Recipe: "Bali Hai's World Famous Mai Tai" - in the San Diego Union-Tribune

Article in today's FOOD Section of the Bali Hai's Mai Tai recipe.

The article states; "What makes the Bali Hai version so special is that it contains no fruit juice..."

The menus at the Bali also boast about their Mai Tai having "no fruit juice"

Now let's look at the recipe.... Do I see Sweet and Sour?

Yes.

Now anybody here should know what goes in to Sweet and Sour mix. Typically lemon juice and sugar syrup, or sometimes lime juice and sugar syrup, or a combination of lemon, lime and sugar.

So based on the Bali Hai boastful claim, does this mean that the Sweet and Sour mix used at the Bali Hai contains no actual lemon or lime juice and is artificially flavored? Why are they bragging about this? Or does their sweet and sour actually have juice in it and they just don't know what they're saying. Either way, this looses points in my book.

And how do we know that the sweet n' sour mix used at Bali Hai actually contains real lemon juice? It could be artificial lemon and corn syrup for all we know.

IMHO, I give the Bali Hai Mai Tai the thumbs down. There are so many better things to drink there. If I want a Mai Tai I'll have one at Vic's, Tiki Ti, Don the Beachcomber, Tony's... but I can do without the Bali Hai Mai Tai.

Doesn't one of the Beachbum Berry books have a Bali Hai Mai Tai recipe in it? How does it compare with this one? (I'm at work :))

On 2009-07-02 06:37, Rum Balls wrote:
Doesn't one of the Beachbum Berry books have a Bali Hai Mai Tai recipe in it? How does it compare with this one? (I'm at work :))

Yes, the Bali Hai Mai Tai is in Intoxica. It's the same recipe as published, but it specifies 1 oz. of sweet and sour instead of "to fill the glass". :)

~Gina

On 2009-07-01 22:27, PiPhiRho wrote:

IMHO, I give the Bali Hai Mai Tai the thumbs down. There are so many better things to drink there. If I want a Mai Tai I'll have one at Vic's, Tiki Ti, Don the Beachcomber, Tony's... but I can do without the Bali Hai Mai Tai.

I'm glad you said this. I tried a Bali Hai Mai Tai at a recently-past Oasis and found it to be overly strong without the elements that make a Mai Tai "mai tai." There are better things to drink at the Bali Hai. If I want all booze, I'll order a Manhattan.

Everyone says how strong the Bali Hai Mai Tai is, but it has the same amount of rum as a trader vics...2 oz.

I haven't tried it yet, but I've had the Mr Bali Hai and the Scorpion bowl and liked them both.

The possible reason for it being so strong is that their bartenders usualy don't measure anything :)
Ran

I always find Bali Hai's mai tai to be really strong. Maybe they put more rum in it than they tell you.

I don't like them at all.
if someone gave me one for free,
I would refuse it.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Stopped by Bali Hai last year. Had lunch there during the middle of the week.

They advertise the Mai Tai as "strong". Right on the drinks menu.

My first tropical drink at any Polynesian restaurant, first visit, is always a Mai Tai. My gauge for "quality" I guess.

Well I ordered two Mai Tais, one for me one for Melany. When they arrived at the table they looked fantastic. Proper color and all that stuff. Plus mint and pineapple garnish.

Mel took one sip off of her Mai Tai and could not drink the rest of it! Too strong!
The drink was mostly all rum with very little fruit (lime).

I ended up drinking both cocktails during lunch and felt no pain afterward. I was off the ground you could say. Spent the rest of the afternoon at the tide pools near the lighthouse close-by the Bali Hai. The buzz lasted all afternoon! Awesome.

While I will agree the Bali Hai Mai Tai was strong - it sure beat the Mr. Tiki Mai Tai I had the night before in downtown SD - all red syrup and served in a hurricane glass...wtf?

In the above recipe, is it OK to substitute Myers's rum for "Meyers"?
The sour mix probably doesn't contain any lemon juice - citric acid and corn syrup.

On 2009-07-02 10:57, arriano wrote:
I always find Bali Hai's mai tai to be really strong. Maybe they put more rum in it than they tell you.

Strong? Last time I drank one it singed off my eyebrows.

went the other night for a birthday cocktail, strong as usual...

They use coruba now rather than meyers, and you can request an all Meyers variant if you want (now light rum, double meyers)

I believe thay also float 151 on top , thats where the kick comes from.

From what I remember it was

one ounce light rum
one ounce dark rum
one ounce 151
splash of sweet and sour
and
ice.

Or so it tasted...

On 2009-07-06 22:36, telescopes wrote:
From what I remember it was

one ounce light rum
one ounce dark rum
one ounce 151
splash of sweet and sour
and
ice.

Or so it tasted...

This sounds correct for the Bali Hai Mai Tai I had in 2018. It was terrible.

The Bali Hai Mai Tai is the one we make at home....

The Bali Hai Mai Tai as we make it.

Dark rum 1oz
White rum 1oz
Curacao 1/2 oz
Sweet and sour 1oz
Orgeat 1/2 oz
Lime juice 1/2 of a lime

If I can find it I used to put an ounce of Ferreira Duque - Doirinha Almond Liqueur in them, Made them better we thought.

Mix in shaker with ice / serve with mint.

I love em.

It's been a while but The Trader Vic Orgeat had that rose water or a flower taste yuck.

On 2019-01-08 11:35, tikiskip wrote:

It's been a while but The Trader Vic Orgeat had that rose water or a flower taste yuck.

I'm not a fan of the rosewater either. I always use orange flower water for my orgeat. Tastes more like an agreeable cocktail syrup and less like my grandma's perfume.

On 2019-01-08 10:08, kevincrossman wrote:

On 2009-07-06 22:36, telescopes wrote:
From what I remember it was

one ounce light rum
one ounce dark rum
one ounce 151
splash of sweet and sour
and
ice.

Or so it tasted...

This sounds correct for the Bali Hai Mai Tai I had in 2018. It was terrible.

Agreed. I always think they taste like kerosene.

The Bali Hai is one of my favorite spots. That said their Mai Tai is horrible-worse even more than the ones that I have screwed up at home when I’ve had several too many. Imho, the Paralyzing Pufferfish is one of the best drinks served there. Google “ Bali Hai Olivia paralyzing pufferfish” no quotation marks, to see an excellent video featuring the lovely Olivia Daniel (senior bartender) concocting this delicious drink.
In case you can’t get the video here’s the recipe:
1.25 oz Fugu Horchata Vodka

1.25 oz Three Sheets Barrel Aged Rum
.
50 oz Cruzan Aged 151 Proof Rum
.
50 oz Trader Vic's Passion Fruit Syrup

2 fresh squeezed lime wedges

1.50 oz pineapple juice


Garnishes: pineapple wedge and cherry