The Mai Tai Revisited

At the Waikoloa site, I've previously mentioned my love for the Mai Tai. In that article I discuss my favorite tropical variation, while only giving historical reference to the classic Trader Vic recipe originally concocted way back in 1944.

Just for historical background, Trader Vic was looking for a delicious way to serve some excellent Jamaican rum to a pair of guests from Tahiti. The rum was good all on its own, so he didn't want to overpower it with lots of ingredients. He mixed it with some lime juice, orange curacao, rock candy syrup and a dash of french orgeat (an almond syrup). After one sip his guests exclaimed, "Maita'i roa!". In Tahitian this means "Out of This World - The Best". The Mai Tai was born!

Recently I came across a recipe by a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle named Gary Regan. He was trying to reproduce the $1,500 Mai Tai served in the bar at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast Ireland. The drink is pricey due to the fact that it is made with rum from what may be the world's last bottle of the same rum Trader Vic used in the original.

The reproduction uses a pair of widely available, high quality rums to approximate the original, and Grand Marnier instead of Curacao to eliminate the need for the rock candy syrup.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces 10 Cane rum

1/2 ounce J. Wray & Nephew overproof rum

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

3/4 ounce orgeat syrup

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1 mint sprig for garnish

Preparation

Fill a cocktail shaker two-thirds full of ice and add both rums, Grand Marnier, orgeat syrup, and lime juice. Shake for approximately 15 seconds, strain into a crushed-ice-filled old-fashioned glass, and add the garnish.

So now when you're in the mood for the original Mai Tai, you know what to do.