rum suggestions for mai tai's?

Normally I use St. James Royal Ambre and Appleton VX -or- Clement Premiere Canne and Appleton Special Gold when I want a dry cocktail but after a couple rounds tonight I decided to try Appleton Special Gold and some Mount Gay Sugar Cane Brandy on a whim.

Not bad but a bit flat. It tastes like something is being cancelled out.

So, I call it a failed experiment.

Just switched up my house Mai Tai blend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwNo8eAivs/

1/2 oz each of:
Appleton 12
Smith & Cross
Xyamaca
OFTD

This replaces my previous house blend to increase the ABV and lean more info the Jamaican funk
Appleton 12, El Dorado 12, Denizen Merchant's Reserve, Koloa Dark.

That would cost me $390AUS (about $270US) to buy all those rums. Would be interested in trying that combination but can't see that happening unless i win the lottery.

Wow, that sounds like something! We have all those, may have to try that.

But currently just drinking Denizen neat, cuz we're lazy.

Picked up some Appleton 12 and tried your rum blend, Kevin, which i enjoyed. Next time I make Demerara syrup, I'll try your entire house recipe.

Very nice!

I've collected several different Mai Tai rum blend recipes, many of which are sourced from Kevin Crossman. In addition to Kevin's house blend posted above, I really enjoy the Hale Pele blend, which is generally also a hit with others I serve it to.

Mai Tai 75th Anniversary (Smuggler’s Cove)
1 oz Appleton Reserve
1/2 oz Appleton 12
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof

Blair Reynolds
1 oz Appleton 12
1 oz Rhum Barbancourt 5 Star

Hale Pele
1 1/2 oz Coruba Dark
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof

Tiki With Ray
1 oz Coruba Dark
1 oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve

[ Edited by Hamo on 2022-04-12 21:53:19 ]

As I’ve learned more about rum over the past few years, and tasted hundreds of them, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best rum in the world comes from Jamaica. Most of the world doesn’t know this, because Jamaican rum doesn’t have a cool region-specific name like “Scotch” or “Cachaça” or “Bourbon” to designate a spirt made in a specific locale. But the unique character of Jamaican rum has been known to bartenders and to savvy consumers for decades.

I have been less than enthused by actions of Plantation Rum’s parent company Maison Ferrand when it comes to the draft rum GI (geographical indication) in Barbados, and to a lesser extent the existing GIs for rums from Jamaica and Guyana. I enjoy many of the Plantation Rums, including the Xaymaca and OFTD expressions that are in my Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend, but I don’t love their Barbados expressions with tons of added sugar. And it is exactly the Jamaican Rum GI and other regulations that prevents any producer from adding sugar or other additives to the wonderful Jamaican pot still distillate that goes into Xaymaca. If the market was flooded by “Jamaica Rum” products with sugar and other additives, the spirit wouldn’t have the universally stellar reputation that it currently maintains. So this GI stuff is actually pretty important.

I’ve been looking for a Mai Tai rum blend that omits Plantation products, and tried to include rums from various countries. Over and over I’ve tried to approach the unique and complex flavor from the Ultimate Mai Tai blend, and tried to match the 50% ABV which that blend is famous for. None of them approached the taste I was looking for. After a year of experimentation, I’ve decided this blend is good enough to be let out to the world. And it turns out it is an entirely Jamaican blend.

Ultimate Mai Tai Jamaican Rum Blend 2 parts Appleton 12 Rare Casks (43% ABV) 2 parts Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum (57% ABV) 1 part Worthy Park 109 (54.5% ABV)

The Appleton 12 and Smith & Cross are carryovers from the Ultimate Mai Tai blend, and are widely used in the industry. The blended aged rum from Appleton tempers some of Smith & Cross’ infamous funky pot still flavors. Just the two of them together make a fabulous Mai Tai. In fact they make up the rum in the excellent Mai Tai at San Jose’s Dr. Funk Rum House and tiki bar, one of our Top 5 Mai Tais.

The inclusion of Worthy Park 109 is to add some Demerara Rum-style flavor notes, such as burnt sugar. The caramel coloring also adds to the mouthfeel of the rum blend. I found Worthy Park 109 to be similar to some circa 1950s Myers’s Planters Punch rum that I was fortunate to try. The light funk provided by 109 keeps that flavor in the rum blend, and the high ABV allows us to keep the overall blend just above 50%.

Unfortunately, the 2-2-1 ratio does not make for easy on-the-spot jigger measurements for a Mai Tai that features 2 oz / 60 ml of rum. So, we suggest you batch up a bit to give this blend a try in a Mai Tai. It compares quite favorably to the Ultimate Mai Tai blend in side-by-side comparisons.

Give it a try and let us know what you think. https://ultimatemaitai.com/2022/03/13/ultimate-mai-tai-jamaican-rum-blend/

I too have phased MF products from my life even though a couple of them are good values without added sugar and work well in cocktails. There are far too many other quality rum options from heritage producers and honest bottlers available to us to support their agenda.

Edit: what are you using for orange liqueur in your new blend, being that one of the most commonly accepted is from said French brand? I teeter towards Clement Creole Shrub quite often but find it doesn’t pair well with every rum blend. Giffard has a new orange liqueur I’m eager to test out.

[ Edited by mikehooker on 2022-04-16 06:29:13 ]

I like these basically just as much as the Dry Curacao. Cointreau Triple Sec Orange Liqueur (40% ABV) Clement Créole Shrubb Liqueur D’Orange (40% ABV)

https://ultimatemaitai.com/about/orange-curacao/

When I'm Mai Tai-ing for people of whom I'm very fond AND who would appreciate it, I use 1oz Appleton 12 and 1oz Barbancourt 15 (oh, and Cointreau for the dry curaçao). To my palate, this is THE way to go, I haven't found any other that tastes (to me) better, although there are many others which taste great.

If I'm making more-than-a-few Mai Tais, where the crowd is very unlikely to grasp the nuances of the rum blend, then it's 2oz Doorly's XO, and Patrón Citronge for the dry curaçao.

If I'm making a TON of Mai Tais, then all bets are off, and just be glad if the rum is darker than iced tea.

[ Edited by jokeiii on 2022-04-19 06:35:07 ]

Rather than a floater, have you considered pre-mixing your rums in a batch and mixing your floater into the batch? That way, men you make your mai tai, you are not overwhelming the drink with more than 2oz of rum (which might throw off the balance of other ingredients IMO), but you are still getting the little bit of different flavor that you are trying to get from your floater. I use a similar base to yours, but mix a little Coruba dark into the mix and have been generally pleased with the results.