Mai Tai – Page 11 – The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai

November 3, 2023November 3, 2023

Mai Tai Happy Hour Private Event

As part of the silent auction component of the Oakhana Summer Swizzle / two home tiki bar crawl in August, one of the auction items I contributed was a private tasting event with three Mai Tais for up to 8 people and hosted by Jeff Hall at the Dragon’s Den in the Oakland hills. Nav Singh was the high bidder and we had the event this past weekend.

What a great time, thanks to Nav and some of the Sacramento Ohana she brought along for the ride. A few quality questions about the Mai Tai’s ingredients and components and some about its key ingredient (that would be rum, folks). We also had a great vibe at Jeff’s place and some tasty food provided by Jeff. I brought the rum and the cocktail ingredients.

We had three Mai Tais:

First was a Trader Vic’s Mai Tai made with either Khukri rum from Nepal or Santiago aged rum from Cuba. One of these countries has a great reputation as a rum producer, but both are unusual and have a lighter column-still production method. Either one of these produced a fine Mai Tai.
Second was a Mai Tai made with Hampden Great House 2020, a cask strength flavor bomb from Jamaica. The difference between our first Mai Tai and this was greatly evident, and even with a super boozy rum the cocktail is still very approachable. This shows how different rums produce a very different Mai Tai.
We ended with a Blue Mai Tai, made with high quality Giffard Blue Curacao and a rum blend featuring Charley’s JB Overproof rum that’s available only in Jamaica. I’ve done different variants of this over the years and it still impresses; people expect it to be sweet like a Blue Hawaii but the boozy Jamaican rum gives it a good balance.

Thanks again to Jeff for hosting and to Nav for the winning bid.

Additional photos by Robyn Haas and Nav Singh.

October 21, 2023January 22, 2024

New Cocktails at San Francisco’s Tonga Room are a Hit

San Francisco’s Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel has a long history and a well-earned reputation for fine food and incredible Polynesian decor, but the cocktails have been poorly regarded by many. The Tonga Room has quietly completely revamped their cocktail menu and friends I’m here to tell you that the new cocktails are really good.

While Mrs. Mai Tai misses the old Tonga Kong, we did find all five cocktails that we tried to be good to great. The Zombie and Mai Tai from the old menu have even been redone with different spirits and ingredients. The price for cocktails at the Tonga Room remain high, functioning as a sort of cover charge for the venue’s amazing decor, but at least you’ll be impressed by the cocktails in a good way now.

The previous Mai Tai was very limey but the new Mai Tai leans more in the sweet direction and uses Bacardi 8 and Don Q. These aren’t bold Jamaican rums but most certainly the drink is better balanced and perfectly approachable for the Tonga audience. If you’re looking for something more complex, the Tiki Hunter will be more your speed, a delicious and complex punch made with Jägermeister, coconut rum, Wray Overproof , spices, juices, and an edible pinecone. The Banana Bread Old Fashioned blends Jamaica rum, bourbon, and banana into a satisfying twist on the classic.

There’s a healthy mix of cocktail styles, including a blue Margarita with salt inside the cocktail rather than on the rim. Mrs. Mai Tai loved the Seafoam Espresso Martini that includes spiced rum, orgeat, and topping of sea foam cream and black lava salt. Really great. The Tiny Bubbles is a fun tropical Mimosa featuring sparking rosé and Tonga POG juice. There are a couple of alcohol free options and the focus on glassware means the cocktails are made to be seen and appreciated rather than hidden in a mug or pineapple.

If it’s been a while, now is the time to revisit the Tonga Room and experience their wonderful new cocktail menu.

October 20, 2023October 20, 2023

Rum is Still a Thing at Kon-Tiki in Oakland

Tried some new (to me) rums at The Kon-Tiki the other day. Their Expedition Rum list is still going, and after 100 you get your name on the wall. And for folks like me who’ve already done this I’m doing a second list and just picking from the myriad options from the back bar. They do have a printed rum list that you can peruse with pricing, etc. Prices are quite reasonable.

