I think I've finally come across the right Mai Tai variation at home

It's been a while since I've been mixing at home and I broke out my favorite Grog Log and Intoxica recipes last weekend. I've either been doing the Trader Vic Grog or the Tonga Zombie. Both great drinks. It's also been a long time since I've mixed a Mai Tai at home. I figured if I couldn't get it to taste like the Mai Kai Mai Tais or the Trader Vic Mai Tais, then the hell with it. Tonight though I think I've stumbled on a variation that is closest to the Trader Vic version that you get when you go to one of their restaurants. It's a variation on the Mai Tai recipe on page 50 of Grog Log. I won't go through the contents of that since you probably have ye olde Grog Log at home. I'll just tell you how I did it. Here it is:

1 oz. Lime juice
1/4 oz. Curacao
1/2 oz. Trader Vic Orgeat
1/4 oz. Trader Vic Rock Candy Syrup
2 oz. Myer's Dark Rum

Basically I cut down the lime juice by 1/2 oz., cut down the Curacao by a 1/4 oz., and increased the Orgeat by a 1/4 oz. I also abandoned the combination of dark and light rums by only adding the dark. Myer's in particular which already has a sweet-ish flavor that goes well with other sweet flavors. You'll see what I mean if you only do the familiar 'Myer's and Orange Juice' cocktail. It just blends well with that spectrum. I had to cut down on the Curacao. It was just making it too bitter. I could see how some might prefer that, but cutting down on that really gives enough of a hint to not make this taste like some half-assed sweet drink and gives you an overall mellow trip. In terms of color and flavor this is definitely the closest I have come to the Trader Vic bar made version. Even the Trader Vic Mai Tai mix doesn't taste like the ones you get at the TV bars. In fact that mix tastes almost nothing like the TV bar Mai Tais. A few years ago someone here at TC gave me a recipe for a home made Trader Vic Mai Tai that included Coca-Cola. I appreciate the recipe hand off, but even that didn't do it for me.

Of course you know that there hasn't been a Trader Vic's in New York City for almost 20 years, so if I have the TV Mai Tais it's usually on vacation somewhere. The last time I had one was when I went to the TV Lounge in Los Angeles last October. Before that I was at the TV Atlanta in 2004. So when I taste one of those Mai Tais, believe me, as they said on Seinfeld, it was 'tatooed on my brain'. So yeah, this was a successful adventure. If you haven't tried something like this, check it out.

Hey! Try this one. The same amount of regular Mai Tai ingredients but for the rums try Coruba and Cruzan Single Barrel. In my opinion, this is as good or if not better than when I make the $100.00 Mai Tai with the Appleton's 12 year and the St James Hors d'age. It has a warmer huskier flavor from the Coruba, which I now use in place of Myers. It is less expensive, and not as harsh as the Myers. Aaron

I've given up on the Mai Tai myself. I've never gotten one I'm really happy with but I'll try this one. BUT THEN THAT'S IT!

thanks

Just barely over an oz. of lime juice works for me. I haven't tried cutting the curacao down from 1/2 to 1/4 oz. Myers makes a pretty nice mai tai, but Appleton's 12 is still my favorite.

On 2008-02-03 07:32, BrickHorn wrote:
Just barely over an oz. of lime juice works for me. I haven't tried cutting the curacao down from 1/2 to 1/4 oz. Myers makes a pretty nice mai tai, but Appleton's 12 is still my favorite.

Hm. I haven't mixed drinks at home in so long I forgot about Appleton which I used to buy pretty often. I'll try that as soon as I run out of the Myer's.

Try this one. The same amount of regular Mai Tai ingredients but for the rums try Coruba and Cruzan Single Barrel. In my opinion, this is as good or if not better than when I make the $100.00 Mai Tai with the Appleton's 12 year and the St James Hors d'age. It has a warmer huskier flavor from the Coruba, which I now use in place of Myers. It is less expensive, and not as harsh as the Myers.

When you say 'the same amount of Mai Tai ingredients' do you mean the same amount as the traditional recipe that's in Grog Log, or are you talking about the way I'm mixing it now? I'll definitely try the other rums you mentioned when I do another serious trip to the liquor store.

