🥃 Mai Tai
American rum cocktail made from Jamaican and Martinique rum, curaçao, orgeat almond syrup and lime juice; according to the story, Trader Vic created it in Oakland in 1944.
Mai Tai is an American rum cocktail made from Jamaican and Martinique rum, orange liqueur curaçao, orgeat almond syrup and lime juice, shaken with ice. Its creator is usually named as Victor Bergeron, known as Trader Vic: by his own account, the drink appeared in 1944 in Oakland, California.
The IBA recipe. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists the Mai Tai in its «Contemporary Classics» category: 30 ml of amber Jamaican rum and 30 ml of Martinique molasses rum, 15 ml each of curaçao and orgeat, 30 ml of lime juice and 7.5 ml of simple syrup. It is shaken with ice and served in a rocks or highball glass with pineapple, mint and lime peel.
History. According to Difford's Guide, Bergeron opened his first venue in Oakland in 1934. He served the new cocktail to friends from Tahiti, Ham and Carrie Guild, and her exclamation «maita'i roa ae» — roughly «out of this world» in Tahitian — gave the drink its name. The original used 17-year-old Jamaican rum from J. Wray & Nephew. Don the Beachcomber also claimed the invention, but Bergeron disputed it.
Spread. In 1953 Bergeron brought the recipe to Hawaii for the Matson shipping line, to standardise the cocktail in the bars of the Royal Hawaiian, Moana and Surfrider hotels. The Mai Tai became a symbol of tiki culture. Like the daiquiri, it combines rum with lime and sugar, but adds aged rum, curaçao and almond syrup.
Why it matters to you. Thanks to the fruit, the almond syrup and plenty of ice, the Mai Tai tastes light, but a classic serving of 60 ml of rum plus liqueur is more than one standard drink. Do not drive after a cocktail. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Raw material | Jamaican and Martinique rum, orange curaçao, orgeat syrup, lime juice, sugar syrup |
|---|
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Mai Tai → kind of → 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Made from
- 🥃 Rum, 🥃 Jamaica Rum, 🥃 Curaçao, 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Americans
- Part of
- 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Rhum agricole, 🥃 Daiquiri, 🥃 Zombie
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that the Mai Tai is a Hawaiian cocktail?
No. By the account given, it was created in 1944 in Oakland, California; Bergeron brought the recipe to Hawaii in 1953, where the cocktail became very popular.
What does the name Mai Tai mean?
It comes from the Tahitian exclamation «maita'i roa ae», roughly «unsurpassed, the best»; according to the story, a guest from Tahiti, Carrie Guild, used it to describe the drink.
Which rum is used in a Mai Tai?
The IBA specifies amber Jamaican rum and Martinique molasses rum; the original Trader Vic version used 17-year-old Jamaican rum from J. Wray & Nephew.
What is orgeat in a Mai Tai?
An almond sugar syrup; together with orange curaçao it gives the cocktail its nutty sweetness.
Who really invented the Mai Tai?
Most often the creator is named as Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic). Don the Beachcomber also claimed the invention, but Bergeron denied it, and Difford's Guide credits Trader Vic with the modern Mai Tai.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Rum — A distillate of sugar-cane molasses, syrup or juice: in the EU at least 37.5% vol., no flavourings or added alcohol, up to 20 g/l of sugar.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Americans — The people of the United States in North America, descendants of settlers and Native peoples; their home-grown cheese is California's Monterey Jack.
- 🥃 Zombie — Zombie is a strong rum tiki cocktail of three rums, lime, falernum and spices; it was created by Donn Beach in Hollywood in 1934.
- 🥃 Jamaica Rum — Rum with Jamaica's geographical indication since 2016: aged only on the island, and after distillation only water and cane caramel are added.
Similar
🥃 Daiquiri · 🥃 Jungle Bird · 🥃 Hemingway Special · 🥃 Dark 'n' Stormy · 🥃 Mint Julep · 🥃 Eggnog
Sources
- IBA — International Bartenders Association: Mai Tai (Contemporary Classics; 30 ml amber Jamaican rum, 30 ml Martinique molasses rhum, 15 ml orange curaçao, 15 ml orgeat syrup, 30 ml fresh lime juice, 7.5 ml simple syrup; shake with ice; double rocks or highball glass; pineapple spear, mint leaves, lime peel; Trader Vic's Martinique rum was a molasses rum, not rhum agricole)
- Difford's Guide: Mai Tai (Trader Vic's) — Victor Jules Bergeron, first restaurant in Oakland 1934; 1944, Ham and Carrie Guild from Tahiti, 'mai tai-roa aé'; 17-year-old J. Wray & Nephew rum; 1953 Matson Lines — Royal Hawaiian, Moana, Surfrider; competing claim of Don the Beachcomber (Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt)
- Difford's Guide: Trader Vic — Victor Bergeron (1902–1984), Hinky Dink's in Oakland 1934, later Trader Vic's; over 20 restaurants; creator of the Mai Tai
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)