Post #235069 by Humuhumu on Wed, May 31, 2006 3:20 PM

Ackshully, even in the cold north (Seattle, at least), those same purple/magenta dendrobiums can be had for dirt cheap from a florist supply. Restaurants up there use 'em all the time in drinks. Well, not all the time, but commonly enough that it's not a shock when it happens.

Back on topic: the crappy Mai Tai -- like most tropical drinks, some balance is required, and you're not likely to get it right straight out of the gate. Plan on making it a few times, tweaking it each time, until you get it where you want it.

Not all limes are created equal, the amount of juice they give can vary quite a bit, so I suggest measuring it (start with 3/4 of an ounce of lime juice).

As others have touched on here, there's a lot of variety in rums out there, so substitutions can't be made willy-nilly. It's kinda like sausage -- you can make a lasagne using breakfast sausage or keilbasa instead of italian sausage, but it'll turn out different. You may like it better, so it's fun to experiment, but just know that it's a big change to make.

Others have said it, but it bears repeating in case there's any chance this point got missed: Blue curacao ain't orange curacao.

And, as PiPhiRho said, if you like the flavor of those mixes, you're not going to be happy with a real, original Mai Tai, because those mixes have drifted so far away from reality over the years that they no longer bear much resemblance to any recognizeable tropical drink. If you look at the mix ingredient list, you'll probably see a bunch of stuff like corn syrup and vague chemicals and flavorings -- what you're trying to do is akin to trying to re-create Banana Laffy Taffy using real bananas.