Category: Mai Tai

Posted on

Mai Tai with Pearl’s Orgeat

That little half ounce of Orgeat can be more important in a Mai Tai than you might think, so it is always fun to try a new one and compare it to your favorite.

I was fortunate to procure a bottle of Pearl’s Hideaway Orgeat from local tikiphile Laura Murphy. This is homemade the right way with freshly made almond milk from real almonds, along with sugar, rum, orange blossom water, and rose water. The milky consistency is similar to craft brands Liber and Small Hands, but with far less settling to deal with. Just a quick shake is all that’s needed.

Pearl’s Orgeat is pretty good. There’s a nutty flavor that’s a plus for the Mai Tai. The Mai Tai I made was our standard ratio including ¼ oz of Demerara syrup, plus Ferrand Dry Curacao. Rums were an ounce each of Denizen Merchant’s Reserve and Plantation Xaymaca. Very good Mai Tai with Pearl’s.



Homemade Orgeat can be a great thing to pair with a specific Orange Liqueur or rum blend. I’m still partial to Latitude 29 but a different rum or Orange Liqueur might switch the results. Check out our Orgeat page for more recipes and home Orgeat tips.

Thanks for the Orgeat, Laura. Cheers!

Posted on

NFL All-Stars Compete for Unofficial Mai Tai Drinking Record

The National Football League’s annual all-star game, the Pro Bowl, was held annually for many years in Honolulu. Though the venue site now rotates between different cities, another sort of competition emerged amongst the participants during the years in Hawaii.

According to reports, there was an annual challenge among the players to see who could drink the most Mai Tais in a single day. For many years Tampa Bay’s John Lynch was the unofficial champion with 34 Mai Tais. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning even got into a fist-fight while trying to break the record.

More recently, DeAngelo Hall told the NFL Network that Ronde Barber currently holds the unofficial record. He claims that Barber drank an amazing 42 Mai Tais in a single day.

I know the metabolism of a professional athlete is quite different from the average person, but this number seems impossible to believe. Does this mean that Ronde Barber is an alcoholic? I’d love to know what the limits of human consumption of alcohol are.

Posted on

Tweaked Mai Tai

I received this recipe from Instagram user Dolla Slice 4 Lyfe and thought I’d give it a try.

Dolla Slice Mai Tai
¾ oz lime
½ oz Orgeat (liber & co)
¼ oz 1:1 Demerara simple syrup
½ oz el dorado 12
½ oz Hamilton pot black Jamaican
1 oz goslings 
½ oz dry curaçao (Ferrand)
Pebble ice & blend (cracked ice and shake is fine too)

I don’t have any El Dorado in house, so I used Pussers 15 yr instead. This is a pretty sweet Mai Tai, so it goes down easy.

Posted on

Mai Tai with Appleton Hearts 25 Year-Old Rum

Per the previous post, I simply love the Appleton Hearts 1995 Jamaican Rum. I’m not afraid to put expensive rum in a Mai Tai when I think the results would be a luxurious treat (example: Hampden Great House). But I was a little reluctant for this bottle, less I “spoil” any of the rum in a cocktail when I could instead savor it while tasting it neat.

So, I split the difference and made a half-sized Mai Tai with Appleton Hearts 1995.

Part of it was to think that maybe I was getting close to the original J. Wray & Nephew 17 year-old Jamaican rum that was used by Trader Vic in the first Mai Tai. Since Appleton is part of the Wray & Nephew company, I figured this 100% pot still release aged 25 years would be similar to the original Wray 17.

So, can you notice this rum in a Mai Tai?

Yes. Yes you can.

Does it make an amazing Mai Tai?

Yes. Yes, it does.

There are few examples of showing how a rum can shine in a cocktail like this release. You taste the cocktail and initially it tastes similar to any Jamaican rum. But then the flavor hits you and it completely overwhelms your tongue with flavors. So much to taste, and it lingers forever.

That might be the only Mai Tai I ever make with this amazing rum, though. It is simply even better when sampled just by itself.

Posted on

Sunday Lunch at Trader Vic’s

I’m still in take-out mode post-Omicron, and with Mrs Mai Tai out of town I decided to drive up to Emeryville for lunch. It is a beautiful day in the Bay Area, and my bay view of takeout from Trader Vic’s was super picturesque.

Lunch was really great. Crab Rangoon and the San Francisco Mai Tai were as excellent as they always are. I tried the Salmon Sliders and thought they were pretty great, too.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville
Posted on

1953: The Mai Tai is Trader Vic’s Favorite

Found this in a gossip column from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, dated February 4, 1953. The article references the Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s “newly revised drink list” which we all know was the place where the Mai Tai was introduced to Hawaii.

And quite notably, Trader Vic’s indicates that his favorite drink is the Mai Tai, “a heady concoction with a rum base.”

It is easy to see some of the statements about the Mai Tai from Trader Vic the man and Trader Vic’s the corporation through the lens of being behind a drink that became world famous. But here, at the birth of the Mai Tai’s rise to fame is Vic himself extolling the virtues of the cocktail. It also gives some perspective to Vic’s role in the “Mai Tai Origin Wars” and how much effort he went through to be known as the father of the cocktail. The Mai Tai appears to be his favorite child.

The article’s capper paints clearer picture of the man with the closing remark that “Vic says his job gives him heartburn about once a week.”

Posted on

DeKuyper Orange Curacao

Years ago, this was the Orange Curacao I started using for Mai Tais and other cocktails. The brand doesn’t have a great rep in the craft cocktail community, and the cheap price is not a sign that this is a premium spirit. DeKuyper is 30% ABV and made from orange, lemon, and curacao fruit. Plus coloring, I’m sure.

Tasting this neat, I felt that this was lacking character but in a Mai Tai it actually works perfectly well. It doesn’t add any unpleasant flavors, and in a blind taste test against my preferred Ferrand Dry Curacao I had a very difficult time choosing a favorite. In fact, both times when I split hairs to declare a victor the Mai Tai I chose was the one with DeKuyper. More taste comparisons to come.

I do prefer my Orange Curacao to have a higher ABV, so DeKuyper being only 30% means it won’t be my recommended brand. But if you’re looking to send $11 for a bottle rather than $28, this doesn’t seem to be a bad option.