Category: Mai Tai in Pop Culture

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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.

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Hot Mic: Golfer is Mai Tai Fan

A hot mic captured the feeling of a PGA pro when Patrick Cantlay was captured teeing off at the 17th hole at the Tournament of Champions recently in Hawaii.

“I’ve been waiting for this weather for 40 years! These pampered fucks need to play! All right, Revvy. Two more holes then we can get a Mai Tai.”

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How to Make a Mai Tai with the Stars of Magnum P.I. and NCIS: Hawai’i

Stephen Hill and Jason Antoon appeared on Entertainment Tonight to promote their CBS shows set in Hawai’i and to make some Mai Tais at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. As these segments go, this one ain’t bad. They credit “Mr. Bergeron” with the origin of the Mai Tai and the ingredients in this version are actually a little better than recipe the Royal Hawaiian has on their website.

We always talk about the need to measure ingredients for cocktails, but I’m more than willing to give a pass to the “free pour” for the Jamaican rum float here. If people go a little heavy that would only improve the cocktail. They didn’t name check local favorite KoHana rum but as a light rum that one is quite flavorful, so a great option for an Island Mai Tai. The Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian is a great place to relax in Waikiki.

I have been enjoying Magnum P.I. since its debut in 2018, and they even incorporated Hawaii’s oldest tiki bar La Mariana into the program a couple years ago (they filmed at La Mariana to introduce the venue, but since then all scenes are filmed on a set). NCIS: Hawai’i debuted earlier this year.

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai (ET version)
1 oz Orange Juice
2 oz Pineapple Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Orange Curacao
1 oz Light Rum (KoHana)
Shake with ice and “free pour” float of Jamaican rum (Appleton Reserve)

Watch the Video

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Mai Tai Appears on Oakland Athletics Cap

A very curious design for this new City Sky Blue Undervisor 59FIFTY hat from New Era and available at Lids.

Firstly, this is an OAKLAND cap, but the bridge is the Golden Gate Bridge located in San Francisco. Not exactly the best way to win over the Oaktown locals.

But turn the cap around and there’s a tropical drink. Not exactly the first thing you typically connect to baseball. But, apparently, this is exactly what you think it is – it’s a tribute to Oakland by featuring the Mai Tai that was invented there in 1944.

The rainbow of colors won’t win over craft cocktail fans, but I’m willing to give New Era a break on this point, if only to make the cocktail design more interesting to look at. At least it features an actual old fashioned glass rather than a hurricane glass.

Thanks to Carlos for the tip on this curious new baseball cap.

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Mai Tai Talk on the Rumcast

It was such a pleasure to talk to Will and John, and we had a great Mai Tai discussion on the latest episode of the Rumcast.

The episode covers the history of the Mai Tai, tips for the home bartender, and how to get an awesome Mai Tai at your local watering hole. And of course lots of talk about rum for your Mai Tai. We played a game of “Mai Tai or Not a Mai Tai” and the episode ended with the Rumcast’s signature Rapid Fire round of questions.

The episode begins with a discussion of KōHana Rum from Hawaii, appropriate since Hawaii plays a seminal role in the popularity of the Mai Tai.

Give the episode a listen at Rumcast.com:
https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/mai-tai-kevin-crossman

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New Logo and Website Header by B-Rex

Today is the day for the official unveiling of the new Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai logo designed by B-Rex . I have been thinking about logos for some time and landed on B-Rex for a couple reasons. I’ve been a fan of his stylized Mai Tai pins and his art designs for some time. Plus, he is the only illustrator and artist who’ve served me an amazing Mai Tai many times as part of his other gig as a craft cocktail bartender. Brian was very easy to work with so if you are looking for something custom then I provide my highest recommendation.

In addition to the logo/social media icon, Brian also did the new header gracing UltimateMaiTai.com. Depending on which device you’re on you might not see the full header, but in any case it perfectly captures the fun of the search for the ultimate Mai Tai. It’s rum, it’s fresh lime, and there’s plenty of tiki elements, just like the real search.

Be sure to check out the B-Rex store for apparel, prints, pins, stickers, glassware and barware, masks, and more. www.brianrechenmacher.com