Mai Tai with Zaya Rum???

Aloha!

Someone gave me a bottle of this Zaya rum from Trinidad....supposed to be a great sipping rum. Well, anyway does anyone know if I can use it for a Mai Tai? If I was making a $100 Mai Tai for example, would I use it in place of the Appleton, or the St. James?

Or could I use it as a standalone, mixed with curacao, lime, orgeat, simple syrup and get a good mai tai?

Anyone have any ideas??

I'm hoping to make a great Mai Tai this fourth of July :)

Thanks!

I am still working through my stash of Guatemalan Zaya so I haven't tried the current stuff from Trinidad yet but it sounds like there is not a huge amount of difference fortunately.

I tried pairing Zaya with Pusser's in a Mai Tai a few times, the result was very nice but a little atypical for a Mai Tai. Have a look at this site:

http://amountainofcrushedice.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/a-month-of-mai-tais-exploring-the-rums-one-mai-tai-at-a-time/

It's rum, so why not? I wouldn't, it really is great for sipping or in a Ti Punch. The Guatemalan formula is more complex than the newer, sweeter version from Trinidad but both are lovely.

Thanks wenttiki for the ti punch idea and revthumper for the link...I'll have to try some of those recipes....either way, I guess I'll just keep sippin' it!

Still, I'm always on the hunt for the "perfect mai tai".. :)

I love Mai Tai's made with Zaya rum. Sometimes I make them with Pyrat XO, too. Sometimes with a shot of each. Great stuff and makes an outstanding drink. To those who think that is a waste of good sippin rum, I also like Zaya straight over crushed ice, too. It's all good to me.

LOVE Zaya Rum Mai Tai's!

here is a great mai tai recipe from DrinkoftheWeek.com

1 oz. Zaya Rum
1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Grenadine
1/2 oz. Orgeat Syrup
Garnish: Pineapple & Cherry

Combine ingedients together in a shaker with ice.
Serve on the Rocks in an old fashion glass or High ball.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge & cherry. Can use store bought mix in place of the Orgeat syrup, grenadine & lime juice. I recommend Trader Vic's brand as Vic is credited with the inception of this great drink.

On 2009-07-03 11:24, ACJ wrote:
1 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Grenadine

If your going to use a quality rum like Zaya, use a quality Triple Sec like Cointreau.

And Grenadine generally has no place in a good Mai Tai. In this recipe it is standing in for the usual Bar Syrup so it is OK. The color is going to be odd, but overall it should still be good.

Can use store bought mix in place of the Orgeat syrup, grenadine & lime juice. I recommend Trader Vic's brand as Vic is credited with the inception of this great drink.

Actually, No. You can't.

The bottled mix stuff, even though it says Trader Vic's, is nothing more than some chemicals and sugars with a pretty label.

You can use it to make a Mai Tai, but not to make a good Mai Tai.

Check out Beachbum Berry's $100 Mai Tai recipe if you want to see how to make a good Mai Tai.

Grenadine generally has no place in a good Mai Tai.

Except for New England Chinese restaurant Mai-Tais.

Grenadine is the primary ingredient then.

On 2009-06-30 18:58, rev_thumper wrote:
I tried pairing Zaya with Pusser's in a Mai Tai a few times...

That's actually a pretty good combo. When Martin was working at Trader Vic's, the bar manager Lars turned him on to Mai Tais that had an ounce of Zaya and an ounce of Pusser's, and then Martin turned us onto it as well.

However, this was in 2005, and Pusser's was still overproof, and Zaya was still from Guatemala. I haven't tried it in a Mai Tai since both rums were reformulated. I'm mixing up drinks for a 4th of July party today, so I think I'll give it a whirl with the new stuff. Maybe those Mai Tais will fill this Mai Tai by evening's end...

I tried Zaya at a Spanish resturant where it was mixed with muddled orange and lemon slices in a Caiphirina-style cocktail. In short, it rocked.

I totally agree with Chip and Andy with the grenadine issue. It simply does not belong in a real mai tai. Unfortunately, most bars serve it that way along with orange juice, sweet sour mix and just about anything they have under the counter. That's why I generally don't order a mai tai at typical bars.

Trader Vic's Mai Tai mix is one of the most vile concoctions I've ever tasted. It has a really weird chemical taste that overpowers the drink and doesn't even come close to what a real mai tai should taste like. Avoid this at all cost and if you order a mai tai from a bar that uses this stuff, run for the exit!

