More about Mai Tais, sorry

Hi guys,

I'm sort of a newbie to the tiki drink scene(as I'm not too far over 21).

I've been experimenting and have made some pretty good drinks, but I fall short on experience in drinking traditional and tried & true drinks.

I've had Mai Tais before, but when I bought Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix to make my own, I nearly hurled at the mix's taste. This took me aback because wasn't it Trader Vic himself that created the Mai Tai?

I guess my question is, since Mai Tais tend to be one of the textbook tiki drinks, is there a good mix to use? And am I alone in thinking Trader Vic's is horrible? Is it worth skipping the mix to make a Mai Tai from scratch?

[ Edited by: DJ HawaiianShirt 2006-04-19 17:03 ]

I have never mixed a Mai Tai from a mix so I don't know.

If it tasted so bad it almost made you sick, maybe it was a bad bottle of mix. Some times nasty things will grow in bottles that have been cracked open.

P.S. If you have had Mai Tais before, were they sweet and pink?
Real Mai Tais are not pink, pink Mai Tais are not real.

Who cares about authenticity, if you like a drink someone makes for you. Ask how they make it and duplicate it at home.

On 2006-04-19 17:02, DJ HawaiianShirt wrote:

I've had Mai Tais before, but when I bought Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix to make my own, I nearly hurled at the mix's taste. This took me aback because wasn't it Trader Vic himself that created the Mai Tai?

I guess my question is, since Mai Tais tend to be one of the textbook tiki drinks, is there a good mix to use? And am I alone in thinking Trader Vic's is horrible? Is it worth skipping the mix to make a Mai Tai from scratch?

[ Edited by: DJ HawaiianShirt 2006-04-19 17:03 ]

the only good experience i've had with mai tai mix is using it as a marinade for chicken!

make mai tais from scratch. do not use a straw in the glass and garnish with fresh mint. that is the only true mai tai.

Show us some pictures.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=18321&forum=10&start=0

There's some fine lookin' authentic mai tais in them thar pages.

The best Mai Tai I've ever had was made from following this recipe:
http://www.beachbumberry.com/100dollarmaitai/

Oh, and if you must use a straw, make sure it's short enough so that your nose is buried in the mint garnish. That mint isn't just for show.

On 2006-04-19 20:56, Hakalugi wrote:
Oh, and if you must use a straw, make sure it's short enough so that your nose is buried in the mint garnish. That mint isn't just for show.

it sounds funny but this is key!

I agree on the no Pink. I continue to disagree about Pineapple. A dash or two fits in nicely.

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I dislike straws anyway.

Yes, I believe so far the Mai Tais I've had have been on the pink side. But I live in DC, and there aren't exactly many respectable Tiki Bars around here.

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2009-06-05 17:41 ]

Who would dare flame you Chip?...me....never. I have had some of your drinks and nobody i know, comes close to mixing like you do. Listen to him folks...he would never lead you astray, unless he makes the $100 mai tai from your personal bar :wink:

So, is what James Bond drinks really a martini? Purists would note the strong lack of Gin.

Sometimes, just sometimes, the idea behind a drink is so strong that it can transcend being just one drink and become a class of drinks. On the other hand, a real Daiquirí is an awesome drink and the class it has spawned does not deserve the name.

However, I wouldn't mind having a cool name for my drink. Its similar $100 Mai Tai(different brands of booze) but replace the rock candy syrup with simple syrup and add a dash (1 tsp) of pineapple juice. Dole Mai Tai, doesn't quite do it for me.

Purist's Punch
Ohh the Irony.

[ Edited by: LandlubbingRod 2006-04-20 11:27 ]

On 2006-04-20 11:26, LandlubbingRod wrote:
So, is what James Bond drinks really a martini? Purists would note the strong lack of Gin.

From the book Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh:

"Although the Great Unwashed will nod knowingly and growl at you, "Of course. It's 007's Vodka Martini - Shaken, not stirred," they know not whereof they speak..."

From Casino Royale (the book) you will learn that James Bond's drink was made as such:
3 oz London dry gin (Ian Fleming specified 'British' Gordon's)
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Kina Lillet

Apparently it was dumbed down in the movies, probably to make it less complex thus easier to grasp for the moronic masses.

If using the commercial bottled TV mix drom the store do not follow the recipe on the label. Use the juice of one FRESH lime, add a little extra orgeat, float it with a good DARK rum, and if you have it add a little orange bitters (not angostura butters). This makes a mai tai made from the mix a little more palatable. But the best thing to do is to make a mai tai from scratch.

