It’s easy to find a Mai Tai; it’s not so easy to find a true, traditional Mai Tai. This is a richly complex drink that traces its history back to the 1930s.
Origins of the Traditional Mai Tai
We all think of the Mai Tai as a summer drink, and most of us probably think of it as Hawaiian. It’s not. It was actually invented by Victor Jules Bergeron, much better known today as Trader Vic. Trader Vic opened a restaurant in 1934 in San Francisco, and it took off, in part because he was willing to trade his food for goods and services instead of just money (hence his nickname, Trader Vic).
10 years on, some special guests from Tahiti walked in. Vic wanted to give them something special: a co*cktail that would be reminiscent of the flavors of their island, but which would also showcase rather than hide the unique flavors of his top-shelf, 17-year-old J. Wray and Nephew rum. Trader Vic mixed his special rum lime juice, simple syrup, orgeat, and orange curaçao. Then he added a wedge of lime and a bit of mint. He handed it to his guests, who responded with “Maita’i roa ae!” Amazing! Out of this world! Trader Vic promptly adopted both the name and the concoction.
The drink was so popular that within just a few years Trader Vic had bought up nearly the entire world supply of 17-year-old rum. Then he had to go for the 15-year old rum (still hardly bottom shelf, though). It wasn’t quite as good, so he added just a dash of Jamaican rum to better mimic the flavor of the original.
The drink was so popular that the Royal Hawaiian Hotel asked Vic to make them a special version. He did, using the 15-year-old J. Wray rum and adding pineapple juice. What happened next is what always happens. People thought that if some was good, more would certainly be better.
Pineapple juice tastes nice: why not add a couple of other types of juice? What about a whole skewer of fruit? Three kinds of rum! The hotel even added pink parasols to jazz it up. Thus the Royal Mai Tai was born, and this is the type most people have experienced.
See also 15 Kraken co*cktails to Drink
But that’s not what you want. You want Trader Vic’s inimitable original.
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Written by Paul Kushner
Founder and CEO of MyBartender. Graduated from Penn State University. He always had a deep interest in the restaurant and bar industry. His restaurant experience began in 1997 at the age of 14 as a bus boy. By the time he turned 17 he was serving tables, and by 19 he was bartending/bar managing 6-7 nights a week.
In 2012, after a decade and a half of learning all facets of the industry, Paul opened his first restaurant/bar. In 2015, a second location followed, the latter being featured on The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Orgeat is a sweetened co*cktail syrup made from a base of almonds sweetened with sugar and mixed with flavoring like citrus, or floral essences like rose water and orange extract. The result is an aromatic syrup that is thicker and more flavor-forward than simple syrup.
Sip straight from the glass with no straw. Add 8 oz of crushed ice to a glass, and pour the ingredients on top of the ice in the order listed. DO NOT SHAKE OR STIR!
Jamaican Rum and Martinique Rum. The original Mai Tai was made with a single long-aged Jamaican Rum. But these days you often see recipes calling for an ounce of Jamaican rum and an ounce of rum from Martinique.
Most mai tai recipes are rather potent drinks, mixing up to around 20 percent ABV (40 proof) when made with two 80 proof rums. The amount of alcohol will vary; some mai tais are stronger, while the fruitier recipes are slightly lighter.
What Can I Substitute For Orgeat? Orgeat syrup is typically made from almonds, which is great to keep in mind when searching for a substitute. You can try making your own orgeat or almond syrup, or you can use ready-made substitutes such as Amaretto liqueur or creme d'amade.
While Amaretto is often substituted for Orgeat syrup in Mai Tais and other co*cktails, it isn't a satisfactory substitute due to its high-ish ABV and a flavor profile that I think overpowers the orange, lime, and rum. Enter L'Orgeat, an almond liqueur at 20% ABV that is designed to replace Orgeat syrup in co*cktails.
Our preferred brand is the Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, as we've found it to be a little bit more neutrally balanced in the co*cktail than some other brands. You can definitely taste the orange but it doesn't get in the way of the rum in your Mai Tai.
The name was allegedly taken from maitaʻi, the Tahitian word for "good" or "excellence", although the drink is usually spelled as two words, sometimes hyphenated or capitalized.
Mai Tai means 'out of this world' in Tahitian - it's the perfect name for this irresistibly exotic co*cktail. Combine fresh zesty ingredients with BACARDÍ Añejo Cuatro Rum for full-flavoured enjoyment.
While Hemingway suggests drinking “three to five of these slowly”, we would definitely have to disagree. And last on our list, but certainly not the least (amount of alcohol, that is), we have the Aunt Roberta. This co*cktail contains 100% liquor and is widely regarded as THE strongest co*cktail in the world.
Simple. Grand Marnier is an orange liqueur in the curaçao tradition, and Cointreau is a triple sec. Grand Marnier is a blend of cognac and triple sec, so although it's not a traditional curaçao, it's a similar product. Cointreau, on the other hand, is straight up a triple sec.
Orgeat syrup is a sweet syrup made from almonds and sugar with a little rose water and/or orange flower water. It was originally made with a barley-almond blend. It has a pronounced almond taste and is used to flavor many co*cktails. Orgeat syrup is an important ingredient in the Mai Tai and many Tiki drinks.
Making orgeat is rather similar to almond milk, but the extracted milk is cooked down with sugar into a syrup and flavored with orange flower water (sometimes rose water). Orgeat syrup is nonalcoholic; some syrup makers include a small amount of brandy or vodka and citric acid to increase shelf life.
L'Orgeat is an almond liqueur that is positioned as a shelf-stable replacement for Orgeat syrup. Its toasted flavor can enhance the taste of a Mai Tai.
The Mai Tai is one of the most famous Tiki drinks in the world. Composed of rum, orange curaçao, fresh lime juice and orgeat (a nuanced almond syrup), it's held sway over co*cktail enthusiasts and Tiki aficionados for decades. It even enjoyed a star turn in the Elvis film “Blue Hawaii.”
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