best rum for Trader Vics mai tai mix?

Anyone have a recommendation on which rum works best w/ Trader Vic's mai tai mix? Thanks.

trader vics own rum..if not, the next best thing is coruba rum....

The TV recipe calls for 1 oz aged Jamaican rum and 1 oz Martinique rum. TV recommends its own rum for the Jamaican rum. For the Martinique, use St. James or Trader Vic's, according to TV.

Thanks for the replies. I'm having a really hard time coming up with a place to get TV or Coruba rums (without having things sent cross-country to NYC.) Is there anything else I can use that's easier to get but still really tasty?

coruba should be easy to find at any big name liquor store outlet...it's what the bartenders at tv use after they run out of the original vics rum....get up off the barstool and make a few calls ...you will track it down in no time at all....i find it hard to believe in such a big city as nyc that coruba is hard to find there.....

I'm sure I'll get rapped across the face for my pedestrian rum taste, but I really enjoy the results (and availability) of using 1 oz. cruzan estate dark, and 1 oz. cruzan black strap rum, with TV's mix, or with the separate ingredients. The way TV described using a Martinique rum for its "nutty snappy-ness" really seems to be apparent with the black strap rum introduced into my mix. I can't afford st. James, and can't find TV's own rums anywhere. Does anybody know how a guy in cleveland can get his hands on a bottle of TV's royal amber rum?

If you're using a TV Mai Tai Mix . . . then I wouldn't waste ANY good-quality rum on it . . . the mix will only ruin the rum!

I've been thinking about doing a 5-way comparison using different rums in 5 otherwise-identical Mai Tais. It's easy for me to say that one Mai Tai should be made with the Beachbum's recommendations: St. James Hors D'Age and Appleton Extra. But what about the others? More 2-rum combinations? If so, which pairings?

Or should I try some 1-rum mixes? For 1-rum Mai Tais, both Appleton 21-year-old and Flor De Cana 21 immediately come to mind. I'm somewhat curious about Zacapa 23 or Khukri, but I fear both might be somewhat flat and boring. Doorly's XO is a possibility...

Any thoughts or comments?

Also, how would you go about making 5 different Mai Tais? If made one at a time I'd be afraid that the first would be water by the time the last one was done...

Within the last week I've made Mai Tai's using St. James Hors D'Age (as the backbone) combined with Appleton VX, Appleton Extra 12y, Appleton 21y and Ron Zacapa 23y, and with those particular rums in mind ,the only conclusion I can come to is the St James / Appleton Extra 12y is the best combination, as with the Appleton 21y and Ron Zacapa it just gets too damn smooth and too easy to drink.
Using Santa Theresa Orange Liqueur in lieu of Curacao is rather tasty, but the extra bit of strength will make the drink that more potent a la Grand Marnier, Cointreau, and go to your poor little head a lot faster. The sweeteners Orgeat and Sugar Syrup (Rock Candy) are more easily picked out as the Santa Theresa orange-liqueur is Rum-based, and not as sugary sweet as Bols, Marie Brizzard etc.
Now back to the Navy Grogs :)

On 2007-07-24 13:15, Scottes wrote:
...Also, how would you go about making 5 different Mai Tais? If made one at a time I'd be afraid that the first would be water by the time the last one was done...

Get four other people to help out. That way you have an excuse to make five mai-tais at once and you will have four more points of view to compare with.

I'll be right over....

On 2007-02-16 11:22, mudseason wrote:
Anyone have a recommendation on which rum works best w/ Trader Vic's mai tai mix? Thanks.

I have many suggestions on rums to answer your question, but first you have to answer mine....

Why are you using the Mix instead of working from scratch? Do you like the mix?

And, as a follow up question.... what rums do you have? I don't want to start recommending rums that you dont have or cant get.

When I'm not feeling totally lazy I DO make 'em from scratch, using different stuff - St. James, Coruba, Appleton. Always w/Marie Brizzard and orgeat syrup. BUT I'd like to try the Trader Vic's mix for when I'm feeling exceptionally lazy. Truth be told, the homemade version is sometimes a bit too strong for school nights - one drink goes a long way. I'd like to have an easy alternative! (Of course actually getting the TV mix isn't going to be easy here in NYC..)Tried the T&T mix - yuck!

I'm always lazy . . . at my age I can afford to be. I make up my own "mix" following the proportions in the Bum's recipe using Senor Curacao of Curacao , Orgeat, and my own Rock Candy Syrup - 4 oz of Curacao and 2 ounces each of the orgeat and Rock Candy Syrup - I mix it together in an 8 oz plastic bottle and keep it in the fridge. I want a quick Mai Tai . . I use 1 to 1.5 oz of my "mix", one oz of fresh lime juice and then what ever rums I feel like . . . sometime I'll use Appleton 12 year old with the St James Hors D'Age (especially when I'm feeling 'authentic or just want to impress) - sometimes I'll use Appleton Special with Coruba . . . or with El Dorado 15 year old. . . or, if I'm feeling exceptionaly extravagant . . . I'll make it with Appelton 21 year old alone or coupled with Hors D'Age, The 'strength factor' is up to you and what rums you use should be dictated by your taste and what you have available.
But please! Please I beg you, don't use a pre-bottled or packaged mix! If you must, abstain from Mai Tais altogether until you van either make them from scratch . . . or can use a 'mix' that you make yourself like I do.
Over-and-out.

Trader Vic's Private Selection Dark Rum

Trader Vic's Private Selection Gold Rum

Trader Vic's Private Selection Silver Rum

These were at Food4Less supermarket [owned Kroger Co., which also owns Ralphs here in California].
The dark was about $8 for 750ml. There was also 151, spiced, and others in the Private Selection series.
Has anyone tried it yet? Is the rum different or is it the same with a new label?

It's funny Trader Vics are calling it their "Private Selection" as that was the actual/original name for what is now refered to as 17 YO, although i very much reckon that's where the similarities end.

If these new Private Selection rums are as crappy as the Mai Tai mix, they are probably the perfect choice. No sense wasting even mediocre rum with that mix.

Best rum for Trader Vic's Mai Tai mix? Why Trader Vic's rum of course!

ugh...TV mix, TV rum...its all enough to make me get sober.

[ Edited by: leisure master 2008-03-19 11:04 ]

Oh . . . . . . . the horror!

On 2008-03-19 11:03, leisure master wrote:
ugh...TV mix, TV rum...its all enough to make me get sober.

[ Edited by: leisure master 2008-03-19 11:04 ]

Joe,
As bad as the TV stuff is, does it really compare to the horror of sobriety? Okay, maybe it's close, but what you said is just plain crazy talk.

(imitation of voice through a bullhorn) "You in the hawaiian shirt- step away from the coffee!! For the love of God, think of what this will do to your friends and family!"

Cheers,
Ray

[ Edited by: Urban Tiki 2008-03-20 09:06 ]

The best rum could be Wray & Nephew Overproof it should hide the taste of the TVs Mai Tai Mix nicely. :wink:

On 2008-03-19 08:28, Ojaitimo wrote:
Best rum for Trader Vic's Mai Tai mix? Why Trader Vic's rum of course!

You gotta admit.... that is some mighty fine packaging!

On 2008-03-20 15:42, Chip and Andy wrote:
You gotta admit.... that is some mighty fine packaging!

Did you ever think you'd see the day when VJB Jr's enterprise would be stooping to the depths of emulating Bacardi flavored rums, Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay, and the like? It's a devolution.