The Mai Tai, a component study in Mixology

I use Mount Gay Eclipse for my mighty Mai Tais.

This one was made with a jigger of Mount Gay Eclipse and a jigger of Coruba, plus a shot of Appleton Estate 12 year for the topper.

I use Bols Orange Curaçao, home-made orgeat (in this case my Emergency Orgeat Syrup) and home-made, kick-ass rock candy syrup.

Shaved ice, of course. Shaken ruthlessly, afterwards poured over the rocks.

These days I'm using key limes 'cause they are currently available (Washington DC area). When they disappear, I'll go back to Persian/Tahiti limes.

[ Edited by: The Gnomon 2007-06-25 09:41 ]

Thanks for responding so quickly about the use of Barbados rums. I'm going to get some MG Eclipse tonight. The nice thing about Barbados rums is their availability. Sandiagodan maintains that he has bought me an extra bottle of St. James, but I've yet to see the scoundrel anywhere. His excuse is that it makes a bitter Mai Tai.

Anyway, its nice to hear that the Barbados substitution is a viable alternative: And, if it is in all probability that the purpose of the Martinique Rum isto add a certain element of say nuttiness to the flavor of the Mai Tai - one that was lost when the 17 year old W@N Jamaican became unavailable, then it is our role to find a substitution - one that isn't necessarily limited to the Martinique.

Trader Vic's uses its own blend that may or may not be an authentic heir to the origonal. That being stated, the modern bar tender's role is not to be limited to ingedients printed in a third or fourth revision of a recipe from TV's, but rather to find those ingredients that best recreate what the intent of the origonal was. Chip and Andy seem to have a fantastic nose for this and have done a great job describing the bouquets and flavors of those ingredients that constitute the core of the Mai Tai. On this discussion page, you start with the small and work your way to the main attraction. Now here is a challenge that can take this discussion to the next level.

Try deconstructing (working backwards) the aromas, flavors, and tastes of an origonal Mai Tai or one that is as close to the origonal as possible, and then match today's shelf ingredients in a manner that reproduces that sensation.

For instance, what did the Trader smell and taste in his orgeat, curacao, and rums when the final product was concocted. What do we have today that approximates those sensations?

What do we have today that is easily available to approximate those sensations?

Remember, if one wants only authenticity in regards to Polynesian life, one can spend the money to hop on a plane and go to Tahiti. However, if one wishes to escape only for just an evening, then you only need to find a local Poly Palace.

Accessibility is a key component in terms of defining the tiki ideal. So, what is there today that can help most of us have that accessible Mai Tai? Remember, even TV changed his recipes as the whims of accessibility dictated change.

Thank you, and happy mixing!

I am brand new to this forum. I have enjoyed this Mai-Tai thread very much and would like to add my 2 cents to this subject.
I have a physical reaction to dark rums and usually avoid them whenever possible. Sort of an alergy thing. Also my wife is on a sort of low-carb quest at this time which severely limits drinks of the high-sugar sort. Today I picked up a quart of Baja Bob's Maui Madness mixer w/Splenda and a bottle of Meyer's white rum. It made for a tasty low-carb drink that we both enjoyed very much. In fact I am drinking one as I write this post. I am looking forward to trying some made from scratch Mai-Tais ASAP. I do have to aquire the basic ingredients and some type of a press but am very much looking forward to sampling a well-built Mai-Tai. Please forgive my pedestrian tastes.

I just visited Trader Vic's Gourmet – Drinks Recipes and saw this painful sight:

The Famous MAI TAI
4 oz. Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix
2 oz. fine dark rum
juice of 1 fresh lime

Fill a double old fashioned glass with cubed ice and add the ingredients above. Stir well and garnish with fresh mint sprig, pineapple spear, cherry and slice of lime. Substitute 2 oz. of bourbon for the rum, and you've made a HONI HONI.

Then it went downhill from there...

Truth in advertising?

