Category: History

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Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Rum

This rum was a multi-island blend produced by Trader Vic’s starting in the late 1950s and commercially issued through sometime in the 1980s. I found some recipes that call for this rum, which of course was also specified in the Mai Tai of that era. So I tried to replicate it using currently available rums.

The breakdown of components is:
70% Jamaica
20% Martinique
10% Virgin Islands

That Virgin Islands rum is basically used to lengthen the product and to reduce the overall cost, but only by a little, in contrast to the Jamaican rum that would have aged for some time. Vic also sold 15 and 8 year Jamaica rum bottles.

The Martinique rhum used here is the subject of debate. Here’s how Trader Vic describes rhum from Martinique:

“Martinique rums are similar to dark Jamaica rums because they are dark and pungent in flavor and aroma. They are especially suitable for flavoring sweets and for making rum punches of the heavier variety.

Some of the Martinique rums are distilled and bottled in Martinique for export to us (Rhum St. James); some are distilled in Martinique, shipped to France for aging, and reshipped to us as French rum (Negrita). These French rums are extremely dark and carry more of a molasses taste than the Martinique-bottled rum; the French like them in wintertime hot grogs.”
Trader Vic’s Rum Cookery & Drinkery

This doesn’t sound like a rhum agricole to me, but “smoky and funky” sound a lot like Worthy Park 109, so I’m using that in place.

In recreating the rum, I used:
4 parts Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve (aged 6-10 years)
3 parts Appleton 8
2 parts Worthy Park 109
1 part Cruzan Aged

This is a flavorful rum, though not one that I would quite call pungent, so perhaps I could have omitted the Appleton in lieu of more Single Estate Reserve.

In any case, it sure makes a great Mai Tai, just like the Trader said it would.

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International Bartenders Association (IBA) Mai Tai Recipe Learns the Wrong Lesson

The International Bartenders Association (IBA) was founded in the U.K. in 1951. The trade organization is made up of chapters in over 60 countries and through the decades has hosted cocktail and bartending competitions.

The IBA publishes an officially codified cocktail list, first compiled in 1961, with the intent to provide an authoritative recipe for 102 of the most important cocktails. The official list of cocktails expanded every few years starting in 1987 when the Mai Tai was added.

The Mai Tai is a somewhat curious entry, since it calls for both Jamaican and Martinique rum but also specifically describes the Martinique rhum as coming from molasses, a recipe nominally similar to the Trader Vic’s 2nd Adjusted formula where Martinique rhum is used. The idea of this rhum being molasses distillate came from the 2016 publication of the Smuggler’s Cove book where authors Martin Cate and Rebecca Cate question the type of Martinique rhum used and suggesting that then common use of the sugar cane juice-based Martinique Rhum Agricole in a Mai Tai isn’t historically accurate.

The split base of rums in the IBA recipe actually dates back many years when simply “dark rum” and “light rum” were listed. Worse, these earlier entires included only a scant third of an ounce of lime juice with everything thing else in typical Mai Tai ratios.

There seems to have been a recent attempt to bring this recipe up to contemporary standards, yet they learned the wrong lesson from the Cate’s book because rather than just call for an aged rum or a Jamaican rum they instead went back to the version published in Trader Vic’s books in the 1970s where Jamaican and Martinique rums were paired. They tried to please the Beachbum Berry camp by including both types of rums and the Cate camp omitting an Agricole – and therefore essentially painted themselves into a corner.

As it stands this IBA official recipe is basically impossible to make, because molasses-based Martinique rhum is not widely available. Even worse, in the IBA’s glamour video demonstrating how to make the cocktail they simply use a Rhum Agricole anyway.

What a mess.

From the Mai Tai entry:

IBA Mai Tai
30 ml Amber Jamaican Rum
30 ml Martinique Molasses Rhum*
15 ml Orange Curacao
15 ml Orgeat Syrup (Almond)
30 ml Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
7.5 ml Simple Syrup
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice.
Shake and pour into a double rocks glass or an highball glass. Garnish with pineapple spear, mint leaves and lime peel.

* The Martinique molasses rum used by Trader Vic was not an Agricole Rhum but a type of “rummy” from molasses.

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Trader Vic’s at Oakland Airport Coming in 2026

The Trader Vic’s Outpost location at San Jose Mineta International Airport has been a big hit since it opened in 2021, so much so that they even expanded the seating last year. Now the same concessionaire is working with Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group to bring the concept to the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport in 2026.

A recent article on SF Gate details some of the plans, noting that the Oakland Airport has done major transformations of its food options over the past couple years. Nearly all those projects have launched or are completing soon, with the Trader Vic’s being the last milestone. A spokesman mentioned that Trader Vic’s provides onboarding and training programs to ensure consistency, something we’ve been really pleased with at San Jose.

