Mai Tai

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

Rum, curaçao, orgeat syrup, and lime juice come together to create a monument in the realm of tiki drinks.

If you’ve never had a Mai Tai before, then today is your lucky day. Cold, inviting, and tart, it will instantly transport you to a heavenly Polynesian paradise. Not literally, of course. We’ll allow the flavors in this drink to stoke our imaginative fires instead.

My personal memories of the Mai Tai are tangled up in romance. After I first moved to Los Angeles, I reconnected randomly with a woman I used to know in New York. She was out here for a change of scenery, and we began to get to know each other again. It was great, and for about three months, we had a lot of fun spending time together.

After hiking Runyon Canyon one day, we trudged around Hollywood for a little while, just taking our sweet time. When we happened upon the historic Formosa Cafe and its iconic 1930s Asian decor, we both instantly decided an early afternoon tipple would hit the spot. Upon entering, it quickly became apparent that we had the entire place to ourselves. Any of the red leather booths were open to us, the pictures of legendary celebrities sitting in them hanging above. The sun was pouring in through the windows, somehow giving me a feeling that in that place, time stood still.

We sat at the bar and ordered a few Mai Tais. It just felt right. Toasting each other, we sipped and kept quiet about the one thing neither of us wanted to mention… she’d be going back east in a few days.

That moment more than anything from our time together really stays with me. My first visit to the Formosa, and it was just the two of us in there. I don’t even remember what the bartender looked like. It was my first Mai Tai, too. Some years later, I took a trip to Hawaii and drank this cocktail from sunup to sundown, and each one was brilliant. But none were as beautiful as the Mai Tai I had at the Formosa Cafe on Santa Monica Boulevard that one afternoon.

What Is The Origin Of The Mai Tai?

Victor J. Bergeron, aka Trader Vic, created the Mai Tai in 1944 in California to make the rum used in it more palatable and appealing for his friends who didn’t enjoy drinking the spirit straight. Vic was hired to create a few cocktail menus at new resorts popping up in Hawaii during the 1950s, and he brought the Mai Tai with him. To this day, it is the most well-known drink on the islands.

What Is The Best Rum To Use In A Mai Tai?

You’ll be using a mixture of light and dark rums in this recipe. For the clear spirit, I always keep a bottle of Bacardi silver on hand. It is inexpensive and mixes up nicely in the drinks that need it. For the dark, I recommend Kraken or a bottle of Navy proof Jamaican rum. It adds some extra kick, and the complex and spicy notes pair well with the citrusy curaçao and smoky, almond-tinged orgeat.

What Glassware and Garnish are used?

If you don’t have any tiki mugs on hand, an Old Fashioned or highball glass filled with ice and garnished with a lime wheel will get the job done nicely. If you have any cocktail umbrellas, now’s the time to use them.

What Does “Mai Tai” Mean?

The title of this beverage is derived from the Tahitian word maitaʻi, which means “good”, “excellent” or “outstanding”. As you sip this tipple, make sure you say its name.

Similar Cocktails to the Mai Tai

Doesn’t matter what time of year it is, a tiki party is always a good idea. After you pull out your Aloha shirts and sarongs from the closet, and before you start to give your friends a lei, you’ll need some suitably colorful and potent libations to serve them throughout the night. Twist & Toast can help, so definitely give these recipes a spin.

• Matador – Trader Vic is credited with this tropical-tasting version of a 1930s tequila sipper.
• Zombie – Another tiki classic, this one credited to the world-famous Don the Beachcomber.
• Saturn – A gin-based tiki tipple that’ll knock you out of the solar system.
• Planter’s Punch – This fizzy, tart, and sweet elixir is the perfect rum concoction for a hot day.