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Perfect Mai Tai


b1gcountry

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@flahute and I have both been making Mai Tais lately...I still don't think I've perfected it. I have made mine better...

 

Rum

I've been splitting the base between Jamaican and gold rum. I had some Myers on hand and it wasn't great. I had a strong recommendation for Appleton Estates 12, and I like that a lot more. The Plantation Barbados 5yr is pretty good by itself with a lot of pineapple and sweet notes. The Kirk&Sweeney 12y was out of place. 

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My current rum choice is 1.25oz Appleton, 1oz Plantation

 

Orgeat

I haven't tried making my own, I use the liber &co orgeat and it's decent. I bump up the amount to a scant 3/4oz. I find you can go creamier with more orgeat, and I've even tried a splash of cream, or you can go more citrus-y with less orgeat.

 

Lime juice

Fresh lime juice is great. Lime super juice is also great. Either one tastes about the same in the Mai Tai, but I generally like the super juice better in Daiquiri, so I just use that.

 

Orange liquor

I've tried Cointreau, Dry Curacao, and Grand Marnier. The dry curacao is sort of a sweet candy orange that comes through more in the drink. The Cointreau is a more tart tangerine that sort of blends in with the lime. The orange in the grand marnier isn't as strong, so I use 1/4oz more GM and 1/4oz less rum when I use that. I haven't decided which I like best, but I think the dry curacao adds a more distinct orange flavor that I prefer.

3/4oz dry curacao 

 

 

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Edited by b1gcountry
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Sooo....the title of this thread is a misnomer?🤪🤣

 

Prost!!  Phil 

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Any conversation about a proper Mai Tai needs to start with a post from our very own cocktail guru Bruce. This screengrab is from 2020 when I asked him how he would make one. 
 

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Interesting fact about the wray and nephew 17yr... trade vic used the world's supply of that within 1 year of opening, and the Mai tai was far from his most popular drink then.

 

When the Mai Tai actually got popular was around the time they expanded to Hawaii, and they were adding the rhum agricole...

 

That said... traditional does not necessarily mean "my favorite"... and it's certainly fun to figure that out😃

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6 hours ago, Phil T said:

Sooo....the title of this thread is a misnomer?🤪🤣

 

Prost!!  Phil 

Journey before destination...

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@b1gcountry here’s the recipe I’m liking the most so far. I use Rhum Barbancourt 8yr instead of the Neisson because I don’t have that. 
 

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The French rum is sort of hard to source locally for me. We have plenty of options for cachaca though. 

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