Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
Quite good with a small slice of lime and a dash of BG Reynolds Demerara Syrup.
Rhum JM isn’t as “grassy” as some Martinique Agricoles can be, so is more to my taste. This one was pretty good, and I have enjoyed the VSOP and XO expressions as well.
The rum is a tasting from the Forbidden Island Kill Devil rum list.
Someone on Facebook described my “Ultimate Mai Tai” recipe as being “assertive.” I totally took the comment in the way it was intended, which is to say that the Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend for sure isn’t for mellow drinking. This is rum-forward, and contains a large component of high-ester Jamaican rum. Bold and rich, intended to be savored.
So, in a way, “assertive” is actually quite the compliment.
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
For those who find this rum blend too boozy and too heavy, there are thankfully so many great options. Appleton 12 just by itself is our recommendation for a single-rum Mai Tai, which provides a more approachable yet still quite satisfying rum-forward Mai Tai.
If you have a favorite rum, try it in a Mai Tai and let us know what how it worked. We’re always looking to try new rums in a Mai Tai.
Called a rite of passage by some, Stroh Spiced Rum from Austria is a rum that everyone should try at least once. Maybe not more than once, thanks to its deeply sweet butterscotch flavor. But you need to try it.
The Mai Tai was made with 1 oz of Stroh along with an ounce of Rum-Bar Gold from Jamaica. There aren’t many rums that can overpower a funky Jamaican rum, but Stroh did it, not in a good way.
One and done.
A frothy flash-blended Chi-Chi to help Mrs. Mai Tai finish her jigsaw puzzle.
4 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Coconut Creme
1½ oz Macadamia Nut Liqueur
2 oz Light Rum (Cruzan)
Not quite ready for outdoor dining yet but still going strong with the to-go rums and cocktails from Forbidden Island.
At current pace I’ll finish the Kill Devil rum list in March.
Played around with some Pomelo juice and using the Hemingway Daiquiri template I tweaked a few things. Quite refreshing, give it a try.
Mello Pomelo
1 oz Pomelo Juice
¼ oz Grenadine
½ tsp Don’s Spices #2 (Pimento Dram + Vanilla Syrup)
½ oz Cointreau
¼ oz Maraschino Liqueur
2 oz Aged White Rum (Denizen 3)
Another cocktail review, featuring to-go cocktails from The Kon-Tiki in Oakland.
Jet Pilot: leans heavy on the Cinnamon, in a good way. This classic and boozy cocktail is delicious.
Hot Toddy: many winter spices make this a seasonal favorite. I also tried this over ice and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Day’s Next Mistake: this doesn’t taste anything like a Ray’s Mistake but I did enjoy the rum blend and overall flavor. Contained chili spices, so not my favorite, but not so much that I couldn’t drink it. If this came back onto the menu I’d recommend trying it. I do appreciate new cocktails that follow the traditional tropical cocktail template.
