The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai
Traveling the Bay Area and beyond to find the best Mai Tai in the world! Tiki, cocktails, and adventures by Kevin Crossman
There’s a nice case of vintage Trader Vic’s bottles in the Cook Room at the Emeryville location.
This shot is of the Mai Tai Rum, which combined rums from Jamaica (70%), Martinique (20%), and Virgin Islands (10%), and coming in at a very nice 43% ABV. Likely a great rum to put in your Mai Tai (or your “Mai-Tai” according to the label, sigh). Man, I’d love to try some of this.
The new Appleton 15 expression is rolling out and I was tipped that some Total Wine stores in the Bay Area were carrying a bottle or two. So I immediately put one on order and picked it up.
I’ve been waiting for this new Appleton rum. After last year’s Appleton rebranding that included reformulation of the Appleton 8 Reserve expression, this new Appleton 15 year expression is moderately priced and designed as a 43% ABV sipping rum. You don’t always want cask strength. The 15 is a minimum age statement, so the blend of pot and column still rums in the bottle have all been aged in Jamaica for at least 15 years. There’s even a certificate of ageing.
As we’re want to do at Ultimate Mai Tai HQ, we set up a #umtshootout. Blind tests against the currently available Appleton 8, and Appleton 12 expressions, plus sample of a different Appleton 15 limited release that I procured from an unnamed benefactor. The other Appleton 15 has a higher ABV, so was easy to pick out in the blind taste test.
All of these rums are pretty nice as blended aged rums, featuring lighter column still distillate and only a little bit of Jamaica’s legendary funkiness. Perfect for cocktails and I also enjoy drinking neat.
If you’re a fan of Appleton 12 like I am, the new 15 Black River casks is worth the ~$20 premium. It tastes great neat and I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s Mai Tai.
Happy birthday to Oakland tikiphile Laura Murphy (aka Pearl) who’s birthday is today.
To celebrate, I made one of Laura’s original cocktails named Spring Until Yesterday. Quite tasty using some of my favorite rums from Jamaica, and flavors such as Coconut and Falernum that I didn’t realize worked so well together. Give it a try.
Spring Until Yesterday by Laura Murphy
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Coconut Creme
¾ oz Falernum
1 tsp Herbstura
¾ oz Rum Fire Overproof Jamaican Rum
1 oz Coruba Dark Rum
Flash blend with ice, then pour into glass or mug. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon and a bouquet of mint.
Herbstura: equal parts Herbsaint (or Pernod/Absinthe) and Angostura Bitters
I posted this to my Instagram stories and it seems to have drawn some interest.
When I posted about Worthy Park 109 a couple days ago, I mentioned that this new black rum from Jamaica tasted more like a Demerara rum from Guyana than the funky rums that Worthy Park is most famous for. Those Worthy Park rums are most notably expressed with Rum-Bar Overproof, but also many of the Hamilton rums that use Worthy Park distillate as their base. And then some people said that 109 didn’t taste anything like a Demerara and I was only looking at the color. Well, I’ll never turn down a challenge.
Hence the blind taste test with some Jamaican, Demerara, and blended rums. I compared the WP109 to Hamilton 86 from Guyana, Blackwell Black Gold from Jamaica, and the new Hamilton Zombie Blend that is a blend of rums from Jamaica and Guyana.
To me, the 109 tasted most similar to Hamilton 86. I know that caramel coloring is present in both and in theory does not impart taste, but to me these were very close. The 109 being 100% pot still and higher ABV did have a better mouthfeel and a richer taste.
The Blackwell was a poor choice for this comparison, since it was so clearly not really in the same league as the others. Beside the lower ABV (40%) there definitely was a sugary taste that made it stand out. The color isn’t that black either. I should have maybe tried Coruba instead. I find the Hamilton Pot Still Black to be quite funky (using Worthy Park distillate) so that wouldn’t really have been a good comparison either. In other words, Worthy Park 109 isn’t just a higher proof “black Jamaican” but something a bit different.
As for the true Demerara/Jamaican hybrid, I found the funky notes in the Hamilton Zombie Blend to be quite forward. While delicious and wonderful (and easily sippable at 59% ABV) it too didn’t really taste like the Worthy Park 109.
As I mentioned in my post the other day, I found the rich and heavy and boozy characteristics of the Worthy Park 109 to be delightful in a Mai Tai where I’m looking for rich and heavy and boozy. This one is a keeper.
A reacquisition for a product I bought a couple years ago and went empty very quickly. This is a wonderful aged Jamaican Rum expression from Worthy Park.
Bottled with a blend of rums aged 6-10 years in the tropics, this is 100% pot still rum and so flavorful, even at 45% ABV. If Appleton is too mellow and Hampden is too funky, then Worthy Park is, well you know – just right. Very approachable and yet still a great way to introduce newbies to how great Jamaican rums can be. The flavor lingers long after you finish drinking it, but doesn’t completely blow out your tongue.
This is Worthy Park’s mainstream aged expression. It comes in a fancy bottle and while cask-strength aficionados might balk at the price considering the ABV, I’d compare this something like Mount Gay XO. Maybe not the best “pound for pound” but something that perfectly captures what I’m looking for with a sipping rum and worth the slight premium for a trusted brand. Sometimes you don’t want cask strength but you still want it to be great.
This new expression from Worthy Park is amazingly delicious. The blend of aged and unaged pot still rum from Jamaica, plus caramel coloring, is simply amazing. Bottled at 54.5% ABV (109 proof), it is easy to drink neat and truly shines in cocktails. This very affordable rum works great in the Mai Tai, and it is boozy just like I like it.
This tastes a little more like a Demerara rum than a Jamaican, but does carry characteristics of both. Definitely not “funky” like some of other Worthy Park / Rum-Bar expressions. While I would not say that my tasting talent is overly refined, I did find this to be similar to some circa 1950s Myers’s Planters Punch rum that I tried recently.
Worthy Park 109 is starting to be available in the states and in other territories. Ask for it at your finer liquor outlets.
It is a tradition at Ultimate Mai Tai Headquarters to make a Mai Tai with a ridiculous number of rums to celebrate Mai Tai Day (2020, 2018, 2017 shown below). Oakland declared the city as being the birthplace of the cocktail and designated Mai Tai Day to to be August 30. So this is the day where true believers make a toast to the Mai Tai and to its inventor, Trader Vic Bergeron. Born in 1944, the Mai Tai is 77 years old today.
While the Mai Tai is best enjoyed with a premium aged rum, this year I decided to spotlight some quality “white” rums that despite their color and lack of years in a barrel are quite wonderful in a Mai Tai. These are all lighter rums that go far beyond the cheap and commonly seen unaged white rums. They are all flavorful expressions of our favorite spirit. Some of these are unaged, such as the overproof Jamaican rums, whereas others are aged up to 3 years and present as a light straw color or have their color filtered out. I used ¼ oz each, for a standard 2 oz rum portion.
From Left to Right:
Myers’s Platinum White
Charley’s JB Trelawny Blend
Denizen Aged White Rum
Three Rolls Estate White Rum
Wray & Nephew Overproof
Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin
Probitas
Clement Premiere Canne
And since all the rums are white, why not have a little fun and switch out the Orange Curacao for Blue? Giffard Blue Curacao is a quality liqueur and has a deep blue color. The Orgeat is Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 Formula, from Orgeat Works.
This Mai Tai does not hit you in the face with the rum, and it is smooth and easy to drink. Happy birthday Mai Tai.
