Was pleasantly surprised to hear about the new menu release at Charlotte’s Royal Tot tiki bar, where they’ve added the Ultimate Mai Tai to their menu. This is the first bar to feature my Ultimate Mai Tai blend on the regular menu, beating Tiki Tom’s which announced it was coming but hasn’t yet released their new menu.
Sharp eyes will note a subtle sub from my published recipe. Royal Tot is subbing Clement Creole Shrubb for Ferrand Dry Curacao, a swap I do all the time at home. I should probably indicate that either orange liqueur is preferred. But otherwise, they’re using my Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend, Plantation Xaymaca, Plantation OFTD, Appleton (12) Rare Casks, and Smith & Cross.
And we were thrilled to see on Reddit that it impressed cocktail expert JenTiki who said “I can honestly say the only better Mai Tai I’ve ever had was at Smugglers Cove (and I’ve had a lot of Mai Tais).” That is some very high praise for the cocktail quality at Royal Tot, and Jen praised the Navy Grog as well.
I’d be interested to see how well this sells. Given the limited supply of all three Jamaican rums in this blend, the $30 price doesn’t seem so bad. If you’re in the area, give it a try and let us know how it tastes.