Ingredients
-
3 cl of white rum
-
3 cl of dark rum
-
1,5 cl of Orange Curacao
-
1,5 cl of orgeat syrup
-
1 cl of lime juice
Directions
The Mai Tai cocktail is a classic drink based on rum, orange curacao, lime and orgeat syrup. The cocktail was born in 1944 in the Sancta Sanctorum of the Trader Vic’s in Los Angeles.
His name in the Tahitian language simply means good, because there is no need to add anything else to the real Mai Tai.
The Mai Tai is a very alcoholic, powerful, dry cocktail, with a good fruity background, but where the taste of the rum, light and dark, is predominant. Yes, as you have already guessed for making a perfect Mai Thai, the quality of rum is fundamental.
There are many versions that we could call tropical Mai Tai, elongated with orange or pineapple juice and that become the classic poolside drink, the one with a cornucopia of fruits, but the one we are going to make today is the original cocktail.
Be careful though: the Mai Tai is a fairly dry cocktail in taste, very aromatic and mottled thanks to the aromatic taste of almonds, but don’t think it is a fruity cocktail, rather it has an elegant tone and austere traits.
Ingredients and doses for making the real Mai Tai cocktail
- 3 cl of light rum
- 3 cl of dark rum
- 1.5 cl orange curacao
- 1.5 orgeat syrup
- 1 cl of fresh lime juice
Glass
Highball
How to make the original Mai Tai cocktail
Preparing the Mai Tai is quite simple, there is only a small foresight to follow: the dark rum must be put only at the end.
Put all the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until the mixture is pretty icy and pour, filtering, into a highball glass or a tiki cup.
Gently pour the dark rum and garnish with a pineapple slice, lime zest and mint sprig.
Variants
Many variations dissolve the strong flavor of the rum by adding pineapple and orange juice, summer interpretations, safer, elongated and simple, good as a long drink, but too frivolous if you love good rum.
What is orgeat syrup?
If you are a bartender or if you simply want to make real cocktails, never use the industrial orgeat syrup you find on the market: it is a sickly broth, full of preservatives, colorings and sugar. You have to make it by yourself, with your hands, you only need almonds, hot water and sugar. The Mai Tai cocktail must be a kind of milky drink, so do not worry, it is normal, the cocktails as bright and colorful as a rainbow are fake drinks.
Suggested food pairings
Grilled cheese sandwich; parmigiana ravioli, spaghetti with clams, chicken tikka masala, Chicken Cacciatore, Vitello Tonnato, truffle risotto, pasta alla carbonara, paella mixta.
Rum cocktails you should try
Mojito, Zombie, Daiquiri, Painkiller, Dark and Stormy, Canchanchara, Pina Colada, Cuba Libre, Basito, Hurricane.