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2008-02-03 13:39 ]

I meant the same amts of the ingredients called for in Grog Log (sorry for the confusion). I just recently discovered Coruba, and I just love it! Aaron.

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 knew you'd come around.

Out of curiosity, which Appleton's did you use? I like the Extra for mai tais.

On 2008-03-17 20:31, BrickHorn wrote:
I knew you'd come around.

Out of curiosity, which Appleton's did you use? I like the Extra for mai tais.

It just says Appleton Estate on the bottle. I know there is another Appleton that comes in the tall fifth bottle. This bottle is shaped more like a decanter.

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2008-03-17 21:26 ]

On 2008-03-17 21:25, donhonyc wrote:

It just says Appleton Estate on the bottle. I know there is another Appleton that comes in the tall fifth bottle. This bottle is shaped more like a decanter.

The only decent Appleton's are the ones that come in the decanter-like bottles. Those are the Appleton Estate rums. V/X is the weakest in the chain and is more of a utility rum, which is why you can get it by the handle as well as in 750 ml. Extra is the 12 yr. There is an oval label at the base of the neck that says "Extra" and the side label says "12 yr" at the top. The 21 yr has a blue label with silver accents. You'd know if you bought that. It costs ± $116 around here. Extra is ± $25.

On 2008-03-18 06:35, The Gnomon wrote:

On 2008-03-17 21:25, donhonyc wrote:

It just says Appleton Estate on the bottle. I know there is another Appleton that comes in the tall fifth bottle. This bottle is shaped more like a decanter.

The only decent Appleton's are the ones that come in the decanter-like bottles. Those are the Appleton Estate rums. V/X is the weakest in the chain and is more of a utility rum, which is why you can get it by the handle as well as in 750 ml. Extra is the 12 yr. There is an oval label at the base of the neck that says "Extra" and the side label says "12 yr" at the top. The 21 yr has a blue label with silver accents. You'd know if you bought that. It costs ± $116 around here. Extra is ± $25.

My sister-in-law gave me a bottle of the Appleton Estate "Reserve" a couple of months back - that was good stuff, but hard to find. I see the V/X and the Extra pretty often...anyone know where the Reserve fits into the Appleton hierarchy?

+1 on the 2 oz. of Appleton Estate. I've screwed around with so many combos that this is the one for me. I also find that poor quality limes can really bury quality rums.

Almost mai tai season for me. Mint's coming back in the garden and soon the Mexican store down the street will have limes 12 for a dollar.

The Appleton Reserve is an 8y.o.,sitting in between the V/X and Extra.The prices we pay here in AUS$ are $35-V/X,$48-Reserve and $54-Extra.All of these are easy to find.
There were only 300 bottles of the 21y.o. that came into the country last year,half of those going to bars.They went for AUS$175.

Appleton's Extra is the best mai tai rum I've found. A good approximation is 1 oz. V/X and 1 oz. Myer's.

On 2008-03-18 18:27, BrickHorn wrote:
Appleton's Extra is the best mai tai rum I've found. A good approximation is 1 oz. V/X and 1 oz. Myer's.

I agree - Appletons/Myers is a solid rum combination with great flavor. That was just about the only combination I used for about a year. However, I have been experimenting lately with demerara/martinique combinations and getting some very interesting results compared to the jamaica/jamaica dark combination.

I almost posted this in the thread asking about rums to use with the TV mai tai mix, but then realized that if you use a mix you probably wouldn't know a good rum anyway. Honestly, if you are willing to seek good rums, what's so freakin' hard about making a batch of simple syrup/orgeat and squeezing some limes?

On 2008-03-19 05:56, leisure master wrote:

On 2008-03-18 18:27, BrickHorn wrote:
Appleton's Extra is the best mai tai rum I've found. A good approximation is 1 oz. V/X and 1 oz. Myer's.

I agree - Appletons/Myers is a solid rum combination with great flavor. That was just about the only combination I used for about a year. However, I have been experimenting lately with demerara/martinique combinations and getting some very interesting results compared to the jamaica/jamaica dark combination.

