Mai Tai
The Mai Tai is a Cocktail which is comprised of Rum, Orgeat Syrup, Orange Curacao, Fresh Lime Juice, and Rock Candy Syrup.
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What does "Mai Tai" mean?
"Mai tai -- roa aee!" in Tahitian: "Out of this world, the best!"
Who created the Mai Tai?
The Mai Tai was created by Trader Vic
"I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of 17-year-old rum. It was J. Wray 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 curacao 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 went in for color ... I stuck in a branch of fresh mint and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti, who were there that night. Carrie took one sip and said, "Mai Tai - Roa Ae". In Tahitian this means "Out of This World - The Best". Well, that was that. I named the drink "Mai Tai"."
"A Postcard from Stan Delaplane" by Stanton Delaplane, November 16, 1956.
"On this gray weepy Hawaiian morning, the SS Mariposa rounded Diamond Head. All our kamaaina old-time islanders bursting into tears at the rich, warm land smells and the surf making white pillows off Waikiki....Personally, I can hardly wait for a mai tai beside the pink palace Royal Hawaiian which i can see on the beach. A mai tai is a rummy sort of chemistry, the inspiration of Mr. Trader Vic."
Trader Vic's Recipe
- 2 oz 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum
- 1/2 oz French Garnier Orgeat
- 1/2 oz Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao
- 1/4 oz Rock Candy Syrup
- juice from one fresh lime
Shake with Ice, and then strain into Rocks Glass, which is filled with Crushed Ice. Garnish with the half lime, and a Mint Sprig.
Don the Beachcomber's Recipe
"Hawaii Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine by Don the Beachcomber" by Arnold Bitner
- 1 1/2 ounces Myers's Plantation Rum
- 1 ounce Cuban Rum
- 3/4 ounce Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 ounce Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- 1/4 Falernum Syrup
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash Pernod
- 1 cup cracked ice
Pour all the liquids into a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake for about 30 seconds. Pour it all into a 16-ounce double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with lime slice, pineapple, and mint sprig.
Other Recipes
Recipe#1: Harry Owens, "Sweet Leilani" (Hula House, 1970)
- 2 ounces dark rum
- 2 ounces light rum
- Dash of sugar syrup
- 1 ounce orange curacao
- Dash of falernum
- Dash of orgeat syrup
- 1 pineapple stick
- 1 maraschino cherry
- Sprig of mint
- Stick of raw sugar cane
Combine rums, sugar syrup and liqueurs in a glass. Add pineapple, cherry and mint sprig as garnish. Add sugar cane as a swizzle stick.
Mai Tai References
American Dialect Society:
"As everyone knows, "Trader Vic" (Victor Bergeron) created the "Mai-Tai" in 1944. It says so in his 1972 book. I checked the revised OED entry, and the first cite is 1963! Under "etymology," OED notes that Mai Tai is not in Trader Vic's 1947 drink book. I got out my GOURMET index. The following should be checked ("Mai Tai" could have been mentioned without a full recipe):"
September 1952, GOURMET _Trader Vic's Recipes_ Coconut Cream...55 Laulaus...54 Lonu-Lonu...54 Roast Pig...55 Scorpion Punch...53
July 1959, GOURMET _Trader Vic's Drinks_ (No "Mai Tai"--ed.) Babalu...27 Daiquiri, Trader Vic's...26 Pino Pepe...27 Punch, Gin Club...26 Punch, Tonga...26 Scorpion...27 Shark's Tooth...27 Syrup, Bar...27 Tahitian Pearl...27 Wahine...27
July 1961, GOURMET _Drinks_ Mai-Tai Royal Hawaiian...44
From GOURMET, July 1961, pg. 44, col. 3:
Q. Can you tell me how to make _mai-tai_--a drink made of rum, fruit juices, and honey? HARRY E. OHLRICH WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, OHIO
A. Here's how they make _mai-tai_ at one hotel bar. Other barkeeps add a cherry to the garnish or float an orchid on the drink.
Mai-Tai Royal Hawaiian
"Pour into a glass 1 jigger each of light and dark Jamaica rum. Add the juice of (Pg. 45, col. 1--ed.) 1 lime and half the shell, and a dash each of orgeat syrup, rock candy syrup, and orange Curacao. Garnish the drink with a sprig of mint, a pineapple stick, and a sugar cane stick. Fill the glass with shaved ice."
