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HAWAI'I AND THE MAI TAI

History of the Mai Tai

The origin of the Mai Tai is in some dispute. Victor Bergeron (1902 - 1984) opened a hamburger joint in 1934 in Oakland, California on San Pablo Avenue called Hinky Dink's. After a trip to Cuba, Bergeron returned with all sorts of tropical paraphernalia and announced that everyone from then on should call him "Trader" Vic. A few days later, the sign at Hinky Dink's came down and the Trader Vic's sign went up.

Trader Vic had a fondness for rum and during World War II would trade whiskey for the rum brought by returning sailors. He used rum for most drinks served at the bar.

In 1944 he concocted a drink and served it to a friend from Tahiti who took one sip and said, "Mai Tai, Roa Ae," which roughly means "out of this world."

The dispute arises from the claim of Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt (1907 - 1989), aka Don the Beachcomber or simply Donn Beach, to have first invented the iconic drink. While Donn Beach did invent many of the classic Tiki drinks, the Zombie, the Navy Grog and the Missionary`s Downfall among others, the drink he called the Mai Tai quickly disappeared from the menu of his restaurant in Southern California.

I was taken to the original Trader Vic's in Oakland by my father who went there often during his trips through the Bay Area to and  from the Pacific war. I was 14 and my father was serving his two weeks reserve duty at Treasure Island.

So my mother, father and I along with another Naval couple went into Trader Vic's. Besides Mai Tais, Trader Vic's featured Scorpions, a rum and fruit juice drink served in a large communal bowl with a straw for each diner, including underage children, me.  We joked that Mom would have to pinch Dad's straw to keep some for the rest of us.

This is where I first tasted good Chinese food sparking a life-long fascination with the cuisine. 

There are as many recipes for the Mai Tai as there are bars and bartenders. Moose McGillicuddy's on Maui serves what I call the bargain Mai Tai ( $ 4) during their happy hour, 4-7 PM.

Check out the recipes below or make up your own. Aloha!

The Basic Mai Tai

  • 1/2 cup white rum

  • 1/4 cup Triple Sec

  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

  • Crushed ice

To decorate:

  • Cocktail cherries

  • Pineapple cubes

  • Orange slices

Put the rum, Triple Sec, and juices into a cocktail shaker. Shake to mix. Fill the glasses with the ice and pour the cocktail over it. Decorate with cherries, pineapple, and/or orange slices, and drink with a straw.

Tonga Mai Tai

  • 1-ounce lime juice

  • 3 ounces pineapple juice

  • 1/4-ounce Orgeat syrup (almond syrup)

  • 1-ounce dark rum (recommended: Myers's)

  • 1-ounce light rum (recommended: Bacardi)

  • 1-ounce orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)

  • Crushed ice

  • 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

  • 1 pineapple slice, for garnish

  • 1 paper umbrella, for garnish

Combine all the liquid ingredients in a large glass. Add ice and stir. Drop the cherry in the drink and garnish the rim of the glass with the pineapple slice. Place the paper umbrella in the glass and serve immediately.

Trader Vic's Mai Tai

'Mai tai -- Roa Ae.' In Tahitian this means 'Out of This World -- The Best.'

  • 2 oz dark rum

  • 1/2 oz orange Curaçao

  • 1/4 oz Orgeat syrup (pronounced or-ZHAH)

  • 1/4 oz rock candy syrup – 2 parts sugar, 1 part water

  • juice of 1 lime

Shake with ice and strain into a double Old-Fashioned glass with plenty of crushed ice. Garnish with the shell of half the lime and a sprig of mint.– Eric Felten, Wall Street Journal

Today's Trader Vic Mai Tai

This recipe is very close to what Trader Vic's restaurants apparently serve today:

  • 1 oz gold rum

  • 1 oz dark rum

  • 1 oz triple sec

  • 1/2 oz lime juice

  • 1/2 oz Orgeat syrup

Garnish: maraschino cherry, pineapple, mint sprig

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with fruits and mint, and serve with a straw.

The Wild Ginger Mai Tai

Created by Victor Bergeron in 1944 at his Oakland Restaurant ‘Hinky Dink’s’, later to be known as Trader Vic’s.

On that day Victor was trying out some new drink recipes. He sent out his new drink to his friends Ham and Carrie Guild visiting from Tahiti.

Carrie took one sip and said “Mai Tai-Roa Ae” the Tahitian expression meaning “Out of this world”

  • 2 oz of Cruzan aged rum

  • The fresh juice of a whole lime

  • ½ oz Orange Curacao

  • Splash of almond syrup

  • ½ oz simple syrup

Shake with cracked ice and one of the lime shells, serve in a tall glass.

Float of Myers Rum on top, garnish with an umbrella.

Don the Beachcomber's Mai Tai

  • 1.5 oz Myers’s plantation rum (you may sub Appleton)

  • 1 oz Cuban rum ( sub British navy-style rum, like Pusser’s or Lamb’s)

  • 0.75 oz fresh lime juice

  • 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice

  • 0.25 oz falernum

  • 0.5 oz Cointreau

  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

  • 1 dash Pernod

  • Shell of squeezed lime

  • 1 cup of cracked ice

Shake for 1 minute. Serve in a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with four sprigs of mint. Add a spear of pineapple. Sip slowly through mint sprigs until desired effect results.