If you go to the Mai Tai Mix page you're treated to this claim:

MAI TAI MIX LITER

Created half a century ago, but as bracingly contemporary as ever, this is The Trader's original formula - and the most requested tropical drink in the world. We've done our homework to recreate the famous Mai Tai of our restaurants, combining the flavors of oranges and almonds and formulating a mixture that stands up proudly to cubed or crushed ice.

I don't know if there is a new mix that replaces the TV Mai Tai mix long available on grocery store shelves, but if it is, it not only bears no resemblance whatsoever to the original formula, it isn't anything like any of TV's recipe adjustments either.

Does anyone know what's up with this outrageous claim?

Also at the site you can buy "official" Mai Tai glasses and cocktail shakers.

TV Mai Tai Glass $40.00 for a set of 6 (damn!)

TV Shaker with Mask Insignia $49.95 each (double damn!!)

I wonder what Jules would think if he was alive to see this.

What exactly does the 4oz represent, as the Curacao, Orgeat and Rock Candy only amount to 1-1.5oz.
Obviously the idea is to bloat the drink to a more customer friendly amount.

Well you've got no worries with the TV MaiTai mix in Europe as we can't have it due to it containing Genetically modified Corn syrup, not sure if they use it behind the bar though?

Your lucky in London, you've probably got a great selection of Curacao, but here in Dublin the only Curacao available is Joseph Cartron (Red) and now the dutch Wenneker Orange Curacao, the Bols is available only in Blue.
But as I've grown accustomed to Marie Brizard Orange Curacao, I can't make my Mai Tai's with anything else. But a little birdie told me that the Senior Curacao of Curacao should !! be available in the UK within the next 8-weeks or so, something to look forward to.
I wonder has anyone tried the Briottet Orange Curacao from Dijon in France ???

On 2007-06-25 22:50, Spike wrote:
...Today I picked up a quart of Baja Bob's Maui Madness mixer w/Splenda and a bottle of Meyer's white rum. It made for a tasty low-carb drink that we both enjoyed very much.... I am looking forward to trying some made from scratch Mai-Tais ASAP....

Welcome to Tiki Central, it is always a pleasure to have new drinkers join our ranks.

Sad to hear about your 'alergic' reation to dark rums since most of the better sipping rums are dark(er) in color. I have a couple of variations that I have tried for Mai-Tais with lighter rums that were pretty decent, I'll dig through my bar notes and get back to you.

As to the carb thing, can't help you there. Drinking and Atikins I think are incompatible... But, if you are finding mixes that you enjoy that have Splenda or other fake sugars you might want to start a new discussion somewhere in here to share what you are finding. I am sure there are many more that would like to find some diet friendly options behind the bar.

Please forgive my pedestrian tastes.

Never apologize for your tastes. You like what you like for a reason and you should only drink what you like. You should always try something new, but never give up what works for you.

I bought a couple bottles of TV Mai Tai mix a couple years ago, and it was truly nasty crap. Even the worst of the local restaurants do better.

On 2007-06-26 10:29, Scottes wrote:
I bought a couple bottles of TV Mai Tai mix a couple years ago, and it was truly nasty crap. Even the worst of the local restaurants do better.

That's what I mean. The Mai Tai mix label on the TV Gourmet website is different from the one I see in the grocery stores. That could mean that the product is also different, but it just probably means that they updated the label, in which case their "original formula" claim is crap even nastier than what's insider the bottle.

This evening's recipe:

1oz Cruzan Black Cherry Rum*
1oz Cruzan Dark Rum
1/2oz Rose's Triple Sec
1/2oz Orgeat (almond syrup)
1oz pineapple juice
1oz orange juice
dash Giroux's Grenadine to color
dash lime juice

Shake and strain. Serve in highball (hawaiian tiki-motif ceramic, preferably) over ice. Garnish with skewer of orange, lime and cherry. And an umbrella!

My patrons loved it, but remarked that the drink didn't taste as strong as the typical Chinese Restaurant beverage. Floating a layer of dark rum changed that. 1&1/2 oz of each rum in the second round making also alleviated the "I can't taste the alcohol in this" syndrome (that comment heard when I was bartending meant you'd just ordered your last martini from me. But I made the Mai-tais in my home, not to mention that it was a new recipe so we adjusted the amounts of rum).

