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

UT Urban Tiki Member The Tropical Isle of Manhattan Joined: Aug 18, 2004 Posts: 529	UT Urban Tiki Posted posted on Thu, Mar 20, 2008 8:54 AM On 2008-03-17 17:40, donhonyc wrote: I WAS WRONG: This is the best so far, a variation on the so-called 'First Adjusted Mai Tai Formula' form the Trader Vic's website. 2 oz Appleton 1/2 oz Orgeat 1/2 oz Curacao 1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup just a little under 1 oz Lime Juice So far best yet. I'll be sticking with this one. Ignore my above, pretentious post. I am not really a Mai Tai "purist" and I encourage experimentation. I would not say that changing the rum or proportions of ingredients means the drink is no longer a Mai Tai. IMHO the secret to the quality of the original tiki drinks, particularly the Mai Tai is similar to that of good Chinese cuisine- a balance of sweet and sour where neither one overpowers the other. This is a very delicate balance and is easily thrown off in experimentation, and should be guarded against, unless your taste prefers to throw off this balance. I am just against doing it unintentionally. That being said, some prefer their drinks on the sweeter side which is okay. IMHO this recipe really swings the balance to the sweet side, but that may be what you were going for. There are many here, I am sure, that share your tastes and will enjoy this drink, so it was good of you to share. In the end, it's all about making a drink that you enjoy and not necessarily keeping with the spirit of the original, so I am not criticizing the recipe by any means. What a boring world it would be if we all liked the same things! I made my Mai Tais verbatim for years from the Grog Log with aged Appleton estate and H'ors D'age St. James. It was an expensive but tasty drink. However, I was recently introduce to LeisureMaster's recipe with the demerara rum and find the additional smokey, more flavorful demerara is more to my liking. Besides, who knows exactly what the Jamaican and Martinique rums that TV used originally tasted like. Looking at the extensive menu of rums that Donn and TV used back in the day revealed that there was a huge selection of rums from those islands, and he may have indeed used stronger flavored rums that the Appleton and St, James. Our selections today are much more limited.

On 2008-03-17 17:40, donhonyc wrote:
I WAS WRONG:

This is the best so far, a variation on the so-called 'First Adjusted Mai Tai Formula' form the Trader Vic's website.

2 oz Appleton
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Curacao
1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup
just a little under 1 oz Lime Juice

So far best yet. I'll be sticking with this one. Ignore my above, pretentious post.

I am not really a Mai Tai "purist" and I encourage experimentation. I would not say that changing the rum or proportions of ingredients means the drink is no longer a Mai Tai. IMHO the secret to the quality of the original tiki drinks, particularly the Mai Tai is similar to that of good Chinese cuisine- a balance of sweet and sour where neither one overpowers the other. This is a very delicate balance and is easily thrown off in experimentation, and should be guarded against, unless your taste prefers to throw off this balance. I am just against doing it unintentionally.

That being said, some prefer their drinks on the sweeter side which is okay. IMHO this recipe really swings the balance to the sweet side, but that may be what you were going for. There are many here, I am sure, that share your tastes and will enjoy this drink, so it was good of you to share. In the end, it's all about making a drink that you enjoy and not necessarily keeping with the spirit of the original, so I am not criticizing the recipe by any means. What a boring world it would be if we all liked the same things!

I made my Mai Tais verbatim for years from the Grog Log with aged Appleton estate and H'ors D'age St. James. It was an expensive but tasty drink. However, I was recently introduce to LeisureMaster's recipe with the demerara rum and find the additional smokey, more flavorful demerara is more to my liking. Besides, who knows exactly what the Jamaican and Martinique rums that TV used originally tasted like. Looking at the extensive menu of rums that Donn and TV used back in the day revealed that there was a huge selection of rums from those islands, and he may have indeed used stronger flavored rums that the Appleton and St, James. Our selections today are much more limited.

Post #368107 by Urban Tiki on Thu, Mar 20, 2008 8:54 AM