The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai
Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
I tried this earlier in the week with Campari as is called for, but felt it was too bitter. So I took another run with Aperol which for sure is a lot sweeter. In the end it was maybe a little too sweet. Hence the modified version below with a split aperitif.
East India Negroni
2 oz Rum (Denizen White)
1 oz Sherry (Harvey’s Bristol Creme)
½ oz Aperol
¼ oz Campari
Shake with ice and strain. Garnish with orange peel.
An old Waikiki Trader Vic’s recipe, courtesy Jeff “Beachbum” Berry in the Total Tiki app and his Intoxica book.
The recipe calls for Passion Fruit juice or nectar but I used passion fruit syrup. It wasn’t as good as when I had this in the past with the nectar. Live and learn.
The Octopus
1½ oz Orange Juice
1½ oz Passion Fruit Nectar
1½ oz 151 Rum (I used Hamilton)
1½ oz Club Soda
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir in the glass
Jamaica won independance on August 6, 1962, so what better way for me to celebrate than with a Planter’s Punch with three of Jamaica’s finest rums? The Planter’s Punch is a historical cocktail but largely ignored in the native country these days (where overproof rum with Ting soda is far more popular). But, it is one of my favorites. Especially this recipe that Jeff “Beachbum” Berry shared in the Beachbum Berry Remixed book and in the Total Tiki app for iOS/iPadOS.
Rather than just the single rum called in the original recipe, Coruba, I split the base and added some higher end Jamaican rums.
Stephen Remsberg Planter’s Punch
¾ oz Lime Juice
1 oz Sugar Syrup
1 oz Coruba Dark rum
1 oz Appleton 12 Rare Casks rum
1 oz Hampden Estate Pure Single Jamaican rum
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
Serve in a tall glass. Refreshing!
Another fabulous issue of everyone’s favorite tiki magazine is now available from House of Tabu.
Some great features including all kinds of eye candy, music reviews, and some thoughtful commentary about cultural appropriation by Jason Craig Plus the usual tiki bar column from Tiki with Ray and recipes from Tiki Lindy.
The cocktail recipes page has a little something for everyone and be sure to try my Innovation Cocktail with Gin, Passion Fruit, Orgeat, and Blue Curacao.
Innovation Cocktail by Kevin Crossman
1 ounce Passionfruit Syrup
½ ounce Orgeat
½ ounce Blue Curacao Liqueur
2 ounces London Dry Gin (I used Beefeater)
This recipe differs significantly from the classic 1944 Mai Tai recipe, and Bergeron indicates this is the recipe that’s served both in the stateside Trader Vic’s restaurants but also the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu. This recipe seems to predate the widespread use of pineapple juice in the Hawaiian style Mai Tai.
1956 Mai Tai – Adjusted for 2020
1 ounce Lime Juice
¼ ounce Rock Candy Syrup
¼ ounce Curacao
¼ ounce Orgeat
1½ ounces Lightly Aged Puerto Rican Rum
½ ounce Hamilton Pot Still Black Rum
¼ ounce Coruba Dark Rum
Mix in 16 ounce tumbler glass with shaved ice. Drop half a spent lime shell in the glass. Stir and decorate with fresh mint.
Today we remember Black Tot Day, the day in 1970 when the British Navy provided the last daily rum ration to sailors.
To celebrate, I made my own Navy Rum blend. This is generally accurate though the actual blend was a state secret and few on the planet know the actual recipe (which in any case changed over the years due to supply and demand). I made this out some rums I had in stock at home using rums from the traditional supply countries.
Ultimate Navy Rum Blend
2 oz Skipper Rum (45% ABV Guyana)
3 oz Wood’s Navy Rum (57% ABV Guyana)
4 oz Pussers Gunpowder Proof (54.5% ABV Guyana)
2 oz Denizen White (40% ABV – Trinidad and small Jamaican portion)
1 oz Real McCoy 5 (40% ABV – Barbados)
.5 oz Pussers 15 year (40% ABV – Guyana) because it is a special occasion
If I’ve done my math correct this is just about 50% ABV, so just below typical “Navy Strength,” but still boozy. This is a complex and bold rum blend.
I’m sure we could have had some really cool celebrations today in person, but due to COVID it’s all online. Nonetheless, I’d like to thank and salute all my rum friends on Black Tot Day.
The Black Tot Toast
There are tall ships,
And there are small ships,
And there are ships that sail the sea,
But the best ships, are friendships,
So here’s to you and me!
Finally got some Sherry so I could try this Trader Vic’s classic at home. It’s delicious.
The classic Fog Cutter recipe dates from the 1940s and was included in the 1947 Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. With four different spirits, it has been compared to a Long Island Iced Tea.
Fog Cutter (1940s)
2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
½ oz Orgeat
2 oz Puerto Rican Rum
1 oz Brandy
½ oz Gin
Sherry wine float
Shake all except for Sherry with cracked ice. Pour into 14 oz glass and fill with more cracked ice. Add Sherry float.
The original Fog Cutter is also notable in that it is likely one of the first exotic cocktails to be served in a ceramic mug.
In the 1950s, Trader Vic adjusted the recipe to reduce the amount of rum and brandy. This new recipe was given the moniker Samoan Fog Cutter and remains on the Trader Vic’s menus today.
Samoan Fog Cutter
2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
½ oz Orgeat
1½ oz Light Rum
½ oz Brandy
½ oz Gin
½ oz Cream Sherry, floated
If I was going to make it again, I probably would float a full ounce of sherry on top. It really is the special ingredient in this cocktail.
As a kid growing up in the 1970s, commercials for Harvey’s Bristol Creme were common. It’s actually pretty tasty.