BTW, I've used Zaya (the old formula) in homemade mai tai along with Appleton Reserve and they're excellent. If you're using Beachbum's basic recipe, you might have to adjust the simple syrup amount a little because Zaya is a little sweeter than most rums.

On 2009-07-03 19:28, Chip and Andy wrote:

On 2009-07-03 11:24, ACJ wrote:
1 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Grenadine

If your going to use a quality rum like Zaya, use a quality Triple Sec like Cointreau.

ChipandAndy. Seriously, you have got to be kidding. Triple sec or Cointreau in a Mai Tai. Obviously, you don't know how to make a Mai Tai. Jeez. I bet you're from Florida or someother dinky place like that.

I've used the Ron Zacapa Centenario 23-year-old Solera Rum to make an outstanding, over the top Mai Tai. Considering that Vic originally used 17 year old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum to make his original, perhaps it's not that over the top.

If your going to use a quality rum like Zaya, use a quality Triple Sec like Cointreau.

Gents, nothing will improve your Mai Tai more than using a good quality Orange Curaçao, which is what Vic used originally. At the time, the '40's & '50's, Vic used DeKuyper Orange Curaçao which was then imported from the Netherlands. Unfortunately today DeKuyper is a shadow if its former self. It's made by Jim Beam and is actually rectified right here in Cincinnati, Ohio. It's as cheap (as in bad, not inexpensive) a liqueur as any you can buy. I would recommend using one of two Curaçaos for Mai Tai's (and other cocktails for that matter):

1. Senior Curaçao of Curaçao. The world's only authentic Orange Curaçao, which is made on the island of Curaçao. Senior is the last Curaçao made from the rare Laraha variety of orange, which is the original varietal used to make Curaçao.

2. Marie Brizard Orange Curaçao. Excellent French brand of cordials, their Curaçao is made from bitter-orange peel and is blended on a cognac base. Excellent quality here.

I know that these brands are somewhat expensive ( $22-$26 on average) and a little hard to find, but consider this: If you are going to pour rums that cost $30, $40 or even $50+ into a Mai Tai, why would you want to short change those rums with a cheap orange liqueur? Remember that the quality of your cocktail is only as good as it's weakest link, and if that weakest link is a bad orange liqueur, you are wasting your money pouring those good rums into that cocktail.

Cheers,

Craig

[ Edited by: CincyTikiCraig 2009-07-11 01:22 ]

I would add Clement Creole Shrubb orange liqueur to that list as well.

Of the standard brands that you can find easily I think Bols is the best option.

On 2009-07-11 07:47, rev_thumper wrote:
I would add Clement Creole Shrubb orange liqueur to that list as well.

Of the standard brands that you can find easily I think Bols is the best option.

I'm almost ashamed to say this, but I have never tasted Clement's Creole Shrubb orange liqueur. From what I've read, I bet that it might make a really good Mai Tai. I would agree that Bols is a cut above the average grade liquor store liqueurs. I sold Bols for many years when I worked for a big liquor distributor in Northern Kentucky, and their line is of decent quality. If I'm in a pinch when I'm travelling I'll buy Bols.

The Creole Shrubb does make a fine Mai Tai. If you see a bottle, grab it, you won't be sorry.

Rev - Do you have a reserve of the Guatemalan ZAYA left ? If you do, email me [email protected] and let me know how much I can buy a case from you for.

I once had a friend in college tell me "If you need to mix something with the alcohol you are drinking, then you are drinking the wrong shit" Zaya is that drink. NEVER NEVER NEVER use the Elegance of ZAYA to do anything other than pour in a Snifter and enjoy the experience.

I personally think you use whatever the hell you feel like.It's your money,your rum.The only way of finding a great tasting drink is by experimenting with the ingredients until you find a combination you like.Everyone has different tastes.

A bar i frequent recently got some Sailor Jerrys.That was my first chance to try it and i actually really enjoyed it neat,but then had the bartender make me a mai tai with Sailor Jerry's and 10 Cane(which i use regularly in combination with different rums).When he tried it he commented that it was one of the best mai tai's he'd ever had and i agree.Not rums you'd normally associate with a mai tai,but i think it works.

I personally am not into sipping rum from a tiny glass. Never was my thing. I am however into good rum. I'm in the belief that a quality rum makes a quality cocktail. I have not used Zaya as of yet as my wallet won't open up far enough to let the 47.00 $ out they are asking for a bottle here in Michigan. At the moment a Mai Tai with El Dorado 15yr and Coruba are "my go" to rums to mix. I have read on the threads that the more expensive and better quality rums are a crime to use for a mixed drink. If that's the case I am one happy criminal. Thanks.