So many choices are available at Kon-Tiki but honestly space is becoming an issue so come on down to Kon-Tiki to help kill some of these bottles! I tried to do my part on Wednesday.

First rum was Ron Colón which is a blend of column still Salvadorian rum and pot still Jamaican rums. A very pleasant taste in a Mai Tai, not too assertive. This style of blended rum might work better in a Daiquiri where the general lightness and a bit of the Jamaican flavor would be a little bit more forward and present.

Next, I tried the Diamond Dark rum. This is a Demerara rum and is part of Diamond Distiller’s (El Dorado rum) entry level rum line. This is heavily colored and this has a caramel/maple syrup flavor – not nearly as overbearing as something like Cruzan Blackstrap but still more in that direction than Goslings or Myers’s. Not bad in a Mai Tai.

Last rum was Plantation’s Extreme series Long Pond 25 year rum from Jamaica. Very fragrant and completely delicious, Jamaica rum continues to be my absolute favorite.

October 13, 2023October 14, 2023

17 Year Wray & Nephew Rum Copy

This rum recipe comes from Greg Easter and the book Advanced Mixology: A New Apporach. Easter’s family knew Trader Vic Bergerson personally and Easter claims to have sampled a bottle of the famed original Mai Tai rum, albeit a “doctored” version. Easter says that Vic would add a small amount of “Nastoyka,” an infused liqueur, to his rum bottles to give them a special flavor. Easter includes a Mai Tai recipe using this rum that he claims was close to the original.

Producing some Nastoyka for the rum blend always felt like a PITA to me, so we thank Brenda Gadow for being a mensch and doing the work to infuse rum with raisins, hibiscus, vanilla tea, and star anise. And then to combine that Nastroyka with five rums and one liqueur.

The Wray Copy is a very flavorful rum when sampled neat, quite reminiscent of the long finish and dark fruit flavors of Appleton 17 Legend (itself an attempt to recreate the original Wray & Nephew rum). At about 50% ABV, it is boozier than the original Wray but very close to Legend.

We tried this rum in our standard Mai Tai recipe, using 1 oz of lime juice ¼ oz of Demerara Syrup. To emulate the Giffard orgeat Easter calls for we used a split of Latitude 29 and Liber Orgeat. It wasn’t a bad Mai Tai but certainly felt too sweet, and the rum definitely got lost in the blend.

There’s a Mai Tai recipe in the book that varies from the standard proportions so we tried that. This goes heavier on the orange liqueur, less on lime, and no sugar besides the orgeat. This version was considerably better, and it turned out to be quite a nice Mai Tai. Not like the incredible ones made with Legend 17, but quite formidable nonetheless.

For an additional perspective, check out the Mixing Up Tiki video: Mai Tai Showdown Featuring Appleton Estate 17, Wray & Nephew 17 Clone, and Denizen Merchant Reserve

October 11, 2023October 11, 2023

Starboard Tack: the Best Mai Tai in Las Vegas!

Starboard Tack is an off-strip restaurant and bar featuring a nautical theme with 1970s leanings, which we found to be delightful. There’s a long bar and some tables in the bar area, plus a nicely appointed lounge area. There’s even a shuffleboard area and some fabulous stained glass windows. Music on our visit was mellow 1970s which seemed utterly perfect.

We had lunch here and found the food and drinks to be superb. We ended up doing the all-seafood thing since we started with the incredible Crab Rangoon Dip and also the very good $5 Shrimp Cocktail from the Pu Pus menu. Both Mrs. Mai Tai and I ended up having the Poke Bowl that also was outstanding. We really liked the food options and all our items were prepared well.

There isn’t a Mai Tai on the menu, but the vast rum collection and an entry for “Mai Tai Ribs” on the food menu made me think that ordering one off-menu might work. For all those times when this scenario didn’t work out, I’ll always remember the amazing off-menu Mai Tai at Starboard Tack. Made with Jamaica rum, this was truly an outstanding classic 1944 Mai Tai – by far the best I’ve had in Las Vegas.

