Recipe: Test Lab: Mai Tai Modified?

Test Lab: Mai Tai Modified?

So it felt like a night to mess with a time-tried recipe. Working off the Mai Tai recipe in Beachbum Berry's Grog Log (page 50 if you're scoring at home, or even if you're alone ), I modified it like this:

1 1/2 Ounces fresh lime juice
1/2 ounces Curacao
1/4 ounce Orgeat Syrup
1/4 ounce Homemade Light Ginger Syrup*
1/4 Ounce Homemade Cinammon Syrup
1 ounce Matusalem Platino
1 ounce El Dorado 12
Coruba Float

So the drink(s) turned out perfectly, not too sweet and well-balanced, the orgeat, ginger and cinnamon playing nicely off the lime and rum trio.

Question is, can I still call this a Mai Tai or should it go by a different name? Either way, I'm making many more of these!

So I'm putting out this to the Tiki Central faithful; if there's a more appropriate name, what would it be?

*The difference between my light and heavier ginger syrup is that the ginger is removed from the light after boiling a standard 1:1 simple syrup with ginger pieces. The heavier has emulsified ginger integrated into it.

Mmmmm. Sounds good. I wouldn't think that the orgeat would play well with the spices.

Anyhow, yes, renaming it would seem like the right thing to do. But what??? It's just a spiced mai tai. I'll let the purists chime in on that one.

Also, have you tried making this drink with the strong ginger syrup? I have found that "light" ginger syrup fades real quick. I always make a strong syrup by adding a whole hand of ginger sliced into 2.5 to 3 cups of water. Throw the whole mess into our Vitamix (yes, I had to refi the house to get it) and reduce the resulting brew on the stove to approximately 2 cups. Then, after destroying the kitchen filtering out the pulp, I make a 1:1 syrup. The syrup works wonderfully in Planters' Punch.

Beachbum Berry's Remixed has a recipe for the Q.B. Cooler on page 84 from Don the Beachcomber's that has been alleged by some to be the inspiration for Trader Vic's Mai Tai. The Q.B. has both ginger syrup and falernum for spicy notes. So, you might want to try that recipe and see what you think.

Interesting take on a stronger ginger syrup, jingleheimerschmidt! I don't have a Vitamix (I wish!), but I might be able to approximate it with what I have on hand. It's been noted that for whatever reason, fresh ginger syrup loses its zing in just a matter of days, so I tend to make it in smaller batches now. I'll definitely give this a go!

I actually did get to sample a Q.B. Cooler or two at one of 320 Main's Tiki Nights last summer, Trader Tom. There's definite similarities to the Mai Tai there, and it might even have more complexity in taste. I have yet to make it at home; maybe that's this weekend's project!

But first, it's time to restock Pimento Dram, Falernum and all the rest of the stuff that makes a difference. This is gonna dent the wallet!

On 2012-10-11 07:10, Dolewhip wrote:
Interesting take on a stronger ginger syrup, jingleheimerschmidt! I don't have a Vitamix (I wish!), but I might be able to approximate it with what I have on hand. It's been noted that for whatever reason, fresh ginger syrup loses its zing in just a matter of days, so I tend to make it in smaller batches now. I'll definitely give this a go!

I actually did get to sample a Q.B. Cooler or two at one of 320 Main's Tiki Nights last summer, Trader Tom. There's definite similarities to the Mai Tai there, and it might even have more complexity in taste. I have yet to make it at home; maybe that's this weekend's project!

But first, it's time to restock Pimento Dram, Falernum and all the rest of the stuff that makes a difference. This is gonna dent the wallet!

Thanks! I like my ginger to hurt. :D In my cocktails (its been going in everything lately), it doesn't overpower, lends the perfect amount of ginger flavor, and gives a nice bite. A 750ml bottle full preserved with a jigger of vodka keeps its potency for a surprising amount of time.

Trader Tom brought up a good point about the QB. If you're not thinking too hard, the two taste remarkably similar even though the ingredients on paper are so different.

Do you make your own pimento dram?

Well, I made two of these this weekend. I used different rums however; 1 Zaya and 1 Appleton v/x (its all I had). First, it was really good and invoked what I'd refer to as a classic tiki cocktail. With that said, it definitely doesn't taste like a mai tai anymore. In fact, the orgeat (homemade) was hard to discern. Anyhow, I too will make more.

Thanks!

Hey, jingleheimerschmidt!

It's cool that you whipped up a batch of these!

I totally agree with you; this drink has a very tiki drink feel to it, but I'd be remiss to call it something else. It's really just a modified recipe, really. I'm liking it though! I agree that the orgeat gets a bit lost in the mix. Maybe I'll amp down the other syrups and put 1/4 more orgeat.

I've sorta moved on to making an allspice syrup to experiment with. Got some allspice berries and made an adjusted recipe with 1:1 syrup and 1/2 cup of white rum. I've been tweaking Martin Cate's Pampanito recipe with this. Even went out and got Pampero rum and molasses to make it a bit more accurate. If you have a chance, check it out. Pretty amazing cocktail!

So what are you working on these days?

On 2012-10-15 08:13, jingleheimerschmidt wrote:
Well, I made two of these this weekend. I used different rums however; 1 Zaya and 1 Appleton v/x (its all I had). First, it was really good and invoked what I'd refer to as a classic tiki cocktail. With that said, it definitely doesn't taste like a mai tai anymore. In fact, the orgeat (homemade) was hard to discern. Anyhow, I too will make more.

Thanks!