I almost posted this in the thread asking about rums to use with the TV mai tai mix, but then realized that if you use a mix you probably wouldn't know a good rum anyway. Honestly, if you are willing to seek good rums, what's so freakin' hard about making a batch of simple syrup/orgeat and squeezing some limes?

I'll give the Martinique/Demerara combo a try. Honestly, though, while I like the way Lemon Hart and El Dorado 15 year-old Demeraras work in drinks, I haven't been too impressed with the one Martinique rum (St. James Extra Old) I've tried. It's better than Puerto Rican rum, but not as flavorful as the Jamaican or Demeraras. To me, it seems like it's kind of a filler. An expensive filler.

Is there a big difference between the Extra Old and the Hors d'Age? I found a bottle of the latter for $28, so I might need to pick it up. But, given the uninspiring results I've had with Extra Old, I haven't been able to justify the investment in another bottle of St. James.

To be honest, I do not know much about St. James products. I have not had any luck finding them and have not had the opportunity to use them in a mai tai. I have tasted them neat, and thought they were very good, but never had any drinks mixed with them.

There are some cheaper martinique rums than the St. James. They are probably not as nice as the St James when neat, but we are talking about mixing here. Lately I have been using a rum called Kaniche combined with a demerara, and have been really happy with the combo, expecially since the Kaniche is $13 a bottle here in NYC. The only problem is that it seems to be hard to find.

Leisure,

I saw last week that they have Kaniche at Warehouse Wine and Liquor on Broadway (and Astor). I believe there is still some Rhum St James Hors d'Age at Astor Wines.

Personally, I've done a side by side-taste-test of Mai Tai made with 1oz Appleton's Extra and 1oz Hors d'Age, and a Mai Tai with 2oz of Hors d'Age. I preferred the latter.

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.

[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.

Actually what I'm trying to do is get to the same Mai Tai that I have at the TV locations. I think those are really excellent. Like I said there are no TVs anywhere near NYC, so I can't just go have one at my leisure. I want the real deal or something close to it which is what I think this is..something close to it.

Meanwhile does anybody know a readily available brand of Martinique rum? I'd like to try a Appleton/Martinique combination but I can't seem to find that type of rum around here.

Don - if you are in NYC, Liquor Warehouse (broadway & waverly) and Astor Wine & Spirits (lafayette & E4) both have good rum selections, including martinique rums. I will leave to others to advise any other stores north of 14th street.

Also, if you are in NYC, I don't know if you noticed, but we have a great tiki group that gets together fairly regularly for various events in and around the city. PM me or email me your contact details if you are interested in ever coming out.

On 2008-03-20 08:54, Urban Tiki wrote:
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.

According to the legend, TV used Wray & Nephew 17yr, that now is extinct. What we try to do is getting close to that, and this is done by using Appleton Estate Extra, that is distilled by the same distillery than W&N and it's 12 years old. To add the "nuttiness" that gives that extra aging that had the W&N 17yr, we mix it with a Martinique rum. In London they use Appleton Estate Extra and Rhum Negrita, that is a rum from Martinique actually distilled by a Spanish company. Too sweet for my taste.

For the newyorkers, recently a friend of mine brought me a bottle of St. James Hors d'Age from Astor Wine & Spirits, although someone has already told that in this thread. It's pricey, but it makes the best Mai Tai I've ever had, far better than in TV's.

On 2008-03-20 10:19, BastardoSaffrin wrote:

On 2008-03-20 08:54, Urban Tiki wrote:
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.

According to the legend, TV used Wray & Nephew 17yr, that now is extinct. What we try to do is getting close to that, and this is done by using Appleton Estate Extra, that is distilled by the same distillery than W&N and it's 12 years old. To add the "nuttiness" that gives that extra aging that had the W&N 17yr, we mix it with a Martinique rum. In London they use Appleton Estate Extra and Rhum Negrita, that is a rum from Martinique actually distilled by a Spanish company. Too sweet for my taste.

For the newyorkers, recently a friend of mine brought me a bottle of St. James Hors d'Age from Astor Wine & Spirits, although someone has already told that in this thread. It's pricey, but it makes the best Mai Tai I've ever had, far better than in TV's.

