Mai Tai
Tiki done properly
Aged rum shines through orgeat's almond sweetness and curaçao's orange glow, with lime pulling everything into focus. Tiki royalty.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Aged Rum
- 1 oz Dark Rum
- 1/2 oz Orange Curaçao
- 1/2 oz Orgeat Syrup
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Simple Syrup
Method
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and spent lime shell.
Victor Jules Bergeron (Trader Vic) created the Mai Tai in 1944 at his Oakland, California restaurant; the name derives from Tahitian "mai tai-roa aé" (out of this world). Per Trader Vic's Rum Cookery & Drinkery (1974) and Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide (1972); Difford's Guide #1219 confirms this account. Origins disputed—Don the Beachcomber's Ernest Beaumont-Gantt claimed an earlier 1933 version; a 1970 settlement recognized Bergeron as inventor. Jeff Berry's research (Sippin' Safari, 2007) proposes the Santiago Cocktail as a more likely precursor to the Mai Tai than the Q.B. Cooler, though both are discussed as possible influences.
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