mai kai mai tai anyone?

so yes i know its bad to crave alcohol but damn if i'm not craving a mai kai mai tai right now, complete with headache afterwards.
so does anyone know this secret blend? or is it locked away with the mystery drink girl!?
go on.. help a fellow imbiber out..

Just got back from 3 nights at the Mai Kai, and it was fabulous as always. Didn't get the Mai Tai--theirs is not one of my favorites, and there's so many other delights I needed to sample--but if memory serves me, it had grapefruit juice and a little of that "mystery flavor" that goes into most of their drinks (I haven't decoded what it is--my taste buds tell me daikon radish juice, but my brain says no frickin way). I'd recommend checking out the Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai--he was big into grapefruit, and the Mai Kai's drink menu is basically Don B's next of kin. Or, take the usual Mai Tai recipe and cross-polinate it with their Barrel o Rum recipe.

I can't relate to the headache thing--I've never gotten one at the Mai Kai, their drinks are just too darn good. My wife and I burned through 22 Mai Kai drinks and a small fortune in 3 evenings, so I have a pretty good notion that I'm Mai Kai headache-proof.

They use Appleton Rum and fresh mint leaves, I'm guessing grapefruit, pineapple, simple syrup, orgeat, lime, but I'm guessing. The Mai Tai is my favorite drink and the Mai Kai my favorite Bar, but I like my Mai Tai better, but the other Mai Kai drinks are very nice.

thanks for the response..
i guess i love their mai tai so much because it was the first i ever had.. i was hit with that almond / bitter flavor....
i will try out some of your suggestions!

That's right, Appleton. They use a lot of the aged Appleton, especially noticeable in the Shark Bite and Special Reserve Daquiri.

Hope you have good luck replicating the Mai Kai Mai Tai!

Grapefruit juice in a Mai Tai? Eeeeww... too tart! In a Navy Grog - yes! But not in a Mai Tai...

--Doctor Z, Trader Vic's Mai Tai purist

There is definitely grapefruit in the Mai Kai Mai Tai. I'm not saying it belongs there--it just is. That's one reason I don't usually order 'em there, since I make them the traditional way at home, and they're quite a bit better.

Granted, the Mai Kai Mai Tais still taste good, but they're not the authentic Vic's original. But they are better than the ones made with the crummy Trader Vic's Mai Tai mix you can buy. I don't buy into the mix thing--it's gotta be handmade all the way.

Nope, can't share this anymore. It's a family secret.

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2009-06-05 18:30 ]

I had a Mai Tai at the mai Kai last night, and there is definitely something "different" in there. I tasted something akin to cloves and my wife agreed. Maybe it's just a alchemical reaction between the grapefruit and mint, but I doubt it. There IS something special in that drink.

My wife had the Mara-Amu which I don't care for, but we got a new mug.

On 2007-01-14 08:13, thegreenman wrote:
I had a Mai Tai at the mai Kai last night, and there is definitely something "different" in there. I tasted something akin to cloves and my wife agreed. Maybe it's just a alchemical reaction between the grapefruit and mint, but I doubt it. There IS something special in that drink.

Cloves? Sounds like they're using falernum. Though I've never been to this particular bar.

I agree with Doctor Z - The ONLY citrus that belongs in a Mai Tai is fresh lime! Of course, I'm not counting the orange in the Orange Curacao. I don't know why well-known establishments have to mess about with

I asked our waitress after we had run up a pretty substantial bill and (although she wouldn't give measurements) she said they use a special sweet pink grapefruit juice, a splash of pineapple juice, honey in place of some (half?) the usual rock candy syrup, no lime whatsoever, curacao, orgeat, Appleton's aged dark rum, light rum (she also let it slip that their Mai Tai were a little light on alcohol compared to the typical... so I'm guessing 1 oz light, and a scant oz of dark. I will share with you the real Trader Vic's Mai Tai recipe (if you promise not to tell...
1 oz light rum
1/2 oz orange curacao
1/4 oz rock candy syrup (some say 1/2 oz - I think it depends on how sweet your limes are, and personal preference)
1/2 oz french orgeat syrup
juice of one lime
1 oz of premium aged dark rum floated on top(this makes the drink) - Trader Vic supposedly used 17 (then when that ran out due to the overwhelming popularity of his creation, 15 year old J. Wray Nephew Rum, but I find Mount Gay Extra Old - made in Barbados - seems to be more readily available here, and makes an excellent substitute (as does Appleton's)

I hope this helps.

Oh,

Don't forget the fresh mint, pineapple spear, (and edible orchid - for the Mai Kai version)

Later...

I'd recommend checking out the Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai--he was big into grapefruit, and the Mai Kai's drink menu is basically Don B's next of kin. Or, take the usual Mai Tai recipe and cross-polinate it with their Barrel o Rum recipe.

Here's the DTB Mai Tai:

2 oz (or 1/4 cup) water
3/4 oz or 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 oz or 2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz or 2 tablespoons sugar syrup
1 oz or 2 tablespoons dark rum
1-1/2 oz or 3 tablespoons golden rum
1/2 oz or 1 tablespoon Cointreau or triple Sec
1/4 oz or 1/2 tablespoon Falernum syrup
2 dashes or scant 1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters
1 dash or scant 1/4 teaspoon Pernod or other anisette-flavored pastis

I think I tried this once and wasn't crazy about it. Then again, I may not have. It's all a blur. Call me crazy but this recipe does not taste like the Mai Kai Mai Tais. I've tried to replicate both Mai Kai and Trader Vic's drinks at home with not much luck. I don't drink the Rum Barrel too often when I'm at the Mai Kai, but the one in Grog Log seems to ring some bells when I've made it. The Test Pilot in Grog Log seems to be close to the Jet Pilot at Mai Kai, and I'll be damned if it's not a close cousin to the Trader Vic Mai Tai. In fact the Test Pilot in Grog Log tastes almost the same as the Mai Tais they serve at Trader Vic's. Am I wrong or is the original Trader Vic formula Mai Tai NOT the one they serve at the TV bars and restaurants? By now I have that taste pretty memorized and it ain't the one at the TV bars.

The Mai-Kai's Mai Tai is a very different animal than the Trader Vic classic. It's much sweeter and contains completely different ingredients.

The flavors that pop out for us are pineapple juice, Appleton dark rum, sugar syrup and falernum. A reliable source confirms the falernum. And a very reliable source confirms that there's definitely no grapefruit.

When visiting The Mai-Kai, try the Q.B. Cooler and Bora Bora if you're looking for a drink similar to a Vic's Mai Tai.

Check out our reviews for more info, photos and recipes:

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/08/24/mai-kai-cocktail-review-trade-in-vics-mai-tai-for-this-classic/

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/07/19/mai-kai-cocktail-review-what-could-be-cooler-than-a-mai-tai-history-lesson/

Mahalo!