Thanks for the very useful info. BTW I see you are from Barcelona. I lived in Zaragoza many moons ago for a few years and had the priviledge of visiting your beautiful city.

On 2008-03-20 09:05, donhonyc wrote:

[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.

Actually what I'm trying to do is get to the same Mai Tai that I have at the TV locations. I think those are really excellent. Like I said there are no TVs anywhere near NYC, so I can't just go have one at my leisure. I want the real deal or something close to it which is what I think this is..something close to it.

Meanwhile does anybody know a readily available brand of Martinique rum? I'd like to try a Appleton/Martinique combination but I can't seem to find that type of rum around here.

I got to the NYC TV once back in the late 70s or early 80s. I lived in Chicago in 2000 and went to TV a number of times, but my memory of their Mai Tai is not good enough for me to try to duplicate it. I'll give your version a try though!

I'd go with just the Royal Ambre St. James and not the more aged versions. Using the aged Appleton, the Royal Ambre does well. If you can find it these days.

On 2008-03-20 12:30, Swanky wrote:
I'd go with just the Royal Ambre St. James and not the more aged versions. Using the aged Appleton, the Royal Ambre does well. If you can find it these days.

Well, St James Ambré makes a very good Mai Tai, and I can buy it around the corner for 12€ (about 17$), so I use it for my everyday Mai Tai. But the Hors d'Age gives that "deluxe" feeling.

Urban, thanks for the compliments about Barcelona!

On 2008-03-20 12:30, Swanky wrote:
I'd go with just the Royal Ambre St. James and not the more aged versions. Using the aged Appleton, the Royal Ambre does well. If you can find it these days.

Sometimes I wonder if the optimum blend involves an aged rum and a young rum. The aged rums are so subtle that maybe using them exclusively results in a drink that is too bland.

By the way, is the St. James supply running low around the country? I've recently priced it at three local liquor stores, and each one has a large stock of all three grades.

On 2008-03-20 09:33, leisure master wrote:
Don - if you are in NYC, Liquor Warehouse (broadway & waverly) and Astor Wine & Spirits (lafayette & E4) both have good rum selections, including martinique rums. I will leave to others to advise any other stores north of 14th street.

Liquor Warehouse! Of course! How could I forget. The only liquor store that I know of that actually has shopping carts. Yeah, I'm going to stop in there tomorrow night after work and get a Martinique rum. These Mai Tais with 2oz of Appleton are pretty good, but if I can possibly take it up at notch I will.

Okay. Whipped up a couple of mai tais this evening. I had literally 2 oz. of Appleton's Estate left, so I went 50/50 Appleton's and St. James Extra Old. My wife took one sip and said "Oooh... something's off." I had to agree. The Martinique rum gives the mai tai a strange, ashy flavor. Maybe Hors d'Age doesn't have this problem.

Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the Extra Old and Hors d'Age?

On 2008-03-20 20:47, BrickHorn wrote:
Okay. Whipped up a couple of mai tais this evening. I had literally 2 oz. of Appleton's Estate left, so I went 50/50 Appleton's and St. James Extra Old. My wife took one sip and said "Oooh... something's off." I had to agree. The Martinique rum gives the mai tai a strange, ashy flavor. Maybe Hors d'Age doesn't have this problem.

Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the Extra Old and Hors d'Age?

Hmmm..good to know that before I go out and spend money on Martinique rum.

On 2008-03-20 21:07, donhonyc wrote:

On 2008-03-20 20:47, BrickHorn wrote:
Okay. Whipped up a couple of mai tais this evening. I had literally 2 oz. of Appleton's Estate left, so I went 50/50 Appleton's and St. James Extra Old. My wife took one sip and said "Oooh... something's off." I had to agree. The Martinique rum gives the mai tai a strange, ashy flavor. Maybe Hors d'Age doesn't have this problem.

Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the Extra Old and Hors d'Age?

Hmmm..good to know that before I go out and spend money on Martinique rum.

