Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is a Tiki classic! Probably one of the most famous cocktails of the Tiki style, it's actually not too tough to make, despite the Tiki style often being known for being complex and over the top. The recipe is based on White and Dark Rum, which are easy to come by. The only really unusual elements in this drink are Orange Curaçao and Orgeat/Almond Syrup - neither of which aren't actually that weird. It's probably this, or the Fog Cutter, that's a good introduction to Tiki.

The only challenge you may have with this cocktail is getting a the float of the Dark Rum. You don't want to mix the Dark Rum with the rest of the drink, and may take some practice. This is for both taste and appearance reasons, so work on it and get it right.

Total Time 5

Ingredients

30 mL White Rum
15 mL Orange Curaçao
30 mL Lime Juice
15 mL Orgeat/Almond Syrup*
30 mL Dark Rum
Garnish with lime wedge and mint leaves

Instructions

Pour White Rum, Orange Curaçao, Lime Juice, and Orgeat into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold.
Strain into a rocks glass with ice.
Float the Dark Rum over the top of the drink. You don't want to mix it with the drink, rather you want it to float on top; it may be easier to pour the Dark Rum over the back of a bar spoon.
Garnish, enjoy.

Notes

*You can buy Orgeat or learn how to make it here.

The Mai Tai is a classic Trader Vic's cocktail recipe from the 1940's. As Trader Vic kept his recipes a secret, there were a lot of variations to the "official" recipe as other bars tried to make something similar but had to guess how to make it. Because of this you may have seen slightly different ratios, or even different ingredients for this very famous cocktail. We've tried to stay relatively true to the original, but, as with anything, it's more important that you like the drink than it is to stay extremely true. So make the drink you like and enjoy.