How do I get the most authentic Mai Tai possible at TVs, or my local bar? - Tiki Drinks and Food

R rangda Member MA USA Joined: Mar 13, 2010 Posts: 56	R rangda Posted posted on Tue, Apr 27, 2010 8:05 AM First off, I strongly recommend you purchase this book for recipes and some general tiki drink history: http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Bum-Berry-Remixed-Jeff/dp/1593621396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272379297&sr=8-1 As for substitutions, they can be hard to pull off w/o changing the flavor of the drink (in most cases substantially). Tiki drinks work by creating combining different flavors in specific ratios, if you change the flavors you change the result. It's like putting almond extract into a cake instead of vanilla, you can do it and it will bake fine but when you're done the cake tastes different. That said, a "real" TV Mai Tai is: 1oz fresh squeezed lime juice 1/2oz orange curacao 1/4oz orgeat 1/4oz simple syrup (sugar syrup) 1oz dark Jamaican rum 1oz amber Martinique rum (really rhum agricole) The best orgeat IMO is Trader Tiki but I strongly doubt you'll ever find that in a bar. Fee Brothers is OK and if a bar has orgeat, it's most likely going to be that. For the booze, for orange curacao I prefer Senior Curacao of Curacao or Marie Brizard, but those are both very upscale curacao's that you are again unlikely to find in a bar. Any brand will do in a pinch but those two are a bit drier and crisper tasting. For the Dark Jamaican rum, I like Appleton Extra 12 year old the best, followed by Coruba. Both of those make a nice Mai Tai. Myer's has a very strong molasses flavor and tends to overpower the drink, but Myers is probably the only dark Jamaican you're going to find in a bar. Most bars won't have rhum agricole at all, and getting a real Mai Tai is pretty much impossible without it. It has a unique taste that can't really be replicated by anything else. My favorite is Clement VSOP, St. James Extra Old is also good, St. James Hors D'Age, J.M. Paille, and Neisson Eleve Souse Bois are other recommended brands that I have yet to try. If a bar has one of these (the St. James Royal Amber would do in a pinch as well) then you are GTG for a Mai Tai. Sadly it's usually far easier to make them at home than to get one when out and about. And it doesn't get better for the other drinks. There are various Zombie recipes that are considered "real" (the recipe was tinkered with over the years) but pretty much all require 151 demerara rum which most bars won't have, and the spiced taste of the rum makes the drink (finding the stuff on your own can be almost impossible depending on where you live). The Navy Grog requires honey so that is probably out as well. Your best bets at a standard bar are the Fog Cutter and Doctor Funk. Fog Cutter 2oz fresh lemon juice 1oz orange juice (does not have to be fresh) 1/2oz orgeat 2oz white puerto rican rum 1oz brandy 1/2oz gin 1/2oz cream sherry (float on top) shake and float sherry Doctor Funk 3/4oz fresh lime juice 1/2oz pomegranate syrup (sub grenadine) 1 teaspoon pernod (or herbsaint or absinthe) 1 1/2oz light puerto rican rum 1oz club soda shake all but soda, add soda & stir. Most of the puerto rican rum in the US isn't that hot, if you can sub Cruzan light or white Matusalem. The doctor funk will probably be a pale imitation because you'll get Rose's grenadine (which is more or less corn syrup & red food coloring), but it will still be in the ballpark. The other problem is that most bars won't want to precisely measure, and tiki drinks are like baking, they need precise measurements. But at least you can ask for those two and probably be able to get them.

First off, I strongly recommend you purchase this book for recipes and some general tiki drink history:

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Bum-Berry-Remixed-Jeff/dp/1593621396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272379297&sr=8-1

As for substitutions, they can be hard to pull off w/o changing the flavor of the drink (in most cases substantially). Tiki drinks work by creating combining different flavors in specific ratios, if you change the flavors you change the result. It's like putting almond extract into a cake instead of vanilla, you can do it and it will bake fine but when you're done the cake tastes different.

That said, a "real" TV Mai Tai is:

1oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2oz orange curacao
1/4oz orgeat
1/4oz simple syrup (sugar syrup)
1oz dark Jamaican rum
1oz amber Martinique rum (really rhum agricole)

The best orgeat IMO is Trader Tiki but I strongly doubt you'll ever find that in a bar. Fee Brothers is OK and if a bar has orgeat, it's most likely going to be that.

For the booze, for orange curacao I prefer Senior Curacao of Curacao or Marie Brizard, but those are both very upscale curacao's that you are again unlikely to find in a bar. Any brand will do in a pinch but those two are a bit drier and crisper tasting.

For the Dark Jamaican rum, I like Appleton Extra 12 year old the best, followed by Coruba. Both of those make a nice Mai Tai. Myer's has a very strong molasses flavor and tends to overpower the drink, but Myers is probably the only dark Jamaican you're going to find in a bar.

Most bars won't have rhum agricole at all, and getting a real Mai Tai is pretty much impossible without it. It has a unique taste that can't really be replicated by anything else. My favorite is Clement VSOP, St. James Extra Old is also good, St. James Hors D'Age, J.M. Paille, and Neisson Eleve Souse Bois are other recommended brands that I have yet to try. If a bar has one of these (the St. James Royal Amber would do in a pinch as well) then you are GTG for a Mai Tai.

Sadly it's usually far easier to make them at home than to get one when out and about. And it doesn't get better for the other drinks. There are various Zombie recipes that are considered "real" (the recipe was tinkered with over the years) but pretty much all require 151 demerara rum which most bars won't have, and the spiced taste of the rum makes the drink (finding the stuff on your own can be almost impossible depending on where you live). The Navy Grog requires honey so that is probably out as well.

Your best bets at a standard bar are the Fog Cutter and Doctor Funk.

Fog Cutter
2oz fresh lemon juice
1oz orange juice (does not have to be fresh)
1/2oz orgeat
2oz white puerto rican rum
1oz brandy
1/2oz gin
1/2oz cream sherry (float on top)
shake and float sherry

Doctor Funk
3/4oz fresh lime juice
1/2oz pomegranate syrup (sub grenadine)
1 teaspoon pernod (or herbsaint or absinthe)
1 1/2oz light puerto rican rum
1oz club soda
shake all but soda, add soda & stir.

Most of the puerto rican rum in the US isn't that hot, if you can sub Cruzan light or white Matusalem. The doctor funk will probably be a pale imitation because you'll get Rose's grenadine (which is more or less corn syrup & red food coloring), but it will still be in the ballpark.

The other problem is that most bars won't want to precisely measure, and tiki drinks are like baking, they need precise measurements. But at least you can ask for those two and probably be able to get them.

Post #526439 by rangda on Tue, Apr 27, 2010 8:05 AM