The times get hotter, and that means we can drink even MORE rum. Notice I said “more” rum. Well, this is because rum can (and in my opinion, should) be drunk all year round. It has such a beautiful elegance and simplicity that it deserves to.
With that, there is one cocktail in particular that really shines through with rum, and is higher up on my list to enjoy whenever the occasion calls for it. The MAI TAI. This is a traditionally classic “tiki” style drink, which makes sense to be enjoyed under the Caribbean sun (or the New Jersey sun, if you are around my neck of the woods). But, I feel when made right, can be a staple in any time of the day, even dinner.
Here’s why.
HISTORY
The mai tai is the quintessential tiki drink. It became the staple right around 1940. There is a bit of mixed origin stories when it comes to the founding person who created the mai tai recipe that we now know and adapt to our bars.
Two names in particular: Trader Vic and Donn Beach
Victor Bergeron was a man in Oakland, California who had created his bar Trader Vic’s. The other man, Earnest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, became known forever as Donn Beach; he was the man responsible for building the timeless Don the Beachcomber bar once based in Los Angeles.
Both men created amazing Polynesian-style drinks (tiki) in their time. We will be talking about them in quite a few posts. This one in particular, covers the prevalent conversation as to who truly can take the trophy for having invented the original mai tai.
This is where it gets interesting…
Both men created dozens of drinks for their respective bars. The mai tai, being one of those drinks. However, each man created their mai tai a bit differently. Lets compare the two.
Trader Vic claimed to have invented his mai tai recipe in 1944, while working the service bar in Oakland. In his words (from And a bottle of Rum, Curtis p.229) “I took down a bottle of seventeen-year-old rum. It was J. Wray and Nephew from Jamaica; surprisingly golden in color, medium bodied, but with the rich pungent flavor particular to the Jamaican blends. The flavor of this great rum wasn’t meant to be overpowered with heavy additions of fruit juices and flavorings. I took a fresh lime, added some orange Curaçao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy Syrup, and a dollop of French orgeat, for its subtle almond flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Half the lime shell in for color and I stuck in a branch of fresh mint…”
The other side of the coin, Donn Beach, said that his mai tai was created in 1933, with the version going as such: “heavy Jamaican rum and light Cuban rum, then added lime, bitters, Pernod [absinthe], grapefruit juice, falernum, and Cointreau.”
Another interesting thing is that reporters claimed to have had both drinks from each man, and “heard” from Bergeron (Trader Vic) that he admitted Donn Beach created it first. The funny part is, this might not be entirely true.
Either way, the mai tai that we know and love today at so many cocktail bars across the country is primarily sourced from Trader Vic’s recipe. AND this recipe just tastes so much better. Orgeat is the key here…
RECIPE
With that out of the way, here is the recipe I was taught, and continue to hold it dear to my heart as a true rum-lover would:
1.5 oz (45mL) Jamaican rum (I REALLY like using Smith and Cross Navy Strength rum for this recipe)
0.5 oz (15mL) orgeat syrup
0.5 oz (15mL) orange curaçao
1oz (30mL) fresh-squeezed lime juice
Preparation: to make this cocktail right, and avoid have an over-flowing drink, heres what you do.
Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with just one small cube of ice. In the meantime, begin to chill the glass where we will serve the mai tai. This recipe calls for a LARGE glass, that will fit the liquid and compensate for the melting of the cocktail along the way.
Give all of the ingredients and the single small ice cube (or three to four pieces of crushed ice) a quick shake. We call this technique a “whip shake”. Then, take your chilled glass and add some crushed ice at the bottom. Pour the cocktail into the glass over the crushed ice. Stir gently with a bar spoon. Then, add some more ice to top it off. Stir gently once more to fully incorporate. Then, “crown” the cocktail with some more crushed ice until it looks like there is a nice mound on top of the drink.
Garnish: mint sprig, lime wheel, cocktail umbrella.
Enjoy with a straw!
I would love to hear how you enjoy your mai tai and when! Feel free to leave a comment, and thank you for enjoying rum.
Jonathan Echavarria 