Category: Video

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Tiki With Ray Episode 142: Can The Mai Tai Evolve Again?

It’s always a pleasure talk with Tiki with Ray off or on camera. This conversation was on camera for Ray’s YouTube show, and he asked me the provocative question – can the Mai Tai evolve again?

The Mai Tai evolved around a decade after it arrived in Hawai’i, so it seems like a possibility that it could evolve again? Ray put out some theories and I reacted with some opinions. Be sure to check out the video on YouTube.

The episode was filmed at Tiki Tom’s. Be sure check out Ray’s interview episode with Tiki Tom’s owner Darrin DeRita from a couple weeks ago.

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Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour Halloween Pin

A very cool new pin was sent out to Patreon supporters of Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour. And the note was even hand-signed by Spike.

I am still enjoying this weekly YouTube show covering cocktails and other adjacent topics, with Spike and sometimes with special guests. Check it out if you’re not hip.

Spike is also dropping some new merch today, so if you want to support the show or just get some cool stuff then head over to The Hula Girls website to grab it before it’s gone.

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Steve the Bartender Reviews the Ultimate Mai Tai

For some reason this video didn’t make it into my ego filters after it was published on Mai Tai Day. Thanks to Australia’s Steve the Bartender for showing off the Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend and recipe to his 600,000 subscribers.

Steve totally gets it.

The Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend features four flavorful rums, including two overproof ones. So it’s a rum blend for rum lovers, as Steve says. I’ll take Steve’s verdict, “it’s an excellent Mai Tai” any day. Cheers, mate.

Ultimate Mai Tai by Kevin Crossman
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Latitude 29)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
½ oz Appleton 12 Rum
½ oz Smith & Cross Rum
½ oz Plantation OFTD Rum
½ oz Plantation Xaymaca Rum
Garnish with Mint Sprig and spent Lime shell

Watch the video on the Steve the Bartender channel

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Tiki Kon Seminar: The (De)Evolution of the Hawaiian Mai Tai

Recorded July 1, 2022 at Tiki Kon, we’ve combined the professionally recorded audio with the slides so that you can experience it at home. There are a couple bonus slides during the Q&A.

Everyone is familiar with the iconic Hawaiian Mai Tai that features pineapple juice and a dark rum float. This version of the Mai Tai is quite different from the original 1944 Mai Tai created at Trader Vic’s. When did the Mai Tai in Hawaii become the “Hawaiian Mai Tai?” It wasn’t in 1953 when Trader Vic brought the Mai Tai to Hawaii and is later than you might think. Learn more about this iconic cocktail and how it evolved over the years based on contemporaneous reports and published recipes.

Note that this presentation was updated for Mai Tai Day at Trader Vic’s. That presentation wasn’t recorded but you can view the slides on this site.

Additional Referenced Links

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Coconut/Demerara Mai Tai

Just got finished watching the latest “Welcome to Rum” series on the Tiki with Ray YouTube channel. The latest episode covers rums for Mai Tais, including some tasting of rum neat and compared to the rum in a Mai Tai. Jason Craig went through a bunch of different rum options for Mai Tais, with some witty banter from Ray and guest Geneen.

A noteworthy rum blend that Jason came up with was a combination of Siesta Key Coconut rum and Plantation OFTD. Interestingly, the panel expressed that this displayed Vanilla notes, so I had to try it myself. They used 1½ oz Siesta Key Coconut and ½ oz OFTD in a 1944 Mai Tai. And you know what? It does express vanilla notes and is sweet and delicious. Give it a try.

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Home Bartender: Blue-Hawai-Tai

The Blue Hawaii and the Mai Tai had a baby, and it’s delicious.

Blue Hawai-Tai by Kevin Crossman
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz White Overproof Jamaican Rum (Rum-Bar Overproof)
½ oz Aged White Rum (Probitas)
½ oz Orgeat (Liquid Alchemist)
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Blue Curacao (Giffard)

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How to Make the Ultimate Mai Tai

How to make the Ultimate Mai Tai? Follow along with our recipe and make a Mai Tai yourself to celebrate Mai Tai Day on August 30.

Ultimate Mai Tai by Kevin Crossman
½ oz Appleton 12 Rum
½ oz Smith & Cross Rum
½ oz Plantation OFTD Rum
½ oz Plantation Xaymaca Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Latitude 29)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)

Garnish with Mint Sprig and spent Lime shell

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Mai Tai Rums

What kind of rum should you use in a Mai Tai? We discuss the history of Mai Tai rums and offer some suggestions for making great Mai Tais at home.