Trader Vic's

MT Mai Tai Tiki Socialite Exotic Isle of Alameda Joined: Mar 21, 2004 Posts: 1438	MT Mai Tai Posted posted on Sun, Jul 6, 2008 11:18 AM A friend of mine, who loves the traditional Trader Vic's Mai Tai's, bought a bottle of this for us to try, because he couldn't find any orgeat at any of the liquor stores around his house in south San Jose. He was really jonesing for a mai tai, and handed me this mixer to whip some up. I was extremely dubious at first, but since there was no Cactus Cooler or Malibu Coconut Rum at his place, (that's a joke, folks), I had to make do with this pre-made mix. Upon opening it, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a great nose, and smelled pretty much dead on like a Trader Vic's Mai Tai, without the rum or lime. It had a consistency that was slightly thinner than regular orgeat. I was impressed, and tried a taste of the mix straight. It did taste like orange and almond, but not quite as flavorful as a real Trader Vic' Mai Tai. So I poured us a round, and we tried it out in the drink. I added fresh lime, and used Appleton VX. The taste was decent, although a little on the weak side for a Mai Tai. I increased the amount of mix for the next round, and the taste improved, but still not as good as a real Trader Vic's Mai Tai. I drank three of these, maybe four - a light evening of imbibing for me. And I woke up with the worst headache the next day! Not so much a hangover, but more along the lines of an allergy headache. It lasted for quite a while. I know it wasn't from the rum, because I use Appleton VX in my mai tais all the time, and we even used Appleton Extra for a round or two. So my evaluation is that although the smell and the taste do indeed come close to a real Trader Vic's Mai Tai, it is still not quite as good. And the amount of corn syrup and preservatives are the biggest strike against it, especially if you have allergy problems to preservatives. Also, when you think about it, you are not getting any real Orange Curacao in your drink if you use this mix, and that's one less liqueur that should not be left out in my opinion. This is a simple drink to make from scratch, and there is no substitute for fresh ingredients! Anyways, that's my two cents, your mileage may vary.

A friend of mine, who loves the traditional Trader Vic's Mai Tai's, bought a bottle of this for us to try, because he couldn't find any orgeat at any of the liquor stores around his house in south San Jose. He was really jonesing for a mai tai, and handed me this mixer to whip some up. I was extremely dubious at first, but since there was no Cactus Cooler or Malibu Coconut Rum at his place, (that's a joke, folks), I had to make do with this pre-made mix.

Upon opening it, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a great nose, and smelled pretty much dead on like a Trader Vic's Mai Tai, without the rum or lime. It had a consistency that was slightly thinner than regular orgeat. I was impressed, and tried a taste of the mix straight. It did taste like orange and almond, but not quite as flavorful as a real Trader Vic' Mai Tai.

So I poured us a round, and we tried it out in the drink. I added fresh lime, and used Appleton VX. The taste was decent, although a little on the weak side for a Mai Tai. I increased the amount of mix for the next round, and the taste improved, but still not as good as a real Trader Vic's Mai Tai.

I drank three of these, maybe four - a light evening of imbibing for me. And I woke up with the worst headache the next day! Not so much a hangover, but more along the lines of an allergy headache. It lasted for quite a while. I know it wasn't from the rum, because I use Appleton VX in my mai tais all the time, and we even used Appleton Extra for a round or two.

So my evaluation is that although the smell and the taste do indeed come close to a real Trader Vic's Mai Tai, it is still not quite as good. And the amount of corn syrup and preservatives are the biggest strike against it, especially if you have allergy problems to preservatives. Also, when you think about it, you are not getting any real Orange Curacao in your drink if you use this mix, and that's one less liqueur that should not be left out in my opinion. This is a simple drink to make from scratch, and there is no substitute for fresh ingredients! Anyways, that's my two cents, your mileage may vary.

Post #391939 by Mai Tai on Sun, Jul 6, 2008 11:18 AM