Hey, it's worth a try. Enough respected mixologists recommend blending a Jamaican and a Martinique in a mai tai that it makes me question my own palate.

On 2008-03-20 21:27, BrickHorn wrote:

On 2008-03-20 21:07, donhonyc wrote:

On 2008-03-20 20:47, BrickHorn wrote:
Okay. Whipped up a couple of mai tais this evening. I had literally 2 oz. of Appleton's Estate left, so I went 50/50 Appleton's and St. James Extra Old. My wife took one sip and said "Oooh... something's off." I had to agree. The Martinique rum gives the mai tai a strange, ashy flavor. Maybe Hors d'Age doesn't have this problem.

Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the Extra Old and Hors d'Age?

Hmmm..good to know that before I go out and spend money on Martinique rum.

Hey, it's worth a try. Enough respected mixologists recommend blending a Jamaican and a Martinique in a mai tai that it makes me question my own palate.

Well....at this point it all boils down to how cheap or expensive the Martinique rum is. If it's like $50 for a bottle than forget it.

Donhonyc,

The Rhum St James Hors d'Age (the most expensive of St James Martinique rums) is $32 at Astor Wines.

...and if you go around the corner to Liquor Warehouse on Broadway, they have a Martinique for $13 - Kaniche. Not as good as St. James neat, but a solid mixing rum.

The Rhum St James Hors d'Age (the most expensive of St James Martinique rums) is $32 at Astor Wines.

...and if you go around the corner to Liquor Warehouse on Broadway, they have a Martinique for $13 - Kaniche. Not as good as St. James neat, but a solid mixing rum.

Thanks for the tips people. I first went to Liquor Warehouse and all they had was the Kaniche brand. I didn't know anything about it and it looked kinda cheap, so I avoided it even though it was only $12.99. Total coincidence that I came home and in your post you mentioned it. I went over to Astor and they had the St. James for $32 so I got that. I must say that after mixing with these two rums this is probably the closest I'll ever get to a TV Mai Tai. I mean I haven't had one since October, but if memory serves this is definitely the flavor. I wish I could do a side by side taste test. The only comment I have is that the Martinique rum is a just a very scant overboard, not by much though, and I am keeping the real TV Mai Tai flavor in mind. I recall that drink being just a tiny bit mellower. But hey don't get me wrong, I feel like I'm finally drinking the real deal at home. With the slight exception of the St. James, I think all parts of the drink are playing their proper roles in making up the sum of the parts. The only thing I need now which would definitely add to the whole experience is some pinapple chunks, cherries, and a mint sprig. I already have the TV glass and the TV plastic drink stirrers.

On 2008-03-20 20:47, BrickHorn wrote:
Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the Extra Old and Hors d'Age?

I have, actually.

The Extra Old (Royal Ambre) is a blend of 4 year and younger rums and qualifies as an overproof at 45% abv, with high notes of vanilla and oak.

The Hors d'age (Black label) is blend of rums older than 4 years and clocks in at 43% abv with the oak being much more predominate note.

The aroma, well that is unfortunate for both bottles because there are a lot of distracting notes on the nose that do not translate onto the tongue. I wouldn't use either bottle as a sipping rum.

I prefer the Hors d'Age in my Mai-Tai's because I think the smoothness that comes from the age and the woody high notes compliment the spicy notes in the Jamaican rums.

Someone commented about mixing young and old rums to keep the life in the drink... I agree. Generally. Younger rums have the life and heat of youth. Older rums have mellowed and gained a lot of woody bits from the cask. One should compliment the other.

However, for my Mai-Tais, I prefer two older rums so that the drink stays rich and complex. I don't like a lot of heat in my Mai-Tais, I like the complex play between the subtle undertones of the regional influence on the rums.

On 2008-03-21 21:07, Chip and Andy wrote:

On 2008-03-20 20:47, BrickHorn wrote:
Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of the Extra Old and Hors d'Age?

I have, actually.

The Extra Old (Royal Ambre) is a blend of 4 year and younger rums and qualifies as an overproof at 45% abv, with high notes of vanilla and oak.

The Hors d'age (Black label) is blend of rums older than 4 years and clocks in at 43% abv with the oak being much more predominate note.

