Above: Mai Tai in Maui by Edward Fielding
I was born in Hawaii. I lived there for only six months. My dad was in the army and was assigned to the home to the 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks.
Ever since being stationed in Hawaii, he always enjoyed a good Mai Tai.
A Mai Tai is a mix of rums, orgeat (almond syrup), lime juice, rich demerara simple syrup, and orange curaçaThe original recipe was concocted in 1944 by Victor J. Bergeron — better known as Trader Vic who mixed it up for some Taitian friends who declared it “Maita’i roa a’e,” or “out of this world! The best!”
So Bergeron named his new cocktail “Mai Tai,” as in “the best.”
The Polynesian culture was all the rage back in the 40s leading up to Hawaii’s statehood and Trader Vic’s chain of Polynesian-themed restaurant empire spread Seattle to Havana, Cuba. Soon the world ran out of the 17-year-old aged rum that was used in the original recipe and it had to be changed.
Mai Tais are known today as a drink to have in Hawaii but it didn’t travel to Hawaii until the 1950s when Vic was hired to outfit some hotel bars. Local pineapple and orange juice was added to sweeten the drink for the tourist trade.
This new sweeter version became even more popular than the original.
Then in the 80s, pre-made syrups replaced fresh ingredients and bastardized the Mai Tai even more from the original recipe. Bad knock-offs began to sour the Mai Tai’s reputation as a cocktail, making it some kind of sweet, joke for the tourist trade.
The original recipe has been resurrected minus the 17 year old rum:
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce orange curaçao
1/4 ounce orgeat
1/4 ounce rich demerara simple syrup (2:1 ratio)
2 ounces aged pot still or blended rum
Combine all ingredients with 12 ounces of crushed ice and some cubes in a shaker. Shake until chilled and pour — ice and all — into a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a spent lime shell and mint sprig. This is the official garnish and is meant to represent an island and palm tree.