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
I’m still in take-out mode post-Omicron, and with Mrs Mai Tai out of town I decided to drive up to Emeryville for lunch. It is a beautiful day in the Bay Area, and my bay view of takeout from Trader Vic’s was super picturesque.
Lunch was really great. Crab Rangoon and the San Francisco Mai Tai were as excellent as they always are. I tried the Salmon Sliders and thought they were pretty great, too.
Found this in a gossip column from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, dated February 4, 1953. The article references the Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s “newly revised drink list” which we all know was the place where the Mai Tai was introduced to Hawaii.
And quite notably, Trader Vic’s indicates that his favorite drink is the Mai Tai, “a heady concoction with a rum base.”
It is easy to see some of the statements about the Mai Tai from Trader Vic the man and Trader Vic’s the corporation through the lens of being behind a drink that became world famous. But here, at the birth of the Mai Tai’s rise to fame is Vic himself extolling the virtues of the cocktail. It also gives some perspective to Vic’s role in the “Mai Tai Origin Wars” and how much effort he went through to be known as the father of the cocktail. The Mai Tai appears to be his favorite child.
The article’s capper paints clearer picture of the man with the closing remark that “Vic says his job gives him heartburn about once a week.”
Each year we celebrate the 10 best Mai Tais that we had the pleasure of tasting in the last 12 months.
Number 4: San Francisco Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s (Emeryville, CA)
The SF Mai Tai is a standard Vic’s Mai Tai with a float of 151 rum. I love the flavors of the Trader Vic’s Mai Tai, including the freshly squeezed lime on top, but the the 151 rum adds additional complexity and flavor to the cocktail, besides being extra boozy. So while I do enjoy the standard 1944 Mai Tai, the SF Mai Tai is now my go-to.
We had a lot of great Mai Tais at Vic’s this year, including some specially prepared with some exotic rums from the well-stocked back bar. Bartenders are friendly and never balk at the rum substitution.
Vic’s hosted several special events this year including merchandise partnerships with Shag and Sven Kirsten.
Each year we celebrate the 10 best Mai Tais that we had the pleasure of tasting in the last 12 months.
Number 6: Premium Mai Tai by Doc Parks at Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Day (Emeryville, CA)
The annual Mai Tai Day celebration was held in the parking lot and featured several cocktail stations. My favorite of the day was the “Premium Mai Tai” made by Daniel “Doc” Parks and Adrián Castañeda using Appleton 12, Clement VSOP, and Doctor Bird. So flavorful, as you’d expect when you use three high-quality aged rums. The funky Doctor Bird can add so much to a Mai Tai even when used in small proportions.
Made a fab Mai Tai for Trader Vic’s birthday using a rum made in Oakland, the city where the Mai Tai was first made in 1944.
Oakland’s Wright & Brown is distilling rum as well as a variety of whiskeys. The rum I used is pot still distillate made from Black Strap Molasses and is aged for a couple years. Quite wild and full of flavor, so it works great in a Mai Tai.
For my Mai Tai I used 1½ oz Wright & Brown and ½ oz Coruba just to add a little additional richness.
Everyone’s favorite Mai Tai inventor was born on this day in 1902. Victor Jules Bergeron had a difficult childhood, losing a leg to tuberculosis when just six year old. Early adulthood was no better until he scrapped some money together to open a small restaurant and bar at 65th and San Pablo in Oakland in 1934. That bar was named Hinky Dinks but just a couple years later was rethemed and renamed to Trader Vic’s. Thereafter, nobody thought much of “Hinky Dinks” or “Victor Jules.” Trader Vic’s stuck.
The small original Trader Vic’s location closed in the early 1970s, replaced by the still operating Trader Vic’s in Emeryville. The building at 65th and San Pablo is long gone but you can still visit the location where one of the original two palm trees is still standing. The lot is for sale, if you have money in your pocket you want to burn.
So, let’s raise a glass of rum or brandy, or maybe a famous Trader Vic’s cocktail such as the Fogcutter, Eastern Sour, or a Mai Tai. Cheers and happy birthday to Trader Vic.
I wanted to switch it up a little at Trader Vic’s, so I tried to replicate the old rum blend of aged Jamaican rum and Martinique rum. At various points starting in the late 1950s all the way to the early 2000s, Trader Vic’s called for the use of Rhum St. James to be paired with a long-aged Jamaican rum.
I didn’t see St. James on the shelf, but Clement VSOP seemed like a great substitute. For the Jamaican I used the old standby, Appleton 12.
Definitely not the standard-issue Vic’s Mai Tai. The agricole made this taste a bit more dry, and a tad lighter on the tongue. Pretty different but still great.