Disclosure: after a post-drinking-age-in-the-Bahamas-is-18 incident in college, I generally don't drink rum - not so's I can smell it in the drink, that is. But party before country** prevails.

• Most recipies I perused called for 1oz Light Rum and 1/2oz cherry Syrup. The Cruzan Black Cherry Rum takes care of both with a sweet, smooth flavor and fragrance, and makes for one fewer ingredient to buy.

** Apologies to the Hon. H.G. Blake, of Ohio.

Just noticed I never followed up. The Senior & Co. had a delightful, delicate perfume but not much body: orange-blossom water, basically. The Marie Brizard was like a mouthful of bitter marmalade with a fiery finish. I enjoyed both but would not special-order the Senior & Co. again. I would recommend it to anyone who specifically wanted a subtle curaçao, or just to try the real thing, though.

On 2007-06-28 23:38, dianalily wrote:
This evening's recipe:

1oz Cruzan Black Cherry Rum*
1oz Cruzan Dark Rum
1/2oz Rose's Triple Sec
1/2oz Orgeat (almond syrup)
1oz pineapple juice
1oz orange juice
dash Giroux's Grenadine to color
dash lime juice

Shake and strain. Serve in highball (hawaiian tiki-motif ceramic, preferably) over ice. Garnish with skewer of orange, lime and cherry. And an umbrella!...

Aloha dianalily and welcome to TC. And welcome to the discussion of the Mai-Tai, what I hope to make the 'perfect presentation' of the Tiki Drink world......

Your recipe sounds like quite the presentation for a Island-Style Mai-Tai. And the umbrella is the perfect touch! Did you get pictures of the finished drink you can share?

And then, the Black Cherry Rum sounds like fun, but I would pair it with the darkest rum I had to try and highlight the softer cherry notes. But that is a guess since I haven't tried the rum yet.... does it taste good, or is the flavor candy-like and overly sweet?

And then, I would loose the Rose's Triple Sec and get something a bit better overall. You are only using a half-ounce so it really should be 'the good stuff.' Try some Cointreau, I find it brings both a wonderful nose and taste to the drink.

And, since I am offering my unsolicited opinion of your yummy sounding drink, I would loose the pineapple and orange juice as well. You will have to increase the lime, obviously, and you will have to either dash up your grenadine or switch to a bar syrup to bring the sweetness back.

But, if you did all of that you would be back to a Classic Mai-Tai, which is my favorite. If you can't tell, I am not too keen on Island-Style Mai-Tais. There is nothing wrong with them, and if that is what you like please keep making them.

My only request to you (the entire drink making universe really) is that you clarify to your guests/patrons/whomever you are serving to that you are making an Island-Style or Hawaiian-Style Mai-Tai. There is nothing more frustrating that sitting down, being offered a Mai-Tai, and then being presented a tall hurricane glass filled with a bunch of stuff you weren't expecting. And the same goes in reverse, if you are expecting the tall hurricane glass and you are presented with a old-fashioned you are so going to go WTF? to the bartender....

[ Edited by: chip and andy 2007-10-11 07:06 ]

If anybody says "WTF?" to me after I hand them a well-prepared (i.e., no umbrellas) classic Mai-Tai, they're going to get a nice tall glass of Cruzan Blackstrap instead. I've got to get rid of that stuff somehow...

On 2007-10-10 23:55, johnnyfootballhero wrote:
Just noticed I never followed up. The Senior & Co. had a delightful, delicate perfume but not much body: orange-blossom water, basically. The Marie Brizard was like a mouthful of bitter marmalade with a fiery finish. I enjoyed both but would not special-order the Senior & Co. again. I would recommend it to anyone who specifically wanted a subtle curaçao, or just to try the real thing, though.

I finally got a bottle of the MB Orange Curacao last week, and I must compare it to the Senior Curacao someday soon. The MB was the last missing piece - and one of the most important - in my "Orange Liqueur Throwdown" comparison, so this must be revisited.

