The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai
Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
Probably shouldn’t have, after drinks at Latitude 29, but wanted to compare to the light version I had earlier in the trip.
Frozen version is definitely not as good but still isn’t bad and probably better than you’d expect.
Had a very good Hurricane at the Bourbon “O” Bar at our Bourbon Orleans Hotel and took it to the pool to relax. Fruity with orange juice and Passionfruit and plenty of rum. Quite reasonable.
After lunch we decided to see if the hype was worth it by visiting New Orleans institution Pat O’Brien’s. This place is famous for popularizing the Hurricane in the 1940s (a Ronrico Rum recipe predates it, though) and features a main bar, piano bar, and a large courtyard with bar. The place was packed and we sought refuge in the quiet piano bar room only to find we were a few minutes early for the 1 pm show start, and the room was quickly packed.
The older lady played to the crowd and opened with a Taylor Swift song but soon stated taking requests. Some of these were really fun, but others were kind of ruined by a bad arrangement and an unfamiliar pace. Later a young man joined and the two took turns, but I thought his shtick was wildly uneven and he kind of had a “I hate my job” expression. A mixed bag but fun if you’re in the mood.
Does the Hurricane live up to the hype? No, it’s actually pretty terrible no thanks to the artificial Hurricane mix, though David and Amy seemed to enjoy theirs. I had a much better time with the Mint Julep, made with fresh mint and very refreshing. Service here was pretty friendly, including the outdoor bar and wait service inside the piano bars. It’s nice to visit these historic places and see them still pulling in the crowds.
Landed in the French Quarter and decide to kick off the evening with this fan favorite.
I decided to go with the “light” version which was on crushed ice rather than frozen. And you that this drink doesn’t really have a great rep among cocktail snobs but for a limeade cocktail this wasn’t bad at all, and not so unbalanced that the booze overpowers. Way better than the Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s if you’re looking to choose which tourist cocktail to try.
Wasn’t nearly the “most powerful drink” I had. The Navy Grog at Latitude 29 was way boozier.
There are a million cocktails made a million different ways with this name, the only constant being banana, of course, but sometimes real banana and sometimes banana liqueur and occasionally both. We don’t need another variant of this cocktail, do we?
Yes, friends. Yes we do.
I’m pleased to tell you the Banana Hammock I was appreciative to try at The Kon-Tiki is legit awesome. Damon did a great job suggesting and making this and it was rich and complex, very approachable but not overly sweet. It has bourbon and rum and banana and cinnamon and it’s fantastic and hopefully will be coming soon to an official menu update at downtown Oakland’s still very essential tiki bar. Ask nicely and maybe they’ll make it for you.
I make no apologies for loving Pumpkin Spice season, and in the past I’ve done Pumpkin Spice Mai Tais with the now discontinued Captain Morgan Jack-o-Blast rum. This year we encountered another product that’ll let you add those fall flavors to everyone’s favorite tropical cocktail.
The key ingredient is Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Butter, a blend of pumpkin, brown sugar, and fall spices. It works great as a spread on toast or english muffins, and indeed it works well in a Mai Tai. We replaced the rock candy/demerara syrup with two teaspoons of this pumpkin butter and shook it really hard with cubes to make sure everything was incorporated. Also used is the rich Grand Marnier orange liqueur, adding more bold flavors, and the standout blended rum Denizen Merchant’s Reserve.
Pumpkin Spice Mai Tai
1 oz Lime Juice
2 tsp Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Butter
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Grand Marnier
2 oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
Heavy shake with cubes, then strain over crushed ice. Garnish with spooky swizzle and black cherries.
This cocktail is the perfect companion to the newly issued Tiki Goth Club Tiki Nomicon vol. 1, now available at tikigothclub.com. Over 30 full color pages and some great page layout means this is a steal for only five bucks plus shipping. If you like the dark side of tiki, the Tiki Goth Club that our friend Ray Wyland has been leading for the last couple of years is a must-join experience. At the very least, pick up the magazine that includes an article by yours truly about Goth/Tiki experiences in Vienna, Austria.
The question comes up from time to time about what kind of lime juice is appropriate for a Mai Tai or other craft cocktails. Limes have been super expensive in California lately and the lime juice in the plastic bottles appears to be a cost savings. But does it make for a good cocktail?
I tried this one day in a Mai Tai and found it to be suitable. Something seemed to be missing but not terrible in a pinch and seemingly potentially a reasonable option.
The next day I made two Mai Tais with Denizen Merchant’s Reserve rum and blind tasted them. The Mai Tai with fresh lime juice had a zingy taste that was so much better, whereas the bottled lime juice Mai Tai was simply flat. Maybe this was due to me opening the bottle the day before, but for bottles like this they aren’t typically emptied on the first day, so I think this was a reasonable test.
Though not terrible coming from a bottle, it really does make a difference when you use fresh lime juice.