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Mai Tai

Tiki & tropical · Rum · IBA official

Mai Tai

Two rums, lime, orange curaçao and almond over a mound of crushed ice

Aged Jamaican rum and rhum agricole shaken with fresh lime, dry orange curaçao and orgeat, then poured over crushed ice. Rich and nutty yet sharp, with layers of funky rum, citrus and almond. The benchmark tiki drink – sip it slowly on a warm evening.

Make this in 3D
Glass
Rocks glass
Ice
Crushed ice
Technique
Shaken · Strained
Difficulty
Advanced
Time
5 min
Strength
≈ 20% ABV

Ingredients

Rocks glass
  • 30 mlAged Jamaican rum1 oz
  • 30 mlAged rhum agricole1 oz
  • 15 mlDry orange curaçao½ oz
  • 15 mlOrgeat (almond syrup)½ oz
  • 30 mlFresh lime juice1 oz
  • 7.5 mlSimple syrup (1:1)¼ oz
  • GarnishMint sprig + Lime wedge

≈ 159 ml served · 2.6 standard drinks

Substitutes: Aged rhum agricole can stand in for Aged Jamaican rum. Aged Jamaican rum can stand in for Aged rhum agricole. Triple sec (orange liqueur) can stand in for Dry orange curaçao. Fresh lemon juice can stand in for Fresh lime juice. Rich demerara syrup (2:1) can stand in for Simple syrup (1:1).

Method

  1. 1

    Add both rums, the curaçao, orgeat, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker.

  2. 2

    Fill with ice and shake hard for about 10 seconds.

  3. 3

    Fill a rocks glass with fresh crushed ice.

  4. 4

    Strain the drink over the crushed ice.

  5. 5

    Garnish with a generous mint sprig and a lime wedge.

Learn it step by step

History

Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron said he created it in 1944 at his Oakland restaurant, using a 17-year-old Jamaican rum; a Tahitian guest's verdict, “Maita'i roa ae!” (“Out of this world!”), gave it its name. Donn Beach claimed an earlier Mai Tai of his own, but his drink was quite different, and Bergeron's recipe is the one the world adopted.

Origin
Oakland, California, USA
First recorded
1944

Bartender's notes

  • Trader Vic garnished it with a spent lime shell floating on the ice like an island, with the mint sprig as its palm tree.
  • No rhum agricole? Use 60 ml of a good aged Jamaican rum on its own.
  • Quality orgeat makes or breaks this drink – look for one made with real almonds.
TropicalCitrusSweetStrong

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