The rest of our cocktails weren’t too shabby either. I ordered a Port Light, asking for Wild Turkey 101 rather than the lower proof Jim Beam listed on the menu. This excellent cocktail was served up rather than on ice per usual, using Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur, Grenadine, Lemon, and Ango. Mrs. Mai Tai enjoyed the Fu Manchu with rum, orange liqueur, lime, sugar, and a hint of Creme de Menthe. The mint was just subtle enough to be a supporting player rather than the usual role of featured spirit. The Fu Manchu was delightful. Similarly, the Brimstone and Treacle with rums, coconut treacle, and Ango also had a really crisp taste and had subtle flavors that worked well.

We were truly blown away by the quality of cocktails from this venue that isn’t much to look at on the outside and gives off “dusty dive bar” vibes on the inside. Our bartender Christopher really made some great drinks! Plus, two apps, two entrees, and four cocktails came out less than $100! Starboard Tack is open 24 hrs and definitely going into regular rotation for future trips.

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023

Jammyland: Best Mai Tai in Las Vegas?

We’d been told by numerous people that the the best Mai Tai in Vegas is at Jammyland, a craft cocktail bar and restaurant located in the Arts District and featuring a Jamaica/Reggae theme. We finally made time to check it out on our trip, visiting at opening on Saturday.

We didn’t do food, apart from the delightful Fat Boy ice cream sandwich dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut flakes. It’s really good. Music was a very bass heavy set of mostly reggae leaning songs. Pretty loud inside, not really to my taste. There’s a large patio outside that’s not shaded but I’m sure is a blast after dark.

The Mai Tai here is pretty good, a 50/50 blend of Appleton 12 Jamaica Rum and Clement VSOP. I normally like this combo, though Jammyland’s struck me as too heavy on grassy Rhum Agricole notes (though your mileage might vary). Orgeat is house-made. I was told some premium Mai Tais may make an appearance in the future, and for sure would be worth seeking out.

The craft cocktail menu is pretty large and nicely varied. I also tried the refreshing Anaconda Punch featuring Appleton Signature Jamaica rum, Drake’s Spiced Rum, fresh pineapple and lime, mango/hibiscus syrup, and Ango. I liked this light and subtle cocktail that leans more into the mango than hibiscus. Mrs. Mai Tai had the Hocus Pocus with Tequila, watermelon and lime, rosé cordial, and lavender bitters that we both felt was really great.

There is a large spirits collection at Jammyland, though direct sunlight is a concern of mine. The service here was quite friendly and efficient. There are a few art pieces and some fine mural work outside, but the rest of the inside is “warehouse aesthetic” in a mostly good way. Not really transportive, but fits in very well with the eclectic Arts District neighborhood. Check out Jammyland on your next Vegas visit.

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023

Rum Sub Mai Tai at Rhumbar at The Mirage

Rhumbar Ultra Lounge is a cocktail bar and patio on the southern side of The Mirage. We’d been walking for a while and decided to relax with a drink. Our bartender Ezequiel was super friendly and since it was kind of slow I decided to ask for some rum substitutions from their normal “Mai Tai Or Die” cocktail. I asked for Appleton 12 and Smith & Cross, a couple of fine rums from their well-stocked back bar of rum selections. Ezequiel encouraged me to also have some Clement Blanc in the mix and I trusted him with the recommendation. The Mai Tai here does use a little pineapple juice but it is not overly heavy and adds a nice tough of sweetness to the cocktail.

My Rum Sub Mai Tai was really great, better than the very good standard Rhumbar Mai Tai we had here on our last visit. The blend of flavors was truly balanced and the orgeat and pineapple did work well together to add sweetness to the cocktail. The skull mug is pretty cool, too.

The retro theme of Rhumbar is really nice, including heavy use of breeze blocks on the patio. Mrs. Mai Tai’s Save the Bees cocktail with bourbon and honey was also very good. I’m sure the Ultra Lounge vibe is different in the later evening on a weekend, but for Saturday afternoon it was totally chill with a relaxed vibe and friendly staff.