Amber, fruity and refreshing, the Mai Tai is the great classic of tiki culture. This Mai Tai recipe is based on the version attributed to Victor Bergeron, known as Trader Vic, who claimed to have created it in 1944 in his restaurant in Oakland, California; Donn Beach, founder of Don the Beachcomber, also claimed a drink of the same name. Far from the fruit-juice blends that sometimes carry its name, the original Mai Tai puts rum first, lifted by lime, curaçao and almond orgeat syrup. It is served over crushed ice, ideally in a tiki mug.
Ingredients
- 30 ml Jamaican amber rum
- 30 ml Martinique amber rum
- 30 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
- 15 ml orange curaçao
- 15 ml orgeat syrup
- 7.5 ml sugar syrup
- Ice cubes for shaking and crushed ice for serving
- A sprig of mint and half a spent lime shell to garnish
The tools
Method
- Fill the tiki mug with crushed ice to chill it.
- Measure the two rums, the lime juice, the curaçao, the orgeat and the sugar syrup with the jigger, then pour them into the small tin of the shaker.
- Fill two thirds with ice, close the shaker and shake hard for about ten seconds.
- Strain through the Hawthorne strainer into the mug full of crushed ice, then top up with crushed ice if needed.
- Garnish with a sprig of mint, slapped lightly in your palm to release its aromas, and half a squeezed lime shell.
With six ingredients, precision matters: our guide to measuring cocktails with a jigger helps you measure accurately, and the complete guide to the cocktail shaker covers the technique. Tiki mugs, copper mugs and coupes are together in the cocktail glasses section.
The bartender’s tip
Orgeat syrup gives the Mai Tai its whole character: choose one rich in almond, and adjust the sugar syrup to its sweetness. If you only have one rum, take a characterful amber rum and pour 60 ml. Crushed ice melts fast: serve without waiting to keep the cocktail fresh and well diluted. If you like cleaner rum sours, try our Daiquiri.
Variations
Some menus add a dash of dark rum floated on top at the end, for a colour effect. For an alcohol-free version, replace the rums with 60 ml cold-brewed black tea mixed with a few drops of vanilla extract, then keep the lime, the orgeat and an orange syrup: you get the tangy, almondy structure of the Mai Tai, served in the same tiki mug.
Photo: Sam Howzit, CC BY 2.0, via flickr
Please drink responsibly. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health.
