 oz
strong black tea cooled, adds depth in place of the rum (optional)
Garnish: Mint sprig and lime wedge · Ice: Crushed ice
Virgin Mai Tai
Nutty almond and sharp lime over juicy pineapple and orange, with a light tannic depth from the tea. Fruity, fresh and not too sweet.
The Mai Tai is the best-known drink of the tiki era. Victor Bergeron, known as Trader Vic, said he created it in 1944 at his restaurant in Oakland, California, using aged Jamaican rum, lime, orange curaçao, orgeat and rock candy syrup. The name is usually explained with the Tahitian word maita'i, meaning good. Donn Beach, founder of Don the Beachcomber, later claimed an earlier drink of the same name, but his recipe was quite different.
The original Mai Tai contains no fruit juice besides lime. Many later versions, especially in Hawaii, added pineapple and orange juice, and those juicy versions are the natural starting point for an alcohol-free Mai Tai.
Lime juice, orgeat, orange juice and pineapple juice, with optional black tea for depth, served over crushed ice.
A syrup made from almonds, sugar and often a touch of orange blossom water. It gives the Mai Tai its nutty, rounded taste.
Trader Vic Bergeron said he created it in 1944 in Oakland. Don the Beachcomber claimed an earlier, different drink of the same name.
The perfect sound
Island breezes and ukuleles without the rum.
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