Mai Tai
Aged rum, orange curaçao, orgeat and lime over crushed ice. Nutty, sharp and rum-forward.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- 2.7 UK units
How to make a Mai Tai
- Combine in a shaker. Add the aged rum, lime juice, curaçao and orgeat to a shaker and fill it with ice.
- Shake. Shake for 10 to 12 seconds, until the tin is cold and misted.
- Strain over crushed ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. The ice should be packed in and mounded above the rim.
- Float and garnish. Pour the dark rum slowly over the back of a spoon so it floats. Slap a mint sprig between your hands and tuck it in beside the straw.
- Glass
- Rocks glassNo rocks glass? A short, wide tumbler.
- Ice
- Crushed ice
- Garnish
- Mint sprig and a spent lime halfOr: A lime wedge.
What you need to make a Mai Tai
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- Aged rumA Jamaican rum with some funk, such as Appleton Estate Signature, gives the classic flavour.Find it on Amazon
- OrgeatMonin or Small Hand Foods are good. Check that it contains actual almonds.Find it on Amazon
- Orange curaçaoPierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao is drier and more complex than most.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Mai Tai story
Two California bartenders claimed to have invented it. Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron said he made the first Mai Tai in 1944 at his bar in Oakland, while Ernest "Donn Beach" Gantt, known as Don the Beachcomber, said he made a similar drink in 1933. The tiki world has argued about it ever since. The name is said to come from the Tahitian word maita'i, meaning good.
A proper Mai Tai is not a sweet fruit punch. It is a rum drink with lime and almond syrup in support. Use a good aged rum, real orgeat and fresh lime, and it is one of the best drinks you can make at home.
Mai Tai: your questions answered
What is in a Mai Tai?
A Mai Tai is made with 40 ml aged rum, 25 ml fresh lime juice, 15 ml orange curaçao and 15 ml orgeat. Garnish: mint sprig and a spent lime half.
Is a Mai Tai shaken or stirred?
A Mai Tai is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Mai Tai?
Made to this recipe, a Mai Tai contains about 2.7 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Mai Tai in?
Serve a Mai Tai in a rocks glass over ice. No rocks glass? A short, wide tumbler.
