Am I missing something about a Mai-Tai? (Update: Problem Solved!) - Tiki Drinks and Food

K kid_dynamo Member Joined: Oct 13, 2011 Posts: 42	K kid_dynamo Posted posted on Sun, Jun 10, 2012 1:00 PM On 2012-06-10 04:21, teamtom wrote:Now one last question...How can I "cheapen up" this drink and still maintain some respectability? Obviously the Curacao has to stay and the Orgeat. Is there cheaper rums that can still make a decent drink? I have a lot of rums to choose from so any advice is appreciated. I don't mind the Bum's recommendations but I am curious. Well Appleton VX ($15-20 a bottle) is my go to well Jamaican, and a Mai-Tai made with it is definitely not bad, but, IMHO, a little bit bland. To spice things up, I will often mix some El Dorado 5 yr ($15-20 again) in, though I have also experimented with RL Seale's (if you like that Barbados funk, try it) and Zaya 12 yr. The Appleton is a great, cheap base to start with, and plays well with other rums. If you want to go cheaper than that, the only advice I can offer is to change your Mai-Tai recipe. What do I mean by this? Well, I also once did not really like Mai Tai (mostly because I was using cheap rums) until I stumbled upon this one: 1 oz light rum 1 oz dark rum 1 1/2 oz fresh lime juice (reduce this to 3/4oz to 1oz unless you like sucking on lime wedges) 1/2 oz orange curacao 1/4 oz grenadine 1/2 oz orgeat syrup 1/4 oz falernum http://cocktaildb.com/recipe_detail?id=3335 The Falernum and increased amount of Orgeat really livens up a Mai Tai made with cheaper, blander rums. I prefer to use a mix of 'bland' rums, like 1-1 Cruzan Silver/Gold, or some Flor De Cana. Those are generally as cheap as I will go, as the nasty aftertaste of Bacardi or similar will ruin this drink (or any drink really). [ Edited by: kid_dynamo 2012-06-10 13:01 ]

*On 2012-06-10 04:21, teamtom wrote:*Now one last question...How can I "cheapen up" this drink and still maintain some respectability? Obviously the Curacao has to stay and the Orgeat. Is there cheaper rums that can still make a decent drink? I have a lot of rums to choose from so any advice is appreciated. I don't mind the Bum's recommendations but I am curious.

Well Appleton VX ($15-20 a bottle) is my go to well Jamaican, and a Mai-Tai made with it is definitely not bad, but, IMHO, a little bit bland. To spice things up, I will often mix some El Dorado 5 yr ($15-20 again) in, though I have also experimented with RL Seale's (if you like that Barbados funk, try it) and Zaya 12 yr. The Appleton is a great, cheap base to start with, and plays well with other rums.

If you want to go cheaper than that, the only advice I can offer is to change your Mai-Tai recipe. What do I mean by this? Well, I also once did not really like Mai Tai (mostly because I was using cheap rums) until I stumbled upon this one:

1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1 1/2 oz fresh lime juice (reduce this to 3/4oz to 1oz unless you like sucking on lime wedges)
1/2 oz orange curacao
1/4 oz grenadine
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
1/4 oz falernum

http://cocktaildb.com/recipe_detail?id=3335

The Falernum and increased amount of Orgeat really livens up a Mai Tai made with cheaper, blander rums. I prefer to use a mix of 'bland' rums, like 1-1 Cruzan Silver/Gold, or some Flor De Cana. Those are generally as cheap as I will go, as the nasty aftertaste of Bacardi or similar will ruin this drink (or any drink really).

[ Edited by: kid_dynamo 2012-06-10 13:01 ]

Post #639988 by kid_dynamo on Sun, Jun 10, 2012 1:00 PM