Tag: Jamaicarum

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Disgruntled Mai Tai

This delicious Mai Tai riff comes from Sam Ross of Attaboy in New York City. Ross is a Bartender of the Year winner from Tales of the Cocktail and has been a staple of the NYC cocktail scene for two decades.

The drink is elaborately garnished with a little bottle of Underberg, a bitter German herbal liqueur. It also splits the rum base with Aperol, leaning into pleasant orange flavors.

Disgruntled Mai Tai by Sam Ross
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat
½ oz Curacao
1 oz overproof Jamaican rum, preferably Smith & Cross
1 oz Aperol
Whip shake with a small amount of crushed ice, then strain over crushed ice in double rocks glass. Then remove cap and paper cover from Underberg bottle and place nose-down into the cocktail. Garnish with mint sprig, lime wedge, freshly grated nutmeg, and cocktail umbrella.

I thought this was fantastic, though the Underberg didn’t really incorporate into the cocktail. In fact, I drank the whole thing and then lifted out the Underberg bottle which was still nearly full. So, I poured the contents out over the ice, added about ¾ oz of orgeat and then topped with soda. The orgeat balanced the bitter flavors and I found it to be quite pleasant.

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Clarified Ultimate Mai Tai

Huge shout out to our buddy Rex Stone (aka DJ Ship Rex) who brought a clarified version of the Ultimate Mai Tai to a recent gathering. Clarified cocktails are an area that I’m not deeply familiar with but sounds like Rex used standard milk washing techniques.

The resulting elixir is very smooth to drink but still has plenty of the flavor that the Ultimate Mai Tai is famous for. So, if you’ve ever thought about trying it I can tell you that the effort will be worth it – even better, if there’s any left over from the gathering then clarified version will last for days.

So, cheers to Rex for making the effort and delivering a fantastic Mai Tai in a different format. One of the best Mai Tais of the year.

The Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend features equal portions of Appleton 12, Smith & Cross, Planteray Xaymaca, and Planteray OFTD rum.

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Great Mai Tai and Swiss Rum in Zermatt

We were looking for another bar/lounge after finding Hexenbar too full, and soon found ourselves in the lounge at Resort Hotel Alex. This large resort had an eye-catching logotype font on the exterior but even better was the design inside with several fireplaces, cushy chairs, and vintage photos of Zermatt. The interior was so relaxing and we ended up at the bar complete with chairs featuring carved wild goats and cowhide cushions.

I noticed there was a non-pineapple Mai Tai on the menu and asked what kind of rums they used. Our bartender Niklaus said it was Goslings and Havana Club 3, but since I was in the mood for a more traditional version I asked if he could make it just with Myers’s. He said yes, but the concept of using both a dark and white rum was so ingrained he didn’t just use Myers’s but split the base. Thankfully, Niklaus made an excellent choice and used Kingston 62 Jamaica rum for the white rum, and this turned out really great. A very flavorful Mai Tai in perfect balance, one of the best of 2025.

I scanned the rum list and saw Rum 1823 from Switzerland and since I’d never had Swiss rum before I gave it a shot. It’s made in Switerland from Jamaican molasses and then aged for 7 years in Bourbon barrels. Though the still type isn’t listed it seems light enough to be from a column still, though this was by no means a dud even at 40% ABV. 1823 was very nice to sip on, and I’m glad I tried it.

Mrs. Mai Tai’s cocktails were similarly of high quality. The relaxing atmosphere of the lounge at Hotel Alex was an amazing find for us and the kind of place you’d love to return to.

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Trader Vic’s Jamaica Relief Fundraiser

I’ve had a bit of an up and down week but was feeling good enough on Wednesday to drive up to Trader Vic’s Emeryville for the One Love For Jamaica, Rum Relief Fundraiser. The ticketed event featured a DJ, one cocktail and rum tastings from a variety of Jamaican rums, plus a silent auction. I’ve tasted most of the rums before but was impressed by a Planteray Single Cask that was new to me.

Island Spirit

The cocktail I tried was called Island Spirit, featuring lemon, pineapple, grog mix, and Planteray’s Xaymaca and Original Dark rums. Quite easy drinking and plenty of great Jamaican rum flavor.