Trader Vic’s Outpost is one of a series of location concepts that the brand is running or rolling out, designed for airports and hotel lobbies. Notably, the operating hours at San Jose start as early as 6:00 am, so there’s plenty of opportunity to experience the venue before a flight. The use of large tikis, fish floats, and jade tiles at the San Jose location is an indication of the level of decor that is clean and modern, but still a significant investment that goes well beyond a plain design.

From the Trader Vic’s website:

“Trader Vic’s Outpost is the airport, and small lobby, version of the original brand that still offers table service but with a smaller menu offerings and may have a QR ordering system in place as well.

The food menu is adjusted to the location and may offer grab and go options as well. Easier, crowd-pleasing offerings are incorporated to the menu which gives it a sense of casualness.

The cocktail menu has about 25 drinks on it and is a mix of classic and new tiki drinks highlighting our signature glassware and mugs. Draft beer is also available.

The ambiance incorporates as many décor elements of the original TV as possible and may be replicated in some instances to stay within the brand. Televisions are allowed in these spaces if the location has a need for them. A gift shop, or retail element, should also be considered based on the location.”

 

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John Caine’s Famous Cosmopolitan by John Caine

Another classic cocktail, this time the Cosmopolitan at the At Water Tavern in China Basin. We had a nice dinner before a concert at nearby Chase Center, but in reviewing the menu on the venue’s website I saw an entry titled “John Caine’s Famous Cosmopolitan by John Caine.” That seemed, well, it seemed really unusual. Who is John Caine and why does his name appear not once but twice next to the Cosmo?

Intrigued, I ordered the Cosmo and asked the server who John Caine is. She answered and told me he was the owner of the restaurant. Later, Caine himself popped by our table to say hello and told us that he brought the Cosmo to San Francisco from Cleveland in the late 1980s and he’s even included in the Wikipedia entry for the cocktail. Apparently he had been told about the cocktail by gay men who had visited New England where cranberry juice was prevalent and so it was natural to add it to a Kamikaze cocktail to get the pink color that the drink is famous for.

Pondering the cocktail while drinking it, I wondered what the big deal is since the lightness of the flavor profile wasn’t really doing anything for me since I’m used to bolder flavors from tiki drinks or spirit-forward classic cocktails. But I acknowledge that for many the lightness is a feature, not a bug, and the Cosmo falls into that class of cocktail. It’s pretty.

Reviewing the physical menu at At Water, it just says “John Caine’s Cosmopolitan” – slightly more modest – and the list of ingredients which say Hanson vodka, cranberry, and lime. Hanson is vodka made from grapes in Sonoma and there are several expressions including lemon and mandarin that would be more suitable to the IBA specified recipe that includes Absolut Citron, but the expression isn’t noted. Notably absent is Cointreau, a key component of the now-standard Cosmo recipe, though upon tasting the drink it does appear that Caine prefers it dryer.

At Water is adjacent to Oracle Park Lot A and is a great option before or after an event in the area. Or just an excursion to try a bit of cocktail history.

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The Kon-Tiki Auction at Little Hill Lounge

Our beloved favorite tiki bar The Kon-Tiki closed in Oakland last December, but for one night only we got to relive the memories with a special night at El Cerrito’s Little Hill Lounge. Several former Kon-Tiki bartenders were making classic drinks such as the Kon-Tiki Grog, Virgin’s Sacrifice, and Uma Uma. Food including an amazing burger was from Chisme, the new venture from former Kon-Tiki chef Manuel Bonilla and friends soon to take over the Kon-Tiki space in Oakland. So good – just like I remember from the Kon-Tiki days.

Owned by the same ownership group, Little Hill is a dive bar on San Pablo Ave. with plenty of retro touches and a nice back room that’s typically used for live music. On this evening the back room was used to auction masks, lamps, floats, and other items that previously hung at the Kon-Tiki. Joe Kent served as the auctioneer and did an amazing job, assisted by fellow “Oakhana” member Jeff Hall. The frenzy was palpable as dozens gathered to take home something from Kon-Tiki, some mentioning that the Kon-Tiki served as an inspiration for their home tiki bar. I went home with a Woody Miller wall carving, a small Oceanic Arts tiki, and giant float.

The Mai Tai was a variant called “Now that’s a Fucking Mai Tai” and was made with the Worthy Park 5 yr Single Barrel procured by Kon-Tiki. This very rum-forward Mai Tai hit all the right spots for me and I think that the Kon-Tiki Grog and Kon-Tiki Zombie were a great as I’ve ever had them. And it was so nice for Mrs. Mai Tai to have an Uma Uma again as well.

