Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
Picked up this vintage bottle at a local liquor store, to pair with the more recent Appleton 12 Rare Blend and Appleton 12 Rare Casks releases in my collection. This bottle has a Campari label so would have been from sometime after 2012.
I don’t believe in holding rum without trying it so I cracked it open. Tastes like Appleton 12, wouldn’t you believe it? My favorite rum. So easy to drink, without added sugar. And great in cocktails. Appleton 12 remains my recommended one-rum Mai Tai.
Gotta give kudos to Trader Vic’s for coming on with a very strong merchandise game this year. Mason jars are a thing now for to-go cocktails, or just because you like them. And so now Trader Vic’s has these new beauties with the TV logo.
You can order from the Trader Vic’s website and locals can get them to-go from Trader Vic’s Emeryville.
Happy Mai Tai Friday.
Another neighborhood delivery
This was the choice of the recipient, who definitely needs a stiff drink. I’m not a pumpkin spice hater.
Pumpkin Spice Mai Tai
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Orange Curacao
¼ oz Demerara Syrup
1 oz Captain Morgan Jack’o’Blast Pumpkin Spiced Rum
1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum
Three years ago today I was in Orlando for a conference and took some friends to Aku Aku in downtown Orlando. Even on a Saturday night, the bar had a mellow vibe and our group had some great drinks and better conversation.
Unfortunately for me, we went to the bar shortly after I arrived from my flight into town, so I hadn’t eaten much. This wasn’t such a big problem, until I was “encouraged” by the group to get the bar’s signature (but still off-menu) cocktail, The Tiger Fucker. This huge cocktail is well-balanced and delicious, but does contain Jalapeño. I don’t do spicy very well. And there’s a lot of booze, too.
I was feeling it the next day.
I visited Aku Aku again last year and had a great time again. If you’re in the area I’d urge you to make the effort to travel to Downtown and check it out.
I keep trying to make this one. It seems so simple and maybe uninteresting, but when I tried it at the Mai-Kai last year I was blown away. So I keep trying. And the fact that this is blended, when I’ve been fighting like Ahab to get my blender to make good slushy blended drinks, well let’s just say that the result was better but still not perfect.
This time the blend was better but still too many big chunks considering I was sipping rather than using a straw.
Derby Daiquiri
½ oz Lime juice
1 oz Orange juice
½ oz Sugar syrup
1½ oz Light Rum (I used Plantation 3 Star)
Blend with ice
I used fresh Valencia Oranges and it certainly made a difference compared to when I’ve used bottled OJ. But neither is as good as the Orange Juice they use at the Mai-Kai in Florida, so I guess all those ads about Florida oranges are true.
The Atomic Grog has great resources for everything Mai-Kai and their page for this cocktail is no exception. Check it out.
Let’s talk about the Q. B. Cooler. It’s the drink that inspired the Mai Tai. Or so the story goes.
Donn Beach claimed that Trader Vic used the Q. B. Cooler as a template or precursor to the Mai Tai, something noted in Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s book Sippin’ Safari.
We have a new feature at ultimatemaitai.com about the Q.B. Cooler, including the origin story, recipe, and whether or not the cocktail is the Mai Tai’s daddy. Includes some historical details and new quotes from The Bum himself. Check it out.
Q. B. Cooler by Don the Beachcomber
½ oz Lime juice
1 oz Orange juice
1 oz Club soda
½ oz Honey mix
¼ oz Falernum
½ tsp Ginger syrup
½ oz Demerara rum
1 oz Jamaican rum
1 oz Puerto Rican rum
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Blend with 4 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds; top up with more crushed ice and garnish with mint.
View the Page: Q. B. Cooler at UltimateMaiTai.com
This essay has been gracing the back cover of the Trader Vic’s Cocktail Menu for decades. It serves to highlight the spirit that is most prominent in Trader Vic’s cocktails, and is both a history lesson and a list of “shout outs” to famed mixologists. This is a scan of a menu circa 1965.
This is one area where I think that Victor Bergeron deserves more credit, as quite often he would credit the original creator of a cocktail on the menu or in his books. In the essay he highlights a number of 20th Century barmen including Frank Meier of the Ritz Bar in Paris, Constantine at La Florida Bar in Havana, and Albert Martin of Con Ton Bar in New Orleans. He ends with several pointed salutes to Don the Beachcomber of Hollywood.
The design includes pictures of some of the famous venues and a caricature of Don the Beachcomber himself.
Closer view of the text
