Category: Mai Tai

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Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix Experimentation

Orgeat Works provided a review sample of the Wiki Wiki Mai Tai mix, and we thought we shouldn’t have all the fun so I put out the word about providing some samples to others to try. Like Johnny Appleseed, I drove samples to Campbell, San Jose, Fremont, and San Mateo. Soon, Mai Tais were sprouting!

In addition, I made a bunch of Mai Tais with different rums. The results were a little surprising.

#4: Wiki Wiki Mai Tai with Cruzan Light Rum
This cocktail was the least satisfying. The light rum did not provide the requisite “heft” for a cocktail that is best experienced with a bold, heavy rum. Still, not bad.

#3: Wiki Wiki Mai Tai with Appleton 12 Rum
Shockingly, my favorite Mai Tai rum wasn’t nearly as good as I expected. Something about the flavor profile of the aged Jamaican rum just didn’t mesh with the mix.

#2: Wiki Wiki Mai Tai with Real McCoy 5 / Bacardi 4
Much better was this half/half blend of two medium aged rums, Real McCoy from Barbados and Bacardi from Puerto Rico. Just enough age and flavor from the rum to compliment the Mai Tai mix.

#1: Wiki Wiki Mai Tai with Trader Vic’s Royal Amber Rum
Royal Amber is the rum that Trader Vic’s uses in the restaurants to pair with their Mai Tai Concentrate, and the results were equally solid with the Latitude 29 mix. The rum is from Puerto Rico and lightly aged, but colored. So in a way it is not too far off from the product’s intended rum pairing. This one had a great mouthfeel and best overall flavor balance.

Feedback from the locals matched my own view: this is a quality mix but white rum is probably not the winning formula. Everyone did praise this as ending up with a good cocktail, though nothing close to scratch. But, as one of our reviewers noted it seems like this is a product designed for more casual cocktail drinkers and not hard care craft cocktail junkies.

Order the Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix on the Orgeatworks website.

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Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix

Big News for Mai Tai fans: there’s a new Mai Tai Mix now available.

The product is Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix and comes from the same folks behind our favorite Orgeat.

Press Release from Orgeat Works:

Very exciting news at Orgeat Works HQ! After two years of exhaustive formulation and collaboration with the Bum. We are proud to introduce Beach Bum Berry’s Latitude 29 Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix!!!! The mission brief: To imbue your run of the mill dry white rum with the qualities of the classic aged rums used in our beloved Mai Tai. Like the name says, Wiki means Quick!

2 oz. rum, ¾ oz. Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix and and ounce of fresh lime and you’re good to go!

We spoke with Orgeat Works founder Adam Kolesar about the product. The thing that every craft cocktail aficionado is likely to notice first is that this Mai Tai Mix doesn’t say “add your favorite aged rum” but instead specifies an unaged light rum. Kolesar gave us a breakdown of the product positioning.

“The reason for specifying an unremarkable “easily obtained” dry white rum was to reflect the primary mission of the Wiki Wiki aspect of the Mai Tai mix. The Bum and I thought it would be great to have a flavorful syrup that would imbue a pedestrian rum with the flavor profile of something more complex. An example might be coming home from work, thinking a Mai Tai would be a great soother, and discovering you’re out of Ferrand Dry Curacao or your favorite Martinique rhum.

The product certainly doesn’t purport to be the ultimate Mai Tai as everyone we know has a carefully curated spec. It is meant to be a quality hack when you’re short handed, on vacation (where you can typically find a dry white rum and a lime), or when you want a hassle free cocktail.

Another goal of the product is to allow folks to make a decent “Mock Tai” if that’s their groove.”

Orgeat Works provided a sample bottle for review purposes and so we gave the Mix a spin with Cruzan Light Rum. The mix does a good job imbuing the cocktail with bright orange notes that compliment the lime juice and make for a satisfying cocktail. Not as good as we’d make from scratch of course, but that’s besides the point. These guys know what a good Mai Tai is supposed to taste like, so the Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix does a good job getting you there even with light rum.

Kolesar closed by noting that “the end user is certainly free to experiment with more complex rums and strike a more elaborate balance. It was important to the Bum and I to build a product that would work decently with the likes of the ubiquitous Bacardi Light as our baseline.” The Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix is quite good for travel scenarios where you can bring this and get some lime and rum at your destination.

Order the Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix on the Orgeatworks website.

Next: Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix Experimentation

Next: Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 Wiki Wiki Mai Tai Mix Market Analysis

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Cocktails at the Jungle Bird

Mrs Mai Tai was a good sport indulging me for Saturday’s four-Mai Tai day in Tahoe-Reno, but the weekend was capped with some fine cocktails on the way home at Sacramento’s Jungle Bird tiki bar.