Reliving the Kon-Tiki with Friends

There were so many people at this event, with some great retro music from DJ Ship Rex and Woody Miller. Doc Parks also played DJ and went a bit off the rails with some mainstream 80s top 40 but people seemed to be having a great time. While we’re really not getting Kon-Tiki back again, Little Hill Lounge is not that far away and does cocktails just as well as they do beer and shots, so check them out.

Guest Bartender Carlos
DJ Ship Rex
Woody and Doc Hyping the Crowd
Joe Kent
I got a Woody
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New Label Denizen Merchant’s Reserve vs. Old

Independent bottler Denizen started a rebranding process back in late 2023, changing the label design for their blended rum expressions. This process has been continuing as old stock has been replaced over time with new bottles that feature the new labels.

We previously covered the transition of Denizen Aged White rum, which also included component changes to the blend. Whereas the previous bottle was designated with a prominent number and the text that said “aged 3 years,” the new blend sneakily has a large 5 but subtly says “aged up to 5 years.” Jamaican rum seemed to be removed from the Aged White blend, a noticeable enough change where I could taste the difference and prefer the old “3” version.

Merchant’s Reserve was the first expression from Denizen, a blend of Jamaican and Martinique rums designed to emulate the Second Adjusted Mai Tai formula from Trader Vic’s, circa mid 1950s. The previous label stated “aged 8 years” but the new label says “aged up to 8 years” presumably because the Martinique Grand Arǒme isn’t aged for that long or possibly at all. Moreover, when Merchant’s Reserve was first introduced, an article about the rum from Cocktail Wonk Matt Pietrek indicated that some of the Jamaican rum was aged only four years and some not aged at all. So, I guess the new label is more precise, even as the small print “up to” still feels a little bit deceptive.

ABV remains at 43%, but there is now inclusion of “Caribbean rums” without any country of origin. This is disappointing in that it likely means a reduction in the Jamaican component.

Regardless of the age and components, Merchant Reserve’s stellar reputation as a de facto gold-standard single bottle Mai Tai rum means I needed to check to see if the taste of this blend has changed like it did for Aged White.

I made two Mai Tais with identical ingredients and a shared pool of lime juice and couldn’t taste any difference. A visual comparison indicated no differences with the rum inside a tasting glass, and blind tasting with several pours of each expression also led me to the same conclusion: I can’t taste any difference between the new and old bottle of Denizen Merchant’s Reserve.

There you go, Mai Tai fans. No FOMO about branding changes, at least for what’s most important which is the liquid inside the bottle. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve remains a stellar blended rum and a smart choice for anyone wanting to make a great Mai Tai.

“I can’t taste any difference between the new and old bottle of Denizen Merchant’s Reserve”

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Tiki Tuesday at The Cellar

We were tipped that The Cellar in Fullerton has been doing a special tiki menu on Tuesdays, with a new cocktail as a featured item each week. We’d visited The Cellar for dinner and drinks a few years back and enjoyed the old school charm and immersive experience of dining in an imagineer created faux wine cellar.

Hawaiian Room and Kingston Negroni

As we arrived right at opening and sat at the bar, we saw the featured item for our visit: the Hawaiian Room, a 1940s cocktail from the Hotel Lexington in New York City. This balanced cocktail was Mrs Mai Tai’s choice and has pineapple, lime, orange curaçao, apple brandy, and white rum. I looked at the rest of the cocktail menu and picked the Kingston Negroni, also quite great and using Smith & Cross Jamaican rum as it should.

Shortly thereafter, the bartender showed us a Tiki Tuesday menu of classics such as the Scorpion, Jet Pilot, and Navy Grog. I mentioned I was surprised there wasn’t a Mai Tai listed on this or on the main cocktail menu, but he pointed out the $45 Vintage Mai Tai that includes Foursquare 2011 rum from Barbados, along with marcona almond orgeat and Martinique rhum. He then suggested that people know they can get a good Mai Tai here anyway, at which point I suggested that it never hurts to list it explicitly because sometimes even craft cocktail bars can’t make it, when they don’t have orgeat, or sometimes they make it with pineapple or orange juice.

Mai Tai

Nonetheless, the confidence of the bartender made me think that ordering a Mai Tai would be worth it, so I asked for it with Planteray Xaymaca rum that I saw on the back bar. As I watched the prep I could see the inclusion of another spirit and I determined that they are so used to including Martinique rhum that they didn’t consider I wanted a single rum Mai Tai. I braced for a difficult conversation but after tasting the cocktail I decided that Martinique rhum did actually improve it after all, resulting in a fabulous Mai Tai that had a great orgeat and rum flavor.

A few more regulars started filtering into the bar, we decided two drinks were all we needed before going back to Disneyland for the evening. Tiki Tuesday at The Cellar was really fantastic.