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Sep 242 min read

Mai Tai

Tiki cultures most iconic cocktail in it's original form.This is the Mai Tai.


Picture of Mai Tai cocktail

A picture of a clock

Prep time: 2-3 minutes






Picture of a half full glass

Serves : 1





Picture of a cocktail shaker

Strength : Moderate




When talking about Tiki Culture and drinks, you have to start the conversation with the Mai Tai. Victor J. Bergeron claimed to have invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at his Trader Vics restaurant in Oakland California. However Donn Beach Trader Vics forerunner had also claimed to of created the Mai Tai back in 1933, but a long time colleague of Beach later explained that Donn saw the Mai Tai as being based of his Q.B Cooler recipe.



The Mai Tai was later introduced to Hawaii in 1953 when Bergeron created a cocktail menu for the Matson Company hotels the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Moana Hotel. The cocktail became very popular and was considered a "Top Tourist Tantaliser" in 1959. In the years after this, pineapple juice, orange juice, and a dark rum float became commonly used in Mai Tais produced in Hawaii. The name was supposedly taken from "maitaʻi", the Tahitian word for "good" or "excellence".



There are many different variations of the Mai Tai that use extra or replacement ingredients such as amaretto, falernum, bitters, grenadine, orange, pineapple and grapefruit juices, and so on. This is mainly down to Tader Vic's recipe not being published officially for around 30 years.


If you are unfamiliar with Tiki cocktails, then the Mai Tai is the best place to start in our opinion. Is simple set list of ingredients and preparation makes it a great choice for beginners but it still packs all the traditional flavours associated with Tiki culture. The Mai Tai has stood the test of time and now sits among some of the greatest cocktails in our opinion.



He is how it is made.









Mai Tai Ingredients

 

  • 2 oz. (60 ml) Jamaican Rum

  • 1/2 oz. (15 ml) Triple Sec

  • 3/4 oz. (22.5 ml) Lime juice

  • 1/3 oz. (10 ml) Orgeat Syrup

  • 1/4 oz. (7.5 ml) Simple Syrup


Garnish : Lime slice and Maraschino Cherry Skewer and a Mint Sprig





Preparation


 

  1. Add all ingredients except garnishes into a shaker with ice.

  2. Fill a rocks glass with fresh crushed ice.

  3. Pour and strain mixture into the glass over the ice.

  4. Top off with more crushed ice if needed.

  5. Garnish with a Lime slice and Maraschino Cherry Skewer and a Mint Sprig.




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