Our cocktails were on point, starting with a great Saturn. Jungle Bird serves this with crushed ice, which is a good option for this cocktail. I also had their Mai Tai, which is good and only $10 even with the very good Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum. Mrs Mai Tai had her favorite, the Lava Flow, which always looks pretty at the Jungle Bird. The cocktails here are quite good and the staff does a great job working with the guests (me: “heavier orgeat”). So nice to have the cocktails freshly prepared too.

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Rum Sugar Lime in Reno

Rum Sugar Lime was recommended and is a cocktail bar with a Rum emphasis. This bar is located in Reno’s burgeoning Midtown district, near other boutiques, bars, and restaurants. They have two tables outside but well-spaced tables inside and also offer cocktails to go. There are two spirits displays on the back bar, half of which is nothing but rum. Lots of great rum choices to be had (hello, Foursquare 2004). Though early on a Saturday evening, the clientele was fun but polite and looking for a relaxing time rather than a drunken party.

I started with the house Mai Tai, featuring Smith & Cross and Flor de Cana rums. It was a good but not excellent Mai Tai, a bit too sour for my preference. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai had the Saturn and it was divine. Service was prompt and attentive.



We didn’t stay long but did order two cocktails to go. Mrs Mai Tai had the Coco Lolota, a Batida variant with coconut milk, Chartreuse, and citrus – but didn’t really like it. Meanwhile, I went to the Ultimate Mai Tai playbook and asked for a Mai Tai made with Appleton 12 and “heavy orgeat.” This one was really excellent! The Appleton Rum shined in this version and the sweet and sour were better balanced. The RSL folks even packed up two kinds of ice for the ride back to the hotel.

This seems like a great place that we’d love to hang out at, if not for COVID concerns. While this isn’t a Tiki Bar, we think most Tiki fans would enjoy the tropical touches and organic brick and wood elements. The cocktails overall were excellent and there is a whole wall of additional rums to enjoy. We’ll be happy to return the next time we’re in town.

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1944 Mai Tai at Lake Tahoe

Following up from yesterday’s post about the Trader Vic’s Mai Tai at Gar Woods, I also wanted to try their “1944 Old Way” Mai Tai. Regular readers may recall that the term “Old Way Mai Tai” has different meanings, depending on who you ask and when you asked. In this case, it is a scratch Mai Tai (made with the Trader Vic’s Royal Amber rum) and topped with a float of Trader Vic’s 80 proof Dark Rum.

That particular Dark Rum isn’t my favorite but I scanned the spirits at the bar and spotted Pusser’s Rum. So, I asked for the 1944 made with Pusser’s instead. Well, it turns out there’s a no substitution policy for the Trader Vic’s Mai Tais (perhaps related to their licensing agreement) so the standard issue it was.

The second drama was that I didn’t use the gigantically wide straw that was provided (large enough to suck up small ice cubes) so I was sipping directly on the glass. Which meant that my first taste was nothing but the Dark Rum float. But, after a little stir with said straw, I am pleased to report that this was a really good 1944 Mai Tai.

Gar Woods has seating down on the pier and directly on the lake, so if you visiting in good weather and don’t mind a little sun, this could be a unique opportunity.

Worth noting that sister location Riva Grill in South Lake Tahoe also has a Trader Vic’s license, so give these restaurants a try the next time you’re in the area.

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Trader Vic’s Mai Tai at Lake Tahoe

We had a great lunch on the lake at Gar Woods Grill and Pier. The lakeside dining includes indoor and patio dining. We loved the Lobster Deviled Eggs and I loved my Crab Sandwich.

Gar Woods is notable in that they serve a Trader Vic’s Mai Tai, officially licensed and everything. Comes complete in a Trader Vic’s glass and is made as per the “Trader Vic’s Mai Tai” in the restaurants with the Mai Tai Concentrate and the Trader Vic’s Royal Amber Rum. Mrs Mai Tai had the Lemon Drop.

It was outstanding. The lakeshore views. The fine food and great cocktails. Really great.

Part two: 1944 Mai Tai at Lake Tahoe

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Lagoon of Mystery Rum Blend Mai Tai

I’m testing out the Orgeat from Liquid Alchemist, and while today I’m not quite ready to render a verdict, I did have fun watching the latest YouTube episode from Lagoon of Mystery. The latest episode covers Orgeat, including a home recipe demo. And finishes with a Mai Tai. Note that these are my lime/orgeat ratios, whereas the recipe from the video was ¼ less for both.

Mai Tai (Lagoon of Mystery Rum Blend)
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Liquid Alchemist)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)
1 oz Appleton Signature Rum
½ oz Clement VSOP Rhum
½ oz Rum Fire White Overproof Rum

This is a flavorful Mai Tai with the notes of the Clement and Rum Fire registering quite well, but not overpowering the cocktail. Well done!