I think I've finally come across the right Mai Tai variation at home - Tiki Drinks and Food

D donhonyc Tiki Socialite The Quiet EAST Village Joined: Jan 13, 2003 Posts: 1196	D donhonyc Posted posted on Fri, Feb 1, 2008 9:49 PM It's been a while since I've been mixing at home and I broke out my favorite Grog Log and Intoxica recipes last weekend. I've either been doing the Trader Vic Grog or the Tonga Zombie. Both great drinks. It's also been a long time since I've mixed a Mai Tai at home. I figured if I couldn't get it to taste like the Mai Kai Mai Tais or the Trader Vic Mai Tais, then the hell with it. Tonight though I think I've stumbled on a variation that is closest to the Trader Vic version that you get when you go to one of their restaurants. It's a variation on the Mai Tai recipe on page 50 of Grog Log. I won't go through the contents of that since you probably have ye olde Grog Log at home. I'll just tell you how I did it. Here it is: 1 oz. Lime juice 1/4 oz. Curacao 1/2 oz. Trader Vic Orgeat 1/4 oz. Trader Vic Rock Candy Syrup 2 oz. Myer's Dark Rum Basically I cut down the lime juice by 1/2 oz., cut down the Curacao by a 1/4 oz., and increased the Orgeat by a 1/4 oz. I also abandoned the combination of dark and light rums by only adding the dark. Myer's in particular which already has a sweet-ish flavor that goes well with other sweet flavors. You'll see what I mean if you only do the familiar 'Myer's and Orange Juice' cocktail. It just blends well with that spectrum. I had to cut down on the Curacao. It was just making it too bitter. I could see how some might prefer that, but cutting down on that really gives enough of a hint to not make this taste like some half-assed sweet drink and gives you an overall mellow trip. In terms of color and flavor this is definitely the closest I have come to the Trader Vic bar made version. Even the Trader Vic Mai Tai mix doesn't taste like the ones you get at the TV bars. In fact that mix tastes almost nothing like the TV bar Mai Tais. A few years ago someone here at TC gave me a recipe for a home made Trader Vic Mai Tai that included Coca-Cola. I appreciate the recipe hand off, but even that didn't do it for me. Of course you know that there hasn't been a Trader Vic's in New York City for almost 20 years, so if I have the TV Mai Tais it's usually on vacation somewhere. The last time I had one was when I went to the TV Lounge in Los Angeles last October. Before that I was at the TV Atlanta in 2004. So when I taste one of those Mai Tais, believe me, as they said on Seinfeld, it was 'tatooed on my brain'. So yeah, this was a successful adventure. If you haven't tried something like this, check it out.

It's been a while since I've been mixing at home and I broke out my favorite Grog Log and Intoxica recipes last weekend. I've either been doing the Trader Vic Grog or the Tonga Zombie. Both great drinks. It's also been a long time since I've mixed a Mai Tai at home. I figured if I couldn't get it to taste like the Mai Kai Mai Tais or the Trader Vic Mai Tais, then the hell with it. Tonight though I think I've stumbled on a variation that is closest to the Trader Vic version that you get when you go to one of their restaurants. It's a variation on the Mai Tai recipe on page 50 of Grog Log. I won't go through the contents of that since you probably have ye olde Grog Log at home. I'll just tell you how I did it. Here it is:

1 oz. Lime juice
1/4 oz. Curacao
1/2 oz. Trader Vic Orgeat
1/4 oz. Trader Vic Rock Candy Syrup
2 oz. Myer's Dark Rum

Basically I cut down the lime juice by 1/2 oz., cut down the Curacao by a 1/4 oz., and increased the Orgeat by a 1/4 oz. I also abandoned the combination of dark and light rums by only adding the dark. Myer's in particular which already has a sweet-ish flavor that goes well with other sweet flavors. You'll see what I mean if you only do the familiar 'Myer's and Orange Juice' cocktail. It just blends well with that spectrum. I had to cut down on the Curacao. It was just making it too bitter. I could see how some might prefer that, but cutting down on that really gives enough of a hint to not make this taste like some half-assed sweet drink and gives you an overall mellow trip. In terms of color and flavor this is definitely the closest I have come to the Trader Vic bar made version. Even the Trader Vic Mai Tai mix doesn't taste like the ones you get at the TV bars. In fact that mix tastes almost nothing like the TV bar Mai Tais. A few years ago someone here at TC gave me a recipe for a home made Trader Vic Mai Tai that included Coca-Cola. I appreciate the recipe hand off, but even that didn't do it for me.

Of course you know that there hasn't been a Trader Vic's in New York City for almost 20 years, so if I have the TV Mai Tais it's usually on vacation somewhere. The last time I had one was when I went to the TV Lounge in Los Angeles last October. Before that I was at the TV Atlanta in 2004. So when I taste one of those Mai Tais, believe me, as they said on Seinfeld, it was 'tatooed on my brain'. So yeah, this was a successful adventure. If you haven't tried something like this, check it out.

Post #358649 by donhonyc on Fri, Feb 1, 2008 9:49 PM