Tag: Jamaicarum

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Reader Request: Custom Mai Tai Blend

We received an email from reader Andrew Furber:

Hi Kevin, love your website/blog as well as all things tiki like yourself. Need help blending the perfect Mai Tai working with these current bottles on my home bar:

Appleton 12yr
Clement VSOP
Wray & Nephew
Plantation OFTD
Plantation Stiggins Fancy
El Dorado 5yr
Cruzan Single Barrel 5yr
Goslings Black

I normally do 50/50 Appleton and Clement blend (1 oz each) but wanted to get your thoughts. I recently discovered a nearby liquor selling Doctor Bird so I may pick up a bottle of that soon too.

I asked Andrew to rank some common rum styles in order of preference, and here was his list:

1. Jamaican rum (funky)
2. Jamaican rum (blended)
3. Rhum Agricole
4. Barbados rum
5. Light rum

Thanks, Andrew, that helps. If you like it funky you’ll want to use the Wray and the Clement.

I’ll give you a sort of simple version and a slightly more complicated and boozier option. You want a good backbone of aged rum, hence the high percentage of Appleton 12 in both options. You really can’t go wrong with Appleton 12 in a Mai Tai.

Simple version:
1 oz Appleton 12
½ oz Clement VSOP
½ oz Wray & Nephew Overproof

Boozier Blend:
¾ oz Appleton 12
½ oz Clement VSOP
½ oz Wray & Nephew Overproof
¼ oz Plantation OFTD

And, yes, we think you’ll love Doctor Bird and would be a good sub for the Wray in the above recipes.

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Rum House

The pour of Worthy Park Special Cask Series: Port Cask at Dr. Funk was really great. Such a flavorful Jamaican rum, aged 10 years with two in the Port wine barrel. Though, I’m not sure that I tasted a lot of “port” in the sipping glass. Nonetheless this was a great option from Dr. Funk’s growing rum list.

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Rum Subs in a Mai Tai

Had a very nice Mai Tai at Dr. Funk in San Jose with just Appleton 12 Jamaican Rum. This produced a cocktail that was less boozy and less funky than Dr. Funk’s standard Mai Tai that is made with Appleton 12 and higher proof Smith & Cross Jamaican rum. I’m often a big fan of Mai Tais made just with Appleton 12, though the one with Smith & Cross is better at Dr. Funk.

Most good bars will allow customers to try cocktails with a different, name-called spirit when requested by the customer (always politely, of course). We usually do this in a Mai Tai, but for rums a Daiquiri is also a good option. This can be a great way to discover new rums, especially if you’re not keen on drinking them neat. Dr. Funk has an expanding rum list (which has grown so large it’s no longer listed on the menu), so I’m looking forward to exploring their selection.

Speaking of Dr. Funk, we’re having the monthly 1st Sunday Ohana meet-up starting when they open at 4:00 and ending … later. I know many of the local folks will be attending the Brunch and Fashion Show at Trader Vic’s that same day but try to join us if you can or if you’re skipping Vic’s.

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The Breezeway Cocktail

This was posted by Spike Marble on @thehulagirls Instagram and it was perfect timing as I was looking for something to use with the last of the White Grapefruit was I was gifted. They held up pretty good this month. 

This is the cocktail that Spike developed for his Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour show on YouTube, which I have enjoyed every Friday for the last two years. Spike talks cocktails (always in the glass that it was served in) and tiki, sometimes with special guests. It is educational and entertaining, so check it out if you’ve somehow missed it. You must be a fan of corks to fully appreciate the show.

The Breezeway Cocktail by Spike Marble
¾ oz Lime Juice
¾ oz Orange Juice
¾ oz White Grapefruit Juice
¼ oz Demerara Syrup
¼ oz Cinnamon Syrup
¼ oz Falernum
1 tsp Ginger Syrup
1 oz Soda Water
1 oz Hamilton White Stache Rum (sub: Denizen 3)
1 oz Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum

Blend for 6 seconds with crushed ice. Pour soda water into tiki mug, then rest of the drink with ice. Garnish with sliced limes, orange wedge, Luxardo Cherries, mint, orchid, garnish.

