The Mai Tai is one of my most favourite Cocktails. It’s a Rum based and kind of fits under the Tiki bracket as opposed to one of those Dark & Stormies, or Cuba Libre…normal Rum Cocktails.
There is a little bit of an argument about who actually invented the Cocktail. Was it Trader Vic in the 40’s, or was it Don the Beachcomber in the 30’s?! Arguably, both did because like mine their recipes are different! Which is another argument in itself. Can you have a Cocktail with the same name, but different recipes?!! I can’t judge that to be honest. That’s another blog post in itself!!
But if we take the essence of the Mai Tai, then perhaps we can have various recipes making up this amazing go to Rum Cocktail.
Essentially, the Mai Tai is a combo of a couple of spices and fresh Lime to really accentuate the Rum you’ve used. However, on mainland US and in the UK, its developed into a more Punch style of drink. Even my own recipe uses a touch of pineapple juice to make it quaffable over a period of time as opposed to just the one or 2 per evening!
And even researching WHO actually invented the drink for the definitive answer, I found out the Mai Tai translation which I never knew before. Apparently, the Mai Tai comes from the Tahitian Word meaning ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’. Well, I can’t argue with that because it has been my favourite cocktail for a long, long, LONG time! So much so, that if I just want a grab a go, I have the ingredients made up and kept in my Fridge, so I just have to Add Rum when I want one! Laziness at its upmost!!
Anyway, here’s my recipe;
50ml Decent Rum
20ml Fresh Lime Juice
5ml Falernum (a Tiki Spice…mins a Syrup, you can get Liqueurs)
3 dashes of Bittermens Elemankule Tiki Bitters
15ml Orange Curacao
50ml Proper Pressed Pineapple Juice
Whack it all in a shaker and shake it like you wanna wake it! And Et Viola. Arguably the sexiest Rum Cocktail of them all!!
Question of the Video
Have you ever tried a “Mai Tai” Cocktail?! Where? And did you like it?! Was it served short like mine, or Tall?!