On 2006-04-20 10:56, Chip and Andy wrote:
Is the Mai-Tai becoming the Martini of the Tiki Bar?

Yes, I believe it is. In fact, I believe it has been for some time now. I'd go even one step further and say that the mai tai is the generic term for a tropical drink. I have had many a red colored syrupy mess served to me in a beer glass under the moniker of mai tai.

And, speaking of martini's... just because it is served in a martini glass does not make it a martini. It is a cocktail in a martini glass.

Bingo. Man, we were just talking about that a few months ago. Nothin irritates me more than a "martini menu" where 99.9% of the drinks therein could scarcely be considered a martini in even the most remote sense.

If it is tequila based, it is not a martini. If it contains Godiva liqueur, it is not a martini. Etc.

I am expecting to get flamed for this post...

I would be surprised if you did. I'd say you are absolutely correct.

The oldest recipe I have seen for a martini was as follows:

equal parts gin and french vermouth with a dash of orange bitters.. stir with cracked ice.. serve strained into a martini glass

This is quite a different drink from the cold glass of vodka with an olive I get handed me at most bars. Not that I dislike cold vodka mind you, but I'd order that if it was what I wanted.

No vermouth, no martini. And more vermouth than is the current trend if you please. Much more thank you. Oh, and table the vodka and bring the gin out while you are at it.

Now I'll not argue that these "martini" cocktails are bad, some of them are quite palatable, but they deserve a name of their own.

And while we are at it, doesn't anyone order a gibson anymore? And why are manhattans getting as bad as martinis? I can tolerate the lack of rye and the sub of bourbon, but why do they keep forgetting the bitters?

Good post.

Ahu

Manhattan is a serious old man/Rat Pack drink...but they are amazingly GOOD if made right

definitely RYE though--not whisky/scotch or anything else ....& bitters

the great straw debate

On 2006-04-20 10:56, Chip and Andy wrote:
The 'original' recipe for a Mai-Tai is surprisingly simple... And, the recipe in question is some rum, lime, flavorings and garnish. Nothing fancy, nothing exotic, but when mixed together well, you pour something more than the sum of it's parts.

So, to the point I want to make in reference to pineapple....To many people/bars/books/etc... are using the Mai-Tai name as some sort of 'generic' cocktail name for something with rum in it. Is the Mai-Tai becoming the Martini of the Tiki Bar? And, speaking of martini's... just because it is served in a martini glass does not make it a martini. It is a cocktail in a martini glass. So, to continue, just because you modified your recipe for todays bar tending practices and add pineapple and grenadine does not mean it is a Mai-Tai. It may be Mai-Tai like... Mai-Tai flavored.... Mai-Tai insipired.... Whatever you want to call it, it is something other than a Mai-Tai.

Well put, Chip!

I second that, and move that we adjourn to the bar for further evidence.

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2009-06-05 17:40 ]

On 2006-04-20 13:36, bb moondog wrote:
Manhattan is a serious old man/Rat Pack drink...but they are amazingly GOOD if made right

definitely RYE though--not whisky/scotch or anything else ....& bitters

Amen to that. I don't even bother ordering Manhattans in bars anymore. I just make 'em at home. It also irks me that I always have to specify GIN Gimlet these days. The bloody Gimlet originated as a gin drink!

*On 2006-05-02 15:08, Grenadine wrote:*It also irks me that I always have to specify GIN Gimlet these days. The bloody Gimlet originated as a gin drink!

"A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats Martinis hollow." - Terry Lenox speaking to Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler’s novel The Long Goodbye

[ Edited by: thejab 2006-05-02 15:22 ]

The Gimlet kinda got the wind knocked out of its sails by its more popular & COLLEGIATE (where I discovered them) cousin..the dreaded KAMIKAZE.
still recall that hangover.....

"A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats Martinis hollow." - Terry Lenox speaking to Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler’s novel The Long Goodbye

[ Edited by: thejab 2006-05-02 15:22 ]

OMG!

thejab - you NAILED it! Chandler is the reason I started drinking Gimlets in the first place!

On 2006-05-04 07:12, Grenadine wrote:

"A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats Martinis hollow." - Terry Lenox speaking to Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler’s novel The Long Goodbye

[ Edited by: thejab 2006-05-02 15:22 ]

OMG!

thejab - you NAILED it! Chandler is the reason I started drinking Gimlets in the first place!

I'm sorry, but there's no Genadine in a Mai Tai... :P

I'm sorry, but there's no Grenadine in a Mai Tai... :P

....but there sure are a lot of Mai Tais in Grenadine!

(GoodGod! After that one I'd better go back to lurking.)

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2009-06-05 17:42 ]