Category: History

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New Format for Mai Tai Day 2026 at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Mai Tai Day is the day each year where we celebrate the birth of the world’s greatest cocktail and the man who invented it, Trader Vic Bergeron. The date is based on Oakland’s 2009 Mai Tai Day proclamation, the city where the Mai Tai was invented.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville has been hosting ticketed Mai Tai Day celebrations since 2019, with varying degrees of scope depending on the year. A couple years ago it was the 80th anniversary so there was a three-day celebration including a “Black Tai” event that was all-inclusive in the restaurant along with a dressy theme. In most years, Mai Tai Day has featured a festival vibe with vendors and performances in the parking lot plus drink and food stations inside.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville recently announced this year’s theme and a different scope for event ticketing.

Mai Tai Day 2026: Mai Tais then Fly

Flight departs August 30th. Destination: paradise.

Mai Tai Day 2026 is an all-inclusive tropical takeover: themed rooms, Tahitian dancers & drummers, rum tastings, island food, and enough Mai Tais to forget you never left the Bay.
3PM – 8PM. 21+. Limited seats. This one will sell out.

This one-day event seems to be similar to the Black Tai event with an all-inclusive food/drink format and ticket price of $200 plus fees. This setup will provide for a more intimate experience but has also generated some consternation from some previous attendees who are balking at the high entry price. That’s certainly understandable, especially for those who won’t drink their “money’s worth” of Mai Tais and other cocktails. We will see if this actually sells out or not, and whether this format works better for Trader Vic’s, but in any case we’ll see you there.

The travel theme seems to be paying homage to the Oakland Airport and Kona Hawai’i locations that are opening in the near future. The airport location is supposed to open very soon, though several rumored April and May openings have passed. The Kona location is connected to a refreshed Hampton Inn by Hilton Kailua-Kona Bay property that is taking reservations for October, and the venue just launched their website and Instagram profile @tradervicskona.

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New Make and Drink Mai Tai Glass

Derek has come up with an all-new design for his Make and Drink YouTube channel’s Mai Tai glass. This one is much more elaborate than the previous incarnation, still sporting the Make and Drink logo but also including Hawaiian elements and even a Mai Tai recipe. The Mai Tai glass is available now and will be going up in price on June 1st, so “act now” as they say.

Derek’s favorite Mai Tai features both Jamaican and Demerara rums, hence the specific notation on the recipe, though of course it is always up to you how you use that two ounces of rum in the cocktail.

After you make the Mai Tai, be sure to check out Derek’s latest video which covers the oldest known Mai Tai recipe in print, a recipe “from the bartender at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel” that ran in the Memphis Commercial Appeal in 1958. That recipe features 1 oz of lemon juice and ½ oz of lime juice, so this version is definitely a little different than most Mai Tais you might have tried.

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Hawaiian Scorpion: The Polynesian Drink that Inspired Trader Vic

We thank Derek at Make and Drink for doing the heavy lifting to recover this recipe for the Scorpion cocktail that inspired Trader Vic to make his own version. In fact, Vic was quite transparent about the origin of this cocktail, as he often was, stating plainly that he had this during a visit to Honolulu. Interestingly, the drink includes both orange and lemon juice, a combo that Vic often favored.

Derek found newspaper clippings that described the original version of the drink, which notably including local Hawaiian spirit ʻŌkolehao. This truly means that this cocktail has a Polynesian origin, a rarity in the tiki cocktail genre where the Caribbean is usually the source or origin or inspiration. including Derek’s recipe that made some adjustments to balance the drink, and note that I made a half-sized version.

Hawaiian Scorpion / adjusted by Derek from Make and Drink
3½ oz Lemon Juice
5½ oz Fresh Orange Juice
2 tbsp Demerara Sugar
10 oz ʻŌkolehao
Put all ingredients into a mason jar, adding lemon/orange rinds and large mint sprig. Shake and let steep in refrigerator for 24-48 hrs. Strain solid ingredients and put into tiki bowl and garnish with citrus wheels, orchids, or fire depending on what you have.

