Author: Kevin Crossman

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Happy Instagramiversary to Me

The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai was relaunched on Instagram on this day in 2017. 

Last year we celebrated by completing the Kon-Tiki Expedition rum list, including a couple of drink specials and breaking out some special rums. This year… well, it will be different.

So, virtual cheers and thanks to so many fellow Mai Tai fans I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with especially over the last year. I appreciate your follows and likes here, and the discussion of very important topics such as the best rum blend for Mai Tai or which Orgeat is best. Let’s keep it going here online and I for one am looking forward to buying drinks for a lot of people when tiki bars open back up and we get back to normal.

Stay safe everyone!

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Happy Barbados Independence Day

Mai Tai Monday celebration with a couple fine aged rums from Barbados, who became independent from the UK on this date in 1966.

The Mai Tai is made with two examples of the rum blending tradition in Barbados. No sugar or additives, just aged Rum. Real McCoy is super affordable and Mount Gay XO is a fine rum worth splurging a little bit for. I love them both.

Glassware by B-Rex

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Liber & Co. Orgeat

Orgeat month is ending with our last review, the craft brand Liber & Co.

This one came recommended by many Mai Tai fans. I’ve previously had and liked their Passion Fruit Syrup and Blood Orange Cordial, so I was really looking forward to this one. The milky Orgeat stays settled better than some craft Orgeat brands, and imparts a rich mouthfeel to the cocktail.

I made several cocktails with Liber’s Orgeat, including a Saturn and a standard recipe Mai Tai. I also made the Mai Tai according to the recipe on the label.

Liber Mai Tai
1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
¾ oz Liber & Co. Orgeat
½ oz Orange Curacao
2 oz Rum
I used Ferrand Dry Curacao and Denizen Merchant’s Reserve.

I was surprised and still not sure why, but I liked the ¾ oz Orgeat Mai Tai better than in the standard 1944 Mai Tai recipe. While Liber leans a tad more into the marzipan direction than is my preference, I do think that Liber is a good Orgeat that I can recommend. The silky liquid does a good job standing up to the other ingredients and enhancing the cocktail.

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Plantation Xaymaca Rum

Running low on my Plantation Xaymaca so had to make sure I have a replacement ready. Even better there was a $3 off coupon at Total Wine so this bottle was just $16. Such a great value for a wonderful 100% Pot Still Rum from Jamaica. I like the new label and the straw tie will be removed once I crack it open to use.

An excellent “gold Jamaican rum” for cocktails, neat, or in a Mai Tai.

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Saturn from Kon-Tiki

As the cocktail menu at Oakland’s The Kon-Tiki evolves to feature new frozen cocktails, warm holiday drinks, and cocktails that lean into some non-tiki styles, there has been the addition of some classic tiki cocktails to the menu as well. This includes some old favorites such as the Jet Pilot and the Jungle Bird. Today we’re sampling their Saturn.


The Saturn is a Gin-based cocktail with Lemon Juice, Passionfruit syrup, Orgeat, and Falernum. The Kon-Tiki’s version is quite good and presented pretty much to the standard recipe. When I make it at home I do add more Orgeat, but the Kon-Tiki version was still quite good. I did feel that shaking the drink with crushed ice and then straining into a Coupe glass with a wide stainer did allow for small ice crystals enhanced the drink’s experience. Delightful.