How to Make a Mai Tai at Home Like a True Professional
Tiki drinks have a reputation for being complicated. Even the most avid at-home cocktails freaks pause before entering tiki town on their own. Don’t you need a different kind of rum for every drink? Aren’t the garnishes super complicated? (Don’t you light some on fire?! How the hell do I make a banana dolphin?!) And that’s before you even get into the coconut and/or parrot-shaped vintage glassware!
I’m not going to lie: some of this is true. And while lighting garnishes on fire is, perhaps, best left to professionals, there is a tiki drink that is well worth your time to make at home: the Mai Tai. Legend has it that the drink was named after famous tiki man Trader Vic (he of the equally famous chain of tiki bars) first served it to a friend from Tahiti, who deemed it “Maita’i roe a’e,” or “out of this world.” Whether or not there's an ounce of truth to this origin story, the drink is something you want in your life.
Now, it’s possible you’ve had a crummy Mai Tai or two in the past. Don’t blame it on the cocktail: questionable bartenders at beach bars have a tendency to call any cocktail with rum and canned fruit juice a Mai Tai. But the original Mai Tai was a thing of beauty, featuring lime juice, orgeat (an almond-y syrup), dry curaçao (an orange liqueur), and, unfortunately, a rum that is more or less extinct: Wray & Nephew’s 17-year-old rum from Jamaica.
Never fear, though. As Martin and Rebecca Cate of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco write in their tiki book, “Vic built what is, perhaps, second only to the daiquiri, the perfect rum delivery system: a selection of ingredients that complement virtually all rums.” They recommend experimenting with rums to figure out what you like. They also go into significantly more detail in their book (custom blends!) and if you want to dive deeper into Mai Tai territory, definitely check it out.
But if you’re just dabbling in Mai Tais, here’s what you’ll need: Two ounces of rum of your choice, preferably aged. The juice from half a lime (keep the lime after you squeeze the juice out!). Orgeat, half an ounce. Curaçao, half an ounce. Simple syrup, half an ounce. (Melt equal parts sugar and water together in the microwave and keep it in the fridge; you need this for many cocktails. For Mai Tais, add a dash of vanilla extract to the simple syrup, if you've got it.)
Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake like your tiki dreams depend on it. Serve over ice (ideally crushed, if you have it or feel like bashing some ice in a ziploc bag with a blunt object). Pop that lime half back in the drink and add a sprig of mint. Boom: you’ve got yourself a Mai Tai.
Or, well… you’ve got what tiki experts might call a Mai Tai. Other recipes will get you something...Mai Tai-esque. Because the deeper you dig into Mai Tai recipes, the crazier shit you will see. Some recipes call for orange juice, some for pineapple, even maraschino cherry juice. This one calls for Pernod. I’ve even seen recipes that call for Angostura bitters, although normally this is dubbed a variation: the Stormy Mai Tai. (Ed note: Yum.)
In any case, this method will get you close-ish to the original. And it will definitely serve its purpose: as a gateway cocktail for your impending tiki obsession.