We found this to be light and refreshing, with the subtle mint flavors to be pleasant and the overall character to be bright and lemon-leaning. The ʻŌkolehao doesn’t really assert itself in this recipe, though it is unclear if the ʻŌkolehaos of the day might have been different. In any case, Vic’s version is a pretty good approximation as that has light rum and brandy which are also more like background players in the mix.

 

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Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao

Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao is a modern version of Hawai’i’s first distilled spirit, originally distilled from a mash made from Ti roots but these days the product also includes spirits distilled from Hawaiian cane. There are historical references to ʻŌkolehao being referred to as “Hawaiian Moonshine” so Island Distillers of Honolulu are embracing that heritage by offering the product unaged at a robust 100 proof, packaged in a bottle reminiscent of moonshine bottles.

I tasted this product years ago as part of the late Kon-Tiki Oakland’s rum expedition, finding it curious but pleasant and sweet. Since then, I’ve tried a lot more rums made from sugar cane juice and syrup, so I’m more familiar with some of the flavors present here. There are some earthy flavors in Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao, which I assume are attributable to the Ti root components but nonetheless this is a very pleasant sipper that has mild flavors.

Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao works quite nicely in a 1944 Mai Tai, though isn’t quite the flavor bomb you’d get from rums of Jamaica or Martinique. As with the neat pour, it offers some mild flavors that pair well with the rest of the traditional Mai Tai ingredients.

I was able to purchase my bottle directly from Island Distiller’s website, though you can sometimes find it at retail as well, and this is widely available in Hawai’i.

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Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai at The Fink

We thank Judd and the entire team at The Fink for the opportunity to speak about the Mai Tai and organizing the “Sunday School” event in Napa today. The Fink is one of our favorite places and their OG Mai Tai is world class, so it’s honor to share the good word today.

The event is sold out, but we have the slides available for viewing here in case you missed it or just want to get the recipes and photos.

The Fink Presentation Slides

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Modified Scorpion Recipe

After having the individual Scorpion at Trader Vic’s last week I thought I’d revisit this classic at home. This is a prime example of the Trader Vic’s recipe style, featuring both orange and lemon juice, a split base of spirits, and Vic’s signature sweetener, orgeat.

This sometimes comes out too tart, and I’ve long felt that the juicy cocktail needs bolder spirits. So, I did some modifications on the ratios by dropping the orange juice a little and bumping up the orgeat. This was originally made with a lightly aged “white” Puerto Rican rum, but I think that something with more flavor would be better. Look for something bolder like Denizen White, Planteray 3 Star, Hamilton Breezeway Blend, or Myers’s Platinum White. The brandy or cognac is often lost in this and as a richer spirit I want to taste it so I’ve doubled that from what Trader Vic called for.

  • Valencia Oranges are a little sweeter than Navel Oranges and would be recommended for this cocktail.
  • Now with four ounces of spirts, you can feel better about using this Trader Vic’s Scorpion Bowl and maybe even splitting it with someone special.

Scorpion by Trader Vic (modified)
1½ oz Orange Juice
1½ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Orgeat
2 oz Brandy or Cognac
2 oz Aged White Rum
Flash blend with 8 oz crushed ice. Dirty dump and top with more crushed ice, garnishing with gardenia, orchid, or citrus wheels. Serve in Mai Tai glass or tiki mug.

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My Favorite Mai Tai 12: What Makes The Ultimate Mai Tai?

Mai Tai media week continues with another new video to watch this weekend.

Those looking for a deeper dive into the Mai Tai will likely enjoy the new episode of Tiki with Ray’s “My Favorite Mai Tai” video series. We sat down with Ray and Pete from Bamboo & Bitters to discuss the Mai Tai’s ingredients, lore, and personal preferences.

The Mai Tai is very special to many people, including myself of course. But those who are paying close attention should note in this video how many times I chose not to gatekeep the drink or specific ingredients. I know what I like in a Mai Tai, and I’ll talk about things you should be thinking about when making one at home or ordering one at a bar. But I pass no judgement if you prefer it this way or that way. It’s your Tai, not my Tai.

Thanks to Ray for driving a great discussion into this cocktail and to Pete for having us over at his amazing basement bar, The Fo’c’sle.