I had the blue Marie Brizard, by the way; I understand the bitterness may vary.

[ Edited by: johnnyfootballhero 2007-10-11 22:40 ]

On 2007-10-11 22:39, johnnyfootballhero wrote:
I had the blue Marie Brizard, by the way; I understand the bitterness may vary.

Yes, but not because of the blue. The only difference in about 99% of the curacao between blue and any other color is the color. You may think it tasted different because it changes the color of your drink so much, but if you taste them blind you will be surprised.

There is, however, quite a bit of difference between the different brands and types of Curacao/Triple Sec/Orange stuff and Scottes pretty much nailed it on another thread in here somewhere. Look for it, it is worth a read.

Oh, and welcome to Tiki Central Johnnyfootballhero. Always nice to have new livers to chat with.

Did I say liver, my bad. I meant always nice to have new people to chat with.

There is, however, quite a bit of difference between the different brands and types of Curacao/Triple Sec/Orange stuff and Scottes pretty much nailed it on another thread in here somewhere. Look for it, it is worth a read.

It's here on my blog:
http://scottesrum.com/category/comparisons/orange-liqueur-throwdown/

Or here on Tiki Central, along with many comments from others:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=23301&forum=10

I´ve been using Bols Dry Orange Curacao which the Bum recently recommended on his blog. I know it's not available in the US (yet) so this probably isn't much help to you. But since I live in Holland it's easily available here. I picked it up some time ago so I was pleased to see the Bum recommending it. But that is probably the only thing next to Havana Club that is easier to obtain here than in the US... But I'm not complaining, searching for new stuff is what makes this tiki thing more of a challenge, and with that the reward seems bigger when you finally get to taste a drink.

For the aged Martinique I've been using Clément Vieux, which I think is similar to Clément VSOP, but I don't know that for sure. I used to use St. James Royal Amber 'cause I couldn't find the Hors d'Age and that was too harsh for my tastes. The Clément Vieux is excellent. For the Jamaican dark I just use Appleton Extra.

As for the orgeat, until now I've been using Monin and I've read here on TC that some people think it has a weak almond taste and some seem to think its strong. I like to pour a half ounce of orgeat in there and leave out the sugar syrup altogether, but I have to try a different brand of Orgeat to check the strength, I have Teisseire on the way. Ofcourse I can try to make my own, reading the orgeat thread this seems like a real challenge. I recently had a go at making my own falernum and I'm also trying the recipe for pimento liqueur from Sippin' Safari.

cheers,

LeChuck.

[ Edited by: LeChuck 2007-10-12 14:31 ]

Where I live the only brand of Orange Curacao available is DeKuyper, and it isn't really very good. Since I have to order a quality brand and have it shipped to me then I'm sticking with Senior Curacao of Curacao - and that's what I use exclusively now. I usually order 4 bottles at a time and it goes a long, long way.
For orgeat I use either Torani or Teisseire with the Teisseire having a slightly more natural flavor - but considering the amount used for a Mai Tai - to my taste is doesn't matter that much as long as you get the flavor notes you're looking for. The rock Candy Syrup I make myself using turbinado sugar and a touch of vanilla (and some white rum to retard ugly growth on the inside of the bottle) - and I keep it in the fridge.
Limes of course, I squeeze fresh for each drink.
Now, for ease of mixing if I have guests who want a "Real Mai Tai" I'll pre-mix the Curacao, Orgeat and Rock Candy Syrup in their proper proportions and keep it in one of those Rubber Maid plastic bottles - pouring about 1 oz. of the mix for each drink.
Now, for the rums - I only use Saint James Hors D'Age and Appleton Estates Extra (12 year old) - one ounce of each. I use this combination when I'm making "Real" Mai Tais . . . for any other type of Mai Tai I'll use brands of lesser quality.
What I haven't done yet . . . because I haven't mustered up the courage . . . is to use the Saint James with some of the Appleton Estates 21-year-old . . . maybe some day.