Hana Bay Rum Mai Tai

I got this recipe from the label of a bottle of Hana Bay rum, a low cost brand sold at Long's on Maui.

  • 4 parts rum

  • 2 parts orange Curaçao

  • 1 part simple syrup

  • 1 part orgeat syrup

Shake with ice into glass. Float with Myers’s rum and garnish with fresh pineapple slice.

Beach House Hawai’i Mai Tai

  • 1 shot each light and amber rum

  • 1/2 shot each Southern Comfort and triple sec

  • splash Grenadine

Fill with equal parts orange and pineapple juice, garnish with an umbrella and pineapple, relax in the hammock and enjoy!

Paul’s Perfect Mai Tai

This is a recipe I developed at home on the mainland. Freshly squeezed orange juice is essential.

  • 2 oz. light rum

  • 2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice – a large orange will yield about 4 oz. so make two at a time

  • 1 oz. triple sec

  • 1/2 oz. Orgeat syrup

  • Dash Myers’s dark rum

Shake all ingredients but the Myers’s with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass over fresh ice. Float Myers’s rum on top. Garnish with a pineapple slice or not.

An Authentic Hawai'ian Mai Tai

  • 1 oz. Royal Hawaiian Light Rum, or any light rum

  • 1 oz. Demerara Rum (Lemon Hart 86)

  • 1 oz. Orange Curacao (Bols)

  • Dash French Orgeat Syrup

  • Dash Rock Candy Syrup

  • Juice of half a Lime

  • 1/4 oz. Lemon Juice

  • Orange Juice

Fill large (14 ounce) glass with ingredients, then add crushed ice and orange juice. Garnish with mint leaves and perhaps fruit on a skewer.

Another Original Trader Vic’s Formula

  • 2 ounces 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum

  • 1/2 ounce French Garnier Orgeat

  • 1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao

  • 1/4 ounce Rock Candy Syrup

  • juice from one fresh lime

Hand shake and garnish with half of the lime shell inside the drink and float a sprig of fresh mint at the edge of the glass.

China Village Mai Tai

  • 1 oz. Dark Rum

  • 1 oz. Light Rum

  • 1 1/2 Triple Sec

  • 1/2 oz. Orange Juice

  • 1 oz. canned Pineapple Juice

  • 1/4 ounce alcoholic cordial Grenadine

Mix all ingredients in shaker with ice. Strain over ice in glass. "Very strong drink. You like.."

Still Another Trader Vic's Original Mai Tai

You'll note that there's nary a drop of orange or pineapple juice. For this reason, Mai Tais made with any sort of juice (besides lime juice) are not "true" Mai Tais.

The Original Formula - 1944

  • 2 ounces of 17-year old J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice.

  • Add juice from one fresh lime.

  • 1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao.

  • 1/4 ounce Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup.

  • 1/2 ounce French Garier Orgeat Syrup

Shake vigorously.  Add a sprig of fresh mint

"Old Way" Mai Tai Formula - 1997

  • 1 ounce Fine Jamaican Rum (15 or 8 year old)

  • 1 ounce Martinique Rum (St. James)

  • 1/2 ounce Orange Curacao

  • 1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup

  • Juice from one fresh lime (about 3/4 ounce)

Mix and serve as in the Original Formula

Webtender Mai Tai

Shake all ingredients (except cherry) with ice and strain into a Collins glass over several ice cubes. Top with the cherry and serve.

Michael's Ultimate Mai Tai

Squeeze lime wedge in tall glass with ice. Add other ingredients. Sugar is optional.

 Royal Hawai’ian Hotel Mai Tai

  • 2 T light rum

  • 2 T orange Curaçao

  • ¼ C orange juice

  • 1 T fresh lime juice

  • 1 dash Orgeat

  • 1 dash simple syrup

  • 1 T Myers’s rum

In an 8 oz. glass filled with crushed ice, add all but the dark rum. Drizzle dark rum on top.

Mullins’ Mai Tai

Combine ingredients in an empty shaker. Shake vigorously then pour contents into a tall cocktail glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a slice of orange, a wedge of pineapple or a cherry (or all three).

Chuck’s Original Steak House Mai Tai

  • 1-1/2 ounces sweet and sour mix

  • 1 to 1-1/2 ounces light rum

  • 3/4 ounce orange Curaçao

  • 1/2 ounce falernum or orgeat syrup

  • 1 ounce dark rum or Demerara dark rum

Garnishes: half of a fresh lime, fresh mint

Pour first 4 ingredients over crushed ice; stir. Top with the dark rum, garnish and serve. Makes 1 serving.

A Not-so Authentic Mai Tai Recipe

During my visits to Maui, I will have a very simple drink similar to a Mai Tai which simply had POG (Haleakala Dairies' Passion fruit - known in Hawai'i as lilikoi - Orange, and Guava juices) with a shot of light rum and the juice of half a lime over ice and a Meyers's Dark Rum float on the top. This is really a rum punch.

It is actually quite good for so simple a recipe. Now if I can just find POG on the mainland.

Safeway does have a frozen POG.

 

There are many other recipes on the Internet and at Wikipedia.

 
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