The aroma, well that is unfortunate for both bottles because there are a lot of distracting notes on the nose that do not translate onto the tongue. I wouldn't use either bottle as a sipping rum.

I prefer the Hors d'Age in my Mai-Tai's because I think the smoothness that comes from the age and the woody high notes compliment the spicy notes in the Jamaican rums.

Someone commented about mixing young and old rums to keep the life in the drink... I agree. Generally. Younger rums have the life and heat of youth. Older rums have mellowed and gained a lot of woody bits from the cask. One should compliment the other.

However, for my Mai-Tais, I prefer two older rums so that the drink stays rich and complex. I don't like a lot of heat in my Mai-Tais, I like the complex play between the subtle undertones of the regional influence on the rums.

Good points. I'll have to pick up a bottle of Hors d'Age.

I agree for mai tais that an aged rum works best, which is why I prefer 2 oz. of Appleton's Extra. I also agree that the young rum is an essential component of many drinks. For example, I make a drink of my own recipe in which I typically use 1 oz. V/X and 1 oz. Myers. With this combo, it's a great drink. Last night, out of curiosity, I tried it with a new rum combination: 1 oz. Lemon Hart demerara and 1 oz. Appleton's Extra. The drink was downright AWFUL, despite the fact that it contained, overall, a higher quality/price rum combo.

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 rarely wander into this forum, but I checked out this post recently and was inspired to make my very first mai tai. (I've always had the notion that I was incapable of making a decent drink other than a martini.)

Anyway, with my newly stocked bar, I had almost all of the ingredients listed above. I need to work on my rum selection, so I just ended up using 2 oz. of the Appleton Special. (Yes, I know, but we all have to start somewhere.) I used this recipe, and it turned out beautifully.

Thank you, donhonyc.

If any of you live in near Houston, Specs Liquor carries both the St James Hors d'Age and Appleton's Extra rums...pricing isnt too bad either. I bought both bottles for around $60. As mentioned before...these rums are the best for mai tais....I think I'll need to replenish my stock here soon :wink:

On 2008-04-05 08:33, Deckhand_Davy wrote:
If any of you live in near Houston, Specs Liquor carries both the St James Hors d'Age and Appleton's Extra rums...pricing isnt too bad either. I bought both bottles for around $60. As mentioned before...these rums are the best for mai tais....I think I'll need to replenish my stock here soon :wink:

Spec's is where I buy most of my liquor. They have a good price on Appleton's as well as many other rums and their selection is the best in town. However, there is a local shop that has St. James Hors d'Age for $28 a bottle - about $7-8 less than Spec's - even though their price on Appleton's is a few dollars higher. Another place, Twin Liquors, has a really good price on rums if you buy 2 or more bottles.

I finally tested out the Hors d'Age in a mai tai last night. Instead of 2 oz. Appleton's Extra, I went 1 oz. Extra + 1 oz. Hors d'Age. While I enjoyed the powerful flavor the Martinique rum brings to the drink, I still prefer the pure Appleton's mai tai. My wife was another story. She flat-out disliked the blend and insisted that I "quit experimenting."

That said, in my opinion, the Hors d'Age far outperformed St. James Extra Old. It wasn't even close. Don't listen to the Beachbum on this one - Extra Old is not a decent substitute for its older, mellower brother. Hors d'Age is well worth the extra $8-10.

On 2008-04-05 08:33, Deckhand_Davy wrote:
If any of you live in near Houston, Specs Liquor carries both the St James Hors d'Age and Appleton's Extra rums...pricing isnt too bad either. I bought both bottles for around $60. As mentioned before...these rums are the best for mai tais....I think I'll need to replenish my stock here soon :wink:

I no longer recommend Spec's for St. James rums. Their prices are, oddly, $10-14 higher than other local liquor chains (While Spec's has bumped Hors d'Age to $46 per bottle, Twin Liquors and Chris' Liquors here in Austin are both selling it for around $32). Maybe Spec's has anticipated an upcoming shortage and have priced accordingly. Only time will tell. But, for now, go elsewhere for this particular brand.