Original recipe
4 cl 17 Year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican Rum
1 cl De Kuyper Orange Curaçao
1 cl Garnier Orgeat
0,5 cl Rock Candy syrup
Juice of one fresh lime
Hand shake
Old-Fashioned
Lime & mint
Hand shake and garnish with half of the lime shell inside the drink and float a fresh mint sprig at the edge of the glass. The use of cocktail cherries and pineapple, often combined with orchids, is nowadays common practice for garnishing Mai Tai’s as well.
Today the Mai Tai is the most famous Tiki cocktail and synonymous with Tiki culture, both past, and present. Amongst lovers of the Mai Tai, often referred to as ”the most famous tropical drink ever created,” there has been an ongoing feud over who first created this wonderful concoction.
The Mai Tai was purportedly invented at the Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944 by Victor Jules Bergeron. The story goes that Trader Vic created the Mai Tai one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. In 1970 Trader Vic was interviewed stating: “In 1944, after success with several exotic rum drinks, I felt a new drink was needed, I thought about all the really successful drinks; Martini’s, Manhattans, Daiquiris…. All basically simple drinks. I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of 17-year old rum. It was J. Wray Nephew from Jamaica; surprisingly golden in color, medium bodied, but with the rich, pungent flavor particular to the Jamaican blends. The flavor of this great rum wasn’t meant to be overpowered with heavy additions of fruit juices and flavorings. I took a fresh lime, added some orange curaçao from Holland, a dash of rock candy syrup and a dollop of French orgeat, for its subtle almond flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Half the lime shell went in for color. I stuck a branch of fresh mint and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti, who were there that night. Carrie took one sip and said, “Mai Tai - Roa Aé!” In Tahitian, this means “Out of this world, the best!” Well, that was that. I named the drink Mai Tai”.
Today the Mai Tai is the most famous Tiki cocktail and synonymous with Tiki culture, both past, and present.