The centerpiece of the event was a silent auction that included rum bottles, merchandise from vendors, and even some items donated by Trader Vic’s. I bid on several items but left early and so was outbid at the end. I donated a private Ultimate Mai Tai Happy Hour cocktail experience which sold for $160. I’ve already started to make arrangements with the winner and was pleased I could help raise funds for those in Jamaica impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Trader Vic’s employee Jhan spoke briefly about the impact in Jamaica where it took a couple weeks to hear from loved ones living there. Vic’s continues to be heart of the Bay Area tiki scene and this event proved it once again. Thank you to Eve, Aaron, Carlos and all the staff at Trader Vic’s for putting this together and to all who donated and bid on auction items.

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Monymusk Special Reserve Rum

This was the third bottle the rum fairy delivered and it turned out to be really pleasant surprise. Monymusk went through a rebranding a couple years ago and the rum inside is a different blend than the Special Reserve I bought in 2021. The 100% column still rum comes from the Long Pond and Clarendon distilleries and is aged for ten years in Jamaica, issued at 40% ABV.

This expression is closer to Appleton than some of the super funky Hampden rums, so I decided to do a blind test with the old expression plus Appleton 8 and Appleton 12. It was fairly clear which ones were from each brand but it was immediately noticeable that the Monymusk rums had a higher degree of that funky Jamaican rum flavor. At the same time the new Special Reserve was a lot more flavorful than the old one, making this a great lower proof sipping option for those who want it a little more funky than the Appletons or those Myers’s Reserve or Single Barrel bottlings. The leather and tobacco notes from Monymusk Special Reserve are very approachable.

Those flavors do work well in my favorite cocktail as well, even with an ABV below what I usually go for. I absolutely enjoyed Monymusk Special Reserve in a Mai Tai.

If you’re looking for something different from Jamaica or a nice sipping rum to gift to friends, Monymusk Special Reserve is a great option to consider.

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One Love For Jamaica, Rum Relief Fundraiser

Trader Vic’s Emeryville is hosting a fundraiser with 100% of ticket sales and silent auction proceeds to support people in need in Jamaica, recently impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

The event is happening on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 5:00 pm. Each ticket includes a Mai Tai, rum tastings, and music by DJ Maiky.

One of the silent auction items is a private Mai Tai Happy Hour offered by us, offering education, rare rums, and a variety of Mai Tais for the winner and friends. We hope you will attend and support this event to send needed funds to Jamaica.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite

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Second Jamaican Overproof Rum Blind Shootout

We’re revisiting overproof white rum from Jamaica. When we omitted Monymusk in our last test a little birdie made sure we had a bottle. Total Wine recently started carrying a “Spirits Direct” expression from indie bottler Infinity Spirts called Kingston Queen that’s also included.

These unaged rums are issued at 63% ABV, with long fermentation creating bold flavors and a fragrance that’ll fill a room.
 
Contenders:

  • Wray & Nephew Overproof – the iconic market leader
  • Rum Fire – Hampden Estate’s funky pot still cult favorite
  • Rum Bar Overproof – Worthy Park’s previous U.S. expression that won our first shootout
  • Worthy Park Overproof – includes sugar cane juice distillate
  • Monymusk Plantation White Overproof – Pot/Column blend from Clarendon distillery
  • Kingston Queen – inexpensive Total Wine exclusive

Neat Test

Wray finished last in our previous test but somehow ranked first with a balanced flavor that included floral notes. Kingston Queen has lots of flavor reminiscent of Worthy Park rums. Rum Bar finished slightly on top of the assertive Rum Fire with Monymusk losing points for not having much of a nose. The sugar cane juice distillate in Worthy Park was less well-received this time.
 
Winner: Wray & Nephew
2nd: Kingston Queen
3rd: Rum Bar

Jamaican White Overproof Rums

Grapefruit Soda Test

A 3:1 mix with Squirt meant that the differences between these rums were harder to perceive, aside from Rum Fire. Kingston Queen finished last here and Wray finished first due to a balance of flavor and a welcome sharp bite, with Rum Bar a close second. Worthy Park took my tongue for a ride so finished just ahead of Monymusk and Rum Fire.

Winner: Wray & Nephew
2nd: Rum Bar
3rd: Worthy Park

Wray & Nephew Wins Both Blind Tests!

A shocking result given that Wray didn’t place in my first blind test, and shows these are all fairly similar and all recommended. Rum Bar again placed high in both competitions with their pot still distillate that strikes a welcome balance of flavors. For me, Rum Fire feels best for use as an accent in cocktails.