Category: Rum

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Mai Tai Myth: The Mai Tai Created a Worldwide Rum Shortage

Leading up to Mai Tai Day (August 30), we are sharing five Mai Tai myths.

The original Mai Tai was made with a 17 year Jamaican rum from J. Wray & Nephew. This odd-aged release perhaps had something to do with barrels of rum sitting in warehouses during Prohibition and was available alongside Wray’s 15 and 20 year releases.

In the 1970 press release describing the origin of the Mai Tai, Trader Vic Bergeron states “The success of the Mai Tai and its acceptance soon caused the 17-year-old rum to become unavailable, so it was substituted with the same fine rum with 15 years aging.” This is where the myth originates, with people doing a shorthand to say that “rum” had a shortage due to the Mai Tai.

Firstly, Vic didn’t say that all rum ran short due to the Mai Tai, he said that one specific type of rum did. And even that is perhaps a tall-tale since Wray & Nephew certainly could have kept bottling a 17 year rum if they wanted to. There might have been a temporary gap in availability but if they could produce 15 year old rums for decades surely they could have figured out a way to keep some barrels in the warehouse for a couple additional years. But people like “round numbers” so that’s why you typically see 10, 12, 15, and 20 year old rums, but not 11, 13, and 17.

It is also unclear how many bottles Wray made of the 17 year. Perhaps Vic pulled a limited release rum?

There was not a “worldwide rum shortage” in the 1950s. It was a shortage of one specific rum that probably would have been discontinued whether or not it was used at Trader Vic’s service bar in 1944.

Want to learn more? Check our website for additional historical details. Or join us in Emeryville at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day event on August 28 for a special seminar on the Hawaiian Mai Tai.

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Trader Sam’s: Different on Saturdays

I had a great time popping into Trader Sam’s in the early afternoon last January. I breezed into the bar with essentially no wait. There was hardly anyone inside and had plenty of time to shoot the breeze with Skipper Nate.

Our visit last Saturday was different.

We arrived 30 mins before opening and put our name on the waitlist, told it would be 5-10 mins past opening at 11:30. A little relaxing strolling around the Disneyland Hotel isn’t bad but we didn’t get called in until nearly noon. Not too bad for a Saturday, obviously, but a bummer that expectations weren’t met.

Inside it was quite crowded but we were able to get our orders in for lunch and some drinks. We sure love it inside. It’s really one of the best tiki bars to sit inside, looking at all the different treasures and elements on the walls and shelves and ceiling. Plus music that is on point and those Trader Sam’s special effects.

I really enjoyed my Poke Bowl with Salmon, and a fantastic 1944 Mai Tai with El Dorado 8. Very nice, and it is always appreciated that even on a busy weekend day that the skippers are willing and able to go off menu slightly and still deliver a great cocktail.

Trader Sam’s is still one of my favorites.

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Hawaiian Mai Tais at Work

“Float Away Thursday” was the theme for a happy hour at work today, so it seemed like the perfect time for dark rum floated on some Hawaiian Mai Tais.

Here’s the base recipe that I used. Not too much pineapple, just enough.

1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Pineapple Juice
¼ oz Orange Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Orange Curacao
1 oz Light Rum
Shake with ice and float Dark Jamaican rum

Light rum was a custom blend mostly with Denizen 3, Three Rolls, and a bit of Wray Overproof. The Dark rum was a blend featuring Blackwell, Appleton Reserve, and a little Hamilton 86.

Lots of fun to share something with the people at work.

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Black Tot Day 2022

This is the rum we crack open for a pour of at home on Black Tot Day, the day when the Royal Navy stopped issuing rum rations in 1970.

I love Navy Rum, including the original rum from the 1960s that I’ve been fortunate to try a couple times. I also have several delicious rums that follow the tradition, such as Pussers, Wood’s, and Skipper Rum. These rums are exclusively Demerara rum from Guyana, so aren’t the blend of rums that were poured into large vats in London before being issued to the ships. But they do have a lot of the same character.

But those aren’t as amazing and special as this one from Black Tot Rum. They have yearly limited releases such as this 50th Anniversary release from 2020 that is a blend of rums from Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica. Plus .5% of original Navy Rum. Bottled at navy strength, obviously, at 54.5% ABV. I won’t be watering it down like they did on the ships.

Up spirits!

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Turkey Rum

I’m not joking. And it isn’t bad at all. In fact it is pretty amazing.

Matchbook Distilling has a limited edition rum called Some Night in Autumn that is “Molasses mashed with dunder double pot distilled with a turkey hanging in the kettle.” A. Turkey. And that Turkey provides a fine finish to this rum. Definitely rich on the tongue with a fat finish that will make you think of Thanksgivings of your youth.

It wasn’t on my radar but as I understand it, there is a tradition for agave spirits to be redistilled with local fruits, nuts, and poultry called Pechuga. So, this rum borrows from that tradition.

Thank you Kon-Tiki for carrying this special rum. Another great expression from the Kon-Tiki’s excellent selection of fine rums and spirits.

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Aperol Bird

We had some pineapple juice and so I did a Jungle Bird riff using Campari’s sweeter cousin, Aperol. I have been enjoying Aperol Spritzs this month and thought this might work in a cocktail that calls for the more bitter Campari. I’ve grown to appreciate the Jungle Bird as a cocktail, but regular readers know I lean sweet.

Aperol Bird
½ oz Lime Juice
4 oz Pineapple Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
¾ oz Aperol
1 oz Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum
½ oz Goslings Dark Rum
Shake with cubes.

This was okay. I’ve found that when the Hamilton is used by itself it can sometimes overpower a cocktail, hence cutting it with Goslings. As it turns out, it probably would have been better with all that Jamaican rum instead. The Aperol does give this a lighter and sweeter taste but it isn’t able to stand up to all that pineapple juice as well as Campari.

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Hala Kahiki Derby

End of the week deserves a manly Mai Tai made with @woodsnavyrum in tribute to our friends @neilsmith1971@carlasmith1973 from England. We braved Covid on the Sunday Bar Tour with them at @tikikon #busDisthebestbus



Thank you for the shirt. The @hala_kahiki_derby design looks great! Cheers!

The Mai Tai with Wood’s is amazing. Such a bold and flavorful dark Demerara rum, with plenty of burnt caramel overtones. Another friend from England muled that over for me a couple years ago and I keep it for special occasions.