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
Threw some of this and that from what was on-hand at home for this Blue Hawaiian riff with different kinds of rum than the light rum or vodka that is typically used. The Martinique rhum adds an unexpected finish that is delightful.
Blue Caribbean
½ oz Lime Juice
3 oz Pineapple Juice
1½ oz Coconut Creme
½ oz Blue Curacao
1¾ oz Clement Premiere Canne (or other unaged Rhum Agricole or Rum Clairin)
¼ oz Dark Jamaican rum blend (Appleton and Hamilton)
We’re all still dealing with the loss of our friend Alex. If you’d like to help the family, a Go Fund Me has been set up: Celebrate the life of Alex Fritch.
Those who met Alex were impressed by his easygoing and friendly manner. But Alex could be quick with a funny comment too. Both of these aspects are on display with the three videos below.
Recorded in July 2020, the two rounds here are an homage to the classic 1970s game show Match Game but with a focus on tiki, rum, and the bars in the Oakland, CA area. If you’re not a local, you won’t get a few of the “Oakhana” references, but if you know anything about tiki bars or tropical cocktails there will be a lot of familiar subjects.
Alex was one of the “celebrity panelists”, along with his wife Terra. Alex was put into the “Richard Dawson” chair on the second row, and filled the role of the droll but funny man so well.
Recorded in January 2021, Alex was the first person I contacted to participate in a fun round-robin discussion of our favorite rums in five and only five categories. Alex joined us online from his home tiki bar, Fred and Ginger’s Exotic Cocktail Bar and Lounge, and you can truly experience his knowledge and passion for rum.
I’ve been digging Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour from Spike Marble of the Hula Girls on YouTube for the past year, so I was more than happy to join Spike’s Patreon. The Breezeway pin was a nice bonus. Check it out each Friday.
Spike’s guest last week was Ed Hamilton of Hamilton Rum and Ministry of Rum fame. The episode was quite entertaining as the imposing Ed Hamilton made three different cocktails with Spike while talking about rum and the Hamilton Rum lineup. Having met Ed a couple times in person I’m sympathetic with Spike’s plight in that situation, even though Ed is quite friendly. After a rum demo in Oakland a couple years ago I came home and immediately ordered over $100 worth of Hamilton spirits, so the man really knows his rum.
The third cocktail that Ed made was the Orange Blossom. This was a little different, so I decided to make it according to the specs that are quite a bit less exact that are typical for tropical cocktail or craft cocktail recipes.
Orange Blossom by Ed Hamilton
1 part Hamilton Pimento Dram
3 parts Hamilton 86 Demerara Rum
Fill glass with fresh Orange Juice
Top with Ice
Did I mention how much I think Ed Hamilton knows rum? I will emphasize the point again. But, I have to say, this cocktail was actually less than the sum of its parts and I bet you’ve never had anything quite like this. They can’t all be winners. But hey, your milage might vary.
Got to try this new rum last night at Forbidden Island. It’s rum from Balcones Distilling (makers of Texas Whiskey) and the Forbidden Island edition is a spicy pot still rum that isn’t half bad. The representative compared it to Jamaican rum, which is honestly a bold move to compare yourself to the world’s best rum (I expect nothing less from a Texan). But, I give those folks from Texas credit for swinging for the fences.
The rum is quite potent, bottled at cask strength. Give it a try the next time you’re at Forbidden Island. There is a “general public” release this Friday 5/21 from 5-7 p.m.
There are a couple cocktail specials using this rum. I tried the “Over the Falls” with citrus, spices, orgeat, and absinthe. This is a wonderful tropical cocktail and while you definitely taste the absinthe it doesn’t overpower. What might be more than you expect is the ABV – this is a very boozy cocktail! Quite delicious though.
This niche release from Holmes Cay won acclaim last year, even from rum fans who generally prefer Jamaican and Barbados rum styles. I finally decided to get a bottle myself, and boy am I glad I did.
The rum from Belize is 100% Column Still distillate, but has been tropically aged for 15 years and contains no added sugar or additives. Nonetheless it is quite flavorful and has a sweet vanilla finish. The rum is bottled at cask strength at 61% ABV, yet is still pleasant to sip neat.
As expected, I also made a Mai Tai with this rum. The flavor is different than my usual Jamaican-heavy blend, but is still quite satisfying. The rum’s characteristics do pull through even in the cocktail format, delivering a sweet flavor and a long finish.
These bottles won’t be around forever, so if you have the opportunity to purchase (and can accord the ~$100 price of this limited release) I’d encourage you to take the plunge.
Supplies of Corbuba Dark rum have been constrained over the past months, leading some to worry if the product would be discontinued. Instead, it has been a process of clearing the inventory of bottles with an older style label.
Behold the new Coruba labels! Interesting, this style basically matches an older label design. A few years ago, Campari made a whole line of Coruba rums; in addition to the classic Dark, there was Coconut and Mango and Pineapple etc. A few of these flavored rums are still available on dusty shelves in independent liquor stores, but why bother with flavored rums. Meanwhile, the workhorse Dark Jamaican rum that most people favor over brand leader Myers’s has dropped the “Dark” moniker and is now simply Coruba Jamaican Rum. Sure would be nice if Campari pushed this product a little harder, like they do with the Appleton and Wray & Nephew brands.
I love this rum (though I do slightly prefer Blackwell Gold, a sister brand also under the Appleton/Wray & Nephew umbrella), and it’s quite coveted by fans of tropical cocktails. At Hale Pele in Portland the Mai Tai rum is 3 parts Coruba and 1 part Wray & Nephew Overproof and that is a fabulous Mai Tai.
Looking at the new Coruba next to a pour of the previous edition, it seems like the rum is a hint or two darker and there is a slightly different taste that maybe be related to slightly more caramel coloring. That said, the differences are very small, so if you’ve liked Coruba rest assured this is still the rum you want to obtain.
I got my bottles at K&L Wines in the SF Bay Area. Look for these new labels coming to a fine liquor store near you.
This is a Chris Day original now being served as a frozen drink at The Kon-Tiki in Oakland . It is lovely in that format and serves as a wonderful counterpart to The Kon-Tiki’s Pina Colada style cocktail The Uma Uma also being served frozen.
Coffee drinks haven’t always been my friend, apart of the Black Magic I had at The Mai-Kai a couple years ago. But after trying this cocktail I knew I had to try and make it at home. So glad I did – it is even better in the original shaken format. I used Tempus Fugit Creme of Banana and I would say that I’m not tasting the banana too much, so you might consider increasing it a bit (or, pulling back on the coffee liqueur). The Spiced Rum I used was a combo of Sailor Jerry and Captain Morgan that I made by combining two half bottles of each.
Donnie’s Element by Chris Day
½ oz Coffee Liqueur (Mr. Black)
½ oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1½ oz Coconut Creme
1½ oz Spiced Rum
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Whip shake and pour over crushed or pebble ice.
Garnish with Grated Cinnamon
Be sure to check out the embedded video from the Educated Barfly where they made this cocktail. I won’t spoil the surprise but if you’re a fan of the drink or of Chris Day’s cocktails (or just Chris as a human being) you should definitely watch the video.