Post #243027 by martiki on Fri, Jul 14, 2006 9:31 PM

OK, guess I just can't resist posting on this thread any longer. Sorry to backtrack a little, but:

1. Limes- Chances are very good that he made the first Mai Tai with a Bearss/Persian. I think Key Limes make a nice Mai Tai, but are too fussy for my taste. The juice quantity/quality ratio of the Bearss is nearly unbeatable. I should know: I use six thousand of them a month. The king of the margarita, Julio Bermejo of Tommy's/Tres Agaves swears by the Persian as well for his flawless margaritas. Yes, he is the Mexican government's tequila ambassador to the United States (real job!) But I digress. And they're extra great now that they're in season.

Juicing them is cause for some debate, but most techniques work well. The flip top style juicers yield quite a bit, with modest peel oil for a good balance. I use the flip top style at home for small quantities, and an Acme brand electic juicer for parties. It was available at Williams-Sonoma for some time, but appears to be gone. They do sell a stand mixer attachment which would do about the same thing. I broke three cheap models before settling on the Acme bad boy, and I love it.

Trader Vic's- the older locations- use a plier like device which is hard on the hands, but works beautifully with fresh limes- out of seasons are tough. Unfortunately, they are all actually vintage juicers which we could never find again. When one broke, we had to wait til we found one on eBay. At FI, we use an Italian commericial juicer that is a machine of war. It also seperates most of the peel oil to cut down on the bitterness. But the flip tops are great- KKA is right- buy the lemon model.

Vic's locations never shake the shell, and neither did the Trader. Peel oil is aromatic, but can be bitter in too high a dose. Hand squeezing the shell will bring the oils to the surface so when placed on top of the Mai Tai, it will provide the aromas without the bitter taste. Vic himself only added the shell after shaking for color, but the perfumy quality, along with the mint, is excellent. When using an electric juicer with a router don't press too hard, or the really bitter rind will come through.

There is a way to cut limes with four cuts first when hand juicing to get the most possible juice, but I'd need to find a diagram to explain it. It's more trouble than it's worth, anyway.

2. Orgeat- I have made the recipe that Swanky posted and it creates an absolutely superb product. Really wonderful and aromatic. I wanted to do it here at FI, but for time/cost reasons, it was simply WAY too prohibitive. I have tried Monin, TV and Torani side by side both straight and in a Mai Tai. I like the Torani over the other two, but not by much. Vic's tastes a little more artificial and the Monin is just plain strong. Both Torani and Monin (I think) are made with sugar cane, and the Vic's is made with HFCS, which puts it on my shit list. By the way, the "Double Strength" thing on the labels is essentially meaningless. Just marketing. Don't let that throw you.

3. Curacao- Having just gone to a tasting with the importer of Senior Curacao, and trying all of the US available products, I do have some fresh thoughts on this.

And there are important differences between all those products listed by C&A- they are not interchangeable.

There is only one real Curacao in the world, and that is Senior & Co. Curacao of Curacao. They own the last remaining curacao orange groves on earth, and still produce it today with these oranges. It is, I think, wonderful. In the US, you can get the clear, blue and orange varieties. The spirit is naturally clear- the rest are all just food coloring. I think it's great that we can get the clear in the US now- good news Jabbo! The Jab has said that the Senior & Co. brand is too overpowering in the Mai Tai's original ratios, and I'm inclined to agree. I'd cut it back a touch and increase the simple syrup to taste.

As for the other Curacaos on the market, Marie Brizzard is excellent and my personal favorite after the Senior. I think it has a lot of character. After that, the DeKuyper. (Vic invented the Mai Tai with DeKuyper, by the way, but it was the original Dutch version, and probably made with real oranges and no HFCS. DeKuyper is now made in the states under license)

Cointreau and Grand Marnier are different spirits entirely, and at 80 proof, will impart a different character/sweetness level on your Mai Tai than 60-62 proof Curacao. They are made with real orange, however, which is always a plus.

99.999% of Triple Sec is unusable trash. It is 50 proof chemicals and HFCS and should be avoided. Luxardo does make a triple sec with real oranges, but it is more like Cointreau.

Bring on the rum discussion!