The Mai Tai
The Mai Tai
The Mai Tai is the classic Tiki cocktail that seems to have been around forever. Essentially a Daiquiri “with the lot,” it’s a little boozy, absolutely delicious, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Tiki cocktails were popularised in the USA in the 1950s, largely as a result of U.S. soldiers returning from the South Pacific—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The Tiki craze actually began in the 1930s, before any U.S. soldiers had been stationed in the South Pacific. A man named Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt—who later changed his name to Don Beach—had spent time in the South Pacific and the Caribbean during his youth. Upon returning to the U.S., he brought back suitcases full of souvenirs from his travels, some of which were used as props in Hollywood films. Under the name Don the Beachcomber, he opened a Polynesian-themed restaurant in Hollywood, which became an overnight success.
Gantt created cocktail recipes that reminded him of the various flavors and experiences from his adventures. He began crafting rum-based fruit drinks using a wide array of syrups and fascinating ingredients.
The success of Don Beach inspired other entrepreneurs with a taste for Tiki, most notably Victor Bergeron. After visiting Don the Beachcomber, Bergeron rebranded his Oakland bar with a Polynesian theme and called it Trader Vic’s. He is widely credited with inventing the Mai Tai in 1944. The name is said to have come from a friend visiting from Tahiti, who, after sampling the cocktail, exclaimed, “Mai Tai Roa Ae,” which translates as “Fantastic!” or “The best!”
While the Tiki craze has long since faded, it left us with some incredible cocktails—most of them based on white rum and enhanced with a variety of fruit juices and syrups.
The Mai Tai isn’t the simplest cocktail to put together, as it involves several ingredients that the average home bar might not stock. But it remains the definitive Tiki cocktail—one that most people have heard of, even if they’ve never tried it.
Recipe & Instructions
Ingredients:
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30 ml Golden Rum
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30 ml Pineapple Rum
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15 ml Sweet Orange Liqueur (e.g., Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier)
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20 ml Fresh Lime Juice
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7.5 ml Orgeat Syrup (Contains Nuts)
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7.5 ml Amaretto
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7.5 ml Falernum Liqueur
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2.5 ml White Crème de Menthe
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2 dashes Absinthe
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½ pinch Salt
Instructions:
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Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
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Shake well until chilled.
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Pour over crushed ice into an Old Fashioned glass.
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Garnish with a pineapple cube, Maraschino cherry, lime wedge, and mint leaves skewered on a toothpick.
