I originally got this recipe from a blog but I can’t find the link to that blog now. I’ve made changes changes to the ratio but the basic ingredients are mostly the same.
These four rums, when mixed together, create a very fruity yet potent mixture. You’ll swear there’s pineapple juice in the mai tai!
- Appleton Estate Rare Casks Aged 12 Years
- Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum
- Plantation OFTD
- Plantation Xaymaca
My local liquor store has both Plantation brand rums, but I need substitutes for the other 2 and usually go with these:
- Kirk and Sweeny 12 year
- Pusser’s Rum
I think the basic idea is to use light Jamaican rum, dark Jamaican rum, 12 year aged rum, and a “traditional rum” (whatever that is anyway) The combination has many different layers of flavor.
In the past I have made this with only half an ounce of orange Curacao along with simple syrup but lately I have been using Cointreau to add more sweetness. Sometimes if I’m being lazy I’ll just stir in some sugar or a Sweet and low.
I like to mix up the proportion of Cointreau or Curacao just to see how they change the flavor of the drink, so it’s good to experiment!
Sometimes I add a dash of bitters for a little extra contrast.
Don’t forget the orgeat! It is key to the flavor of a Mai Tai. Maybe add a bit extra for more sweetness.
So my basic mai tai recipe is like this:
- 2oz rum (.5oz of each run)
- .5oz lime juice
- .5oz Orgeat
- 1oz Cointreau
I see a lot of recipes that say to shake this in a Shaker with ice and then strain into another glass of ice, but I prefer to make my drink stronger so I mix it with no ice and then pour over ice. I tend to sip a drink over an hour while the ice melts giving me enough water to blend it nicely.
To add extra sweetness without syrup or to add more fruity flavors, Garnish with pineapple, an orange slice, maraschino cherry. I like to put them all on a toothpick and drop it in the glass.
If I’m using fresh limes I’ll sometimes throw a lime wedge in the glass. But lately I’m just using a bottle of “RealLime” lime juice which for me works just as well.
One of my early iterations of this recipe called for floating a 151 rum on top, about .2oz. it really doesn’t need it but it gets you there faster and will impress your friends.
Cheers!
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