Tag: RTD

Issued at 20% ABV and sold in this great looking flask-style bottle, I so wanted to like the Mai Tai made with Myers’s Original Dark Rum from Jamaica. But there are no other ingredients listed, which should have been the key warning sign.

Does it taste anything like a Mai Tai? Not even close.

It tastes like an artificially flavored Fuzzy Navel, with a conspicuous peach-forward taste.

I barely took two sips before pouring it out and reaching into the fridge for one of the Trader Vic’s canned Mai Tais that I have stashed there. So much better.

I like to keep an open mind, because some days even your spider sense lets you down and what you think is terrible is actually really great.

This is not one of those days.

I had the lowest expectations for this Tropical Rum Mai Tai from Juneshine Spirits, but honestly it was even worse than I expected. This is most certainly the worst “Mai Tai” I’ve ever tried.

I like to cut ready-to-drink cocktails a whole lot of slack, but there is nothing to recommend about this pink and bubbly cocktail with an artificial cherry aftertaste. The label says “No Sugar Added” but I think it might have helped to have some.

• 2 Shots Rum (Malahat)
• Sparkling Water
• Pineapple
• Coconut
• Orange
• Cherry
• Lime

Nowhere near tickling my tiki.

Craft cocktail syrup company Small Hand Foods is entering the bottled cocktail market as Small Hand Cocktails and I gave their Mai Tai a try. The cocktail is made with Hamilton Rum, orange liqueur and of course Small Hand’s orgeat. The bottle is 25% ABV so this compares well to a freshly made cocktail.

Regular readers know that I’m not a fan of Small Hand’s orgeat, which to me has an unusually strong taste that doesn’t taste “almond-y”. Even though I know it is very popular with others and is used at cocktail programs in many bars.

Needless to say, you’ll have a better experience with this ready to drink Mai Tai if you’re a fan of their orgeat, but even I must admit this is a great bottled Mai Tai. The rum flavors do work so well with the rest of the ingredients and the mouthfeel is the same as with a freshly prepared scratch Mai Tai. Definitely worth seeking out.

This bottled Mai Tai compares well to other premium RTD Mai Tais, such as market leader On the Rocks. You could serve this to a cocktail enthusiast and they’d hardly notice the difference. These cocktails are available at Good Eggs and some Total Wine locations, plus discerning liquor stores. The 200ml bottle is around $11 and serves two-ish cocktails.