How to Make a Mai Tai Cocktail

Trader Vic might not recognize the modern Mai Tai cocktail. The creator of the drink never envisioned the sweet, fruity concoction many restaurants serve today. However, if you use the freshest ingredients, you can make a Mai Tai cocktail that is both delicious and true to its origins.

Instructions

1. Accept no compromises on the liqueurs. Buy best orange Curacao liqueur for its tart sweetness and French Orgeat for its hint of almond.

2. Buy dark Jamaican rum and Martinique rum that have been aged 8 to 15 years. The Martinique rum imparts a mildly nutty taste. The blend of the two comes close to replicating the heady flavor of the aged Jamaican rum that Trader Vic used to make the original Mai Tai.

3. Put a glassful of shaved ice into a cocktail shaker.

4. Add 1 ounce of the aged Jamaican rum and 1 ounce of the Martinique rum. Pour in 1/2 ounce of orange Curacao, 1/4 ounce rock candy syrup and 1/4 ounce of Orgeat.

5. Add 1/4 ounce of rock candy syrup to the shaker. Pour in the juice of one freshly squeezed lime and the lime peel.

6. Shake the Mai Tai mixture hard for about 10 seconds.

7. Pour the Mai Tai into the cocktail glass. Add more shaved ice and slide a leaf of fresh mint into the cocktail glass as a garnish.

Tips & Warnings

• A double old-fashioned glass is the traditional choice for serving a Mai Tai.

• Pay attention to color. A true Mai Tai is dark amber rather than the frothy pink, orange, or peach tones poured into cocktail glasses today.

• Once you master the original Mai Tai, experiment with different brands of high quality dark rums.

• Some bartenders add a small splash of fine Virgin Island rum to the blend of Jamaican and Martinique rums for smoothness.

Resources

• Trader Vic's History of and Recipes for the Mai Tai