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
Made for a special Zoom get together with the Forbidden Island local tiki Ohana tonight.
Blue Hawai-Tai by Kevin Crossman
It’s like the Blue Hawaii and the Mai Tai had a baby.
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz White Overproof Jamaican Rum
½ oz Aged White Rum
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Blue Curacao
I haven’t been a fan of banana flavored anything for most of my life (sometimes bananas themselves have been iffy for me). So it was quite a surprise that I really like the Giffard Banane du Bresil liqueur. It doesn’t have that “artificial banana flavor” you find in so many products. It tastes like bananas, and it’s delicious.
So, I was inspired to make this Banana Mai Tai riff, replacing the orange liqueur with the banana liqueur. I then paired with my overproof and rich rum blend, and a heavy pour of Molasses Syrup.
Banana Mai Tai by Kevin Crossman
2 oz Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend
¾ oz Banana Liqueur
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Molasses Syrup
1 oz Lime juice
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.