On 2007-10-12 09:21, LeChuck wrote:
For the aged Martinique I've been using Clément Vieux, which I think is similar to Clément VSOP, but I don't know that for sure.

The Vieux is aged more, and definitely stronger than the VSOP. Think Appleton Extra compared to V/X. The VSOP is better for general mixing but the Vieux is probably better for a Mai Tai.

Ofcourse I can try to make my own, reading the orgeat thread this seems like a real challenge.

The Gnomon and I have been dissecting home made orgeat lately. I'm sure one of us will post a definitive guide when we're done. (If we're ever done.)

I would highly recommend The Gnomon's "Emergency Orgeat" which uses store-bought almond milk, thus bypassing all the difficult steps. It's quite good, and a heck of a lot better than Fee's or Monin's.

On 2007-10-12 11:12, GentleHangman wrote:
What I haven't done yet . . . because I haven't mustered up the courage . . . is to use the Saint James with some of the Appleton Estates 21-year-old . . . maybe some day.

If you have a bottle of the 21, then go for it! But it's not worth buying a bottle just for that. The 21 is very good, and I'm glad that I have a bottle, but when it's gone I'm not going to rush out and buy another. It's a treat, but it's not twice as good as the Extra, yet it is twice the price...

On 2007-10-12 05:03, Chip and Andy wrote:
Yes, but not because of the blue. The only difference in about 99% of the curacao between blue and any other color is the color. You may think it tasted different because it changes the color of your drink so much, but if you taste them blind you will be surprised.

Oh, I knew the dye would not cause a difference, but I did not know whether 1996 blue Marie Brizard inside Spain would taste identical to 2007 orange Marie Brizard outside Spain. So many variables.

On 2007-10-12 05:03, Chip and Andy wrote:
Oh, and welcome to Tiki Central Johnnyfootballhero. Always nice to have new livers to chat with.

Did I say liver, my bad. I meant always nice to have new people to chat with.

Heh, thanks either way. My scope is a little limited, but everyone here has been very kind.

Every time I go into a new place I order a Mai Tai to check out different versions.
I ask for the recipe while sharing the Bums recipe so they don't think I'm trying to steal their secrets.
" Our mai tai? OJ. Pineapple juice, Armaretto and Coke" I had to pass on that one and broke with tradition after many bad drinks calling themselves Mai Tai. I even had a red one that is from some mix?
Suzy and The Tonga Hut served complimentary Mai Tais made the right way at Sven's Tiki Modern book signing last Sunday. Vic would have approved of them himself.
Good job Suzy!

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-10-18 11:59 ]

I am lucky enough to have a bottle Wray & Nephew 17 year old to compare our Mai Tais to, so I hope I can be scientific about the choice of rum.

We've tasted a lot of rums in Mai Tais and the best - as in closest to the Trader's mindblowing original - feature;

Silver Seal 28 year old Demerara - bottled in Scotland
Appleton 21 Year old
Pussers is very good - preferrably the higher proof original blend

Nothing hits the spot like the 17 year old though. The rich pot still flavours and high proof are essential for a great MT

Allow me to resurrect this well-aged thread with the current link to the $100 Mai Tai article, since the links at the beginning of the thread are broken:

http://www.clubtiki.com/journal/2010/1/14/the-100-mai-tai.html

Here's one of my favorites....

One fifth Saint James 15-year Hors D'Age Rum $44.99
One fifth Appleton Estate 12-year rum $27.99
One bottle Clement Creole Shrubb Orange $31.99
One bottle Trader Vic orgeat syrup $5.99
One bottle Trader Vic rock candy syrup $5.99
One pound fresh limes $1.29
One bunch fresh mint $1.99
TOTAL: $120.23

Although last night I ran out of Shrubb and used Senior Curacao at $25.99 a bottle or $118.23 Mai Tai's. :)

Cheers,
Chris

Oh, and I like to slip some Smith and Cross into my Mai Tai every now and then. I really like the funk in that rum.

[ Edited by: WestADad 2012-04-12 13:25 ]