Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
I received this recipe from Instagram user Dolla Slice 4 Lyfe and thought I’d give it a try.
Dolla Slice Mai Tai
¾ oz lime
½ oz Orgeat (liber & co)
¼ oz 1:1 Demerara simple syrup
½ oz el dorado 12
½ oz Hamilton pot black Jamaican
1 oz goslings
½ oz dry curaçao (Ferrand)
Pebble ice & blend (cracked ice and shake is fine too)
I don’t have any El Dorado in house, so I used Pussers 15 yr instead. This is a pretty sweet Mai Tai, so it goes down easy.
Per the previous post, I simply love the Appleton Hearts 1995 Jamaican Rum. I’m not afraid to put expensive rum in a Mai Tai when I think the results would be a luxurious treat (example: Hampden Great House). But I was a little reluctant for this bottle, less I “spoil” any of the rum in a cocktail when I could instead savor it while tasting it neat.
So, I split the difference and made a half-sized Mai Tai with Appleton Hearts 1995.
Part of it was to think that maybe I was getting close to the original J. Wray & Nephew 17 year-old Jamaican rum that was used by Trader Vic in the first Mai Tai. Since Appleton is part of the Wray & Nephew company, I figured this 100% pot still release aged 25 years would be similar to the original Wray 17.
So, can you notice this rum in a Mai Tai?
Yes. Yes you can.
Does it make an amazing Mai Tai?
Yes. Yes, it does.
There are few examples of showing how a rum can shine in a cocktail like this release. You taste the cocktail and initially it tastes similar to any Jamaican rum. But then the flavor hits you and it completely overwhelms your tongue with flavors. So much to taste, and it lingers forever.
That might be the only Mai Tai I ever make with this amazing rum, though. It is simply even better when sampled just by itself.
The Appleton Hearts collection is a limited edition release of some of Appleton’s longest aged pot still rums, brought to market in conjunction with Velier. These were announced in late 2020 but only this month came to California. The three releases include the 1994 expression, aged 26 years, and the 1999 that was aged for 21 years.
I ended up choosing the 1995 expression, which was priced between the other two and had gotten great reviews online. While I do love Appleton’s rum line, I do wish there was more pot still distillate in the blend since that would make that a better representative of the typical Jamaican rum style. So, to have a 100% pot still release, and have it released at cask strength rather than the typical 43% ABV, well, that is worth splurging on. Plus, it is aged for 25 years.
The incredibly rich and flavorful rum is a total flavor bomb, and most certainly indicates that Appleton’s pot stills are every bit as worthy as the stills from the distilleries elsewhere in Jamaica. Definitely funky, though not like the super funky rums of the island. The lingering flavor that coats your tongue and stays there long after you’ve swallowed is simply amazing. I’ve extolled the virtues of Mount Gay’s Pot Still release from a couple years ago, and it has a similar flavor. But that release is only 48%, so this Appleton release is that much stronger and coveted.
Simply put, this is my most treasured and favorite rum ever and completely worth the price paid considering the quality and limited number of bottles released.
There are most Appleton Hearts releases coming, so if you can afford it I’d certainly encourage you to try it.
Does it make a great Mai Tai? Yes, it does…
I’m still in take-out mode post-Omicron, and with Mrs Mai Tai out of town I decided to drive up to Emeryville for lunch. It is a beautiful day in the Bay Area, and my bay view of takeout from Trader Vic’s was super picturesque.
Lunch was really great. Crab Rangoon and the San Francisco Mai Tai were as excellent as they always are. I tried the Salmon Sliders and thought they were pretty great, too.
I made it, finally. But it was too late.
When we started planning our SoCal trip we decided that we should make this a priority. We’d never visited in the past, since most SoCal trips were centered in Orange County (and almost always with the kids). But we knew this place wouldn’t last forever.
Unfortunately, they closed just a few weeks before we got there. A missed opportunity, and a lesson learned: you’ve got to visit these places while they’re still around.
I’m really looking forward to the book about Oceanic Arts that I’ve already ordered and is coming soon.
Regular readers will know that Jamaican Rum is my favorite and that I prefer heavy, flavorful rums without sugar added. So, the “Spanish style” rums that are lighter and (from some countries/distilleries) have added sugar aren’t usually the ones I normally go for (though, I do have a sweet spot for Pampero Aniversario).
I was so pleased to try this release from Diplomatico that is based just on Pot Still distillate, one of the rums I’m trying from the Forbidden Island Kill Devil Club 2.0 list. I’ve never been impressed by Diplomatico’s releases up to this point and find the added sugar usually imparts flavors that I don’t think are palatable. But this Pot Still release is quite good. Still not as heavy as rums from Jamaica, but definitely hefty enough to savor and figuratively “chew on” for a while. Check it out.
Found this in a gossip column from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, dated February 4, 1953. The article references the Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s “newly revised drink list” which we all know was the place where the Mai Tai was introduced to Hawaii.
And quite notably, Trader Vic’s indicates that his favorite drink is the Mai Tai, “a heady concoction with a rum base.”
It is easy to see some of the statements about the Mai Tai from Trader Vic the man and Trader Vic’s the corporation through the lens of being behind a drink that became world famous. But here, at the birth of the Mai Tai’s rise to fame is Vic himself extolling the virtues of the cocktail. It also gives some perspective to Vic’s role in the “Mai Tai Origin Wars” and how much effort he went through to be known as the father of the cocktail. The Mai Tai appears to be his favorite child.
The article’s capper paints clearer picture of the man with the closing remark that “Vic says his job gives him heartburn about once a week.”