I didn’t go extreme with the garnishes, and used my favored Hay! Straws rather than the glass one specified by Spike.

This cocktail is light and refreshing, and the mix of spicy syrups does give it an interesting twist. I don’t have the Breezeway Cocktail Hour tiki mug, so I used this nice pilsner glass from Trader Vic’s. This is a tribute to Spike who often makes vintage Trader Vic’s cocktails on the show.

Spike has a Patreon for supporters of the show, and if you’re at the $10 level you can get a cool Breezeway Cocktail Hour pin shown below.

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Ultimate Mai Tai Jamaican Rum Blend

As I’ve learned more about rum over the past few years, and tasted hundreds of them, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best rum in the world comes from Jamaica. Most of the world doesn’t know this, because Jamaican rum doesn’t have a cool region-specific name like “Scotch” or “Cachaça” or “Bourbon” to designate a spirt made in a specific locale. But the unique character of Jamaican rum has been known to bartenders and to savvy consumers for decades.

I have been less than enthused by actions of Plantation Rum’s parent company Maison Ferrand when it comes to the draft rum GI (geographical indication) in Barbados, and to a lesser extent the existing GIs for rums from Jamaica and Guyana. I enjoy many of the Plantation Rums, including the Xaymaca and OFTD expressions that are in my Ultimate Mai Tai rum blend, but I don’t love their Barbados expressions with tons of added sugar. And it is exactly the Jamaican Rum GI and other regulations that prevents any producer from adding sugar or other additives to the wonderful Jamaican pot still distillate that goes into Xaymaca. If the market was flooded by “Jamaica Rum” products with sugar and other additives, the spirit wouldn’t have the universally stellar reputation that it currently maintains. So this GI stuff is actually pretty important.

I’ve been looking for a Mai Tai rum blend that omits Plantation products, and tried to include rums from various countries. Over and over I’ve tried to approach the unique and complex flavor from the Ultimate Mai Tai blend, and tried to match the 50% ABV which that blend is famous for. None of them approached the taste I was looking for. After a year of experimentation, I’ve decided this blend is good enough to be let out to the world. And it turns out it is an entirely Jamaican blend.

Ultimate Mai Tai Jamaican Rum Blend
2 parts Appleton 12 Rare Casks (43% ABV)
2 parts Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum (57% ABV)
1 part Worthy Park 109 (54.5% ABV)

The Appleton 12 and Smith & Cross are carryovers from the Ultimate Mai Tai blend, and are widely used in the industry. The blended aged rum from Appleton tempers some of Smith & Cross’ infamous funky pot still flavors. Just the two of them together make a fabulous Mai Tai. In fact they make up the rum in the excellent Mai Tai at San Jose’s Dr. Funk Rum House and tiki bar, one of our Top 5 Mai Tais.

The inclusion of Worthy Park 109 is to add some Demerara Rum-style flavor notes, such as burnt sugar. The caramel coloring also adds to the mouthfeel of the rum blend. I found Worthy Park 109 to be similar to some circa 1950s Myers’s Planters Punch rum that I was fortunate to try. The light funk provided by 109 keeps that flavor in the rum blend, and the high ABV allows us to keep the overall blend just above 50%.

Unfortunately, the 2-2-1 ratio does not make for easy on-the-spot jigger measurements for a Mai Tai that features 2 oz / 60 ml of rum. So, we suggest you batch up a bit to give this blend a try in a Mai Tai. It compares quite favorably to the Ultimate Mai Tai blend in side-by-side comparisons.

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

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Mai Tai with Appleton Hearts 25 Year-Old Rum

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.

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Appleton Hearts 1995

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…