Mai Tai Recipe: How to Make a Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is one of the world's most well-known Tiki drinks. This drink is made with dark rum, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, orgeat syrup and overproof rum. For decades, it has held appeal among cocktail experts and Tiki lovers and was even featured in the Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii.

Victor J. Bergeron is said to have invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at Trader Vic's in Oakland, California. However, Don Beach, who came before Trader Vic, said he came up with the drink in 1933. Even though a long-time coworker said otherwise, Beach's claim that the Mai Tai was based on his Q.B. Cooler was believed by most people. Don the Beachcomber's recipe is harder to follow than Vic's, and some people think it's also pretty different from Vic's. Many people say that the cocktails are pretty similar, even though they have different ingredients. The classic Mai Tai cocktail tastes strongly of rum and ends with a hint of orange and lime. This cocktail is best recommended for people who like strong drinks with a hint of sweetness.

What are the ingredients for a Mai Tai?

Listed below are the following ingredients for a Mai Tai cocktail.

• 40ml Dark Rum: Dark rum is barrel-aged for a longer amount of time than its golden and white counterpart. Dark rum, however, is regarded as the purest representation of molasses, one of the most extensively utilised sugarcane by-products.
• 10ml Cointreau: Cointreau is a brand of triple sec; it is a powerful, sweet and colourless orange-flavoured liqueur that is made in Saint-Barthelemy-d'Anjou, France.
• 20ml Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice is the liquid extracted from limes that have been freshly squeezed. Lime juice that has been freshly pressed is a real treat. It's tart, acidic and simple fresh.
• 10ml Orgeat Syrup: A sweet syrup produced from almonds, sugar and rose, or orange flower water, is known as orgeat syrup. It has a strong almond flavour and is used to flavour a variety of beverages.
• 10ml Overproof Rum: Overproof rum has a higher alcohol content than proof spirits. It is commonly used in cocktails and mixers as a base.

1. 40ml Dark Rum

One of the most important ingredients in the Mai Tai cocktail is dark rum. With its hint of grassy flavour, it imparts a smoky sweetness flavour into the drink. Dark rum has 36-65% alcohol by volume and 87 calories. The best dark rums to use for a Mai Tai are Coruba Dark Rum, Appleton Estate Blend 12 Year, Mezan Jamaica XO and Rum Clement VSOP.

2. 10ml Cointreau

10ml of Cointreau is necessary to make a Mai Tai cocktail. The cocktail has an aftertaste that is layered with complexity thanks to the balanced combination of sweet and bitter citrus flavours, along with a dash of toasted spices. Cointreau contains 40% alcohol by volume with an amount of 72 calories.

3. 20ml Fresh Lime Juice

Fresh lime juice is necessary to add when making the Mai Tai cocktail drink. This will accentuate the strong flavour of the rum and impart an additional taste. The fresh lime juice does not contain any alcohol content, however, it does have a number of 5 calories.

4. 10ml Orgeat Syrup

One of the most important ingredients in the Mai Tai cocktail is the orgeat syrup. The rum's harsh taste is balanced out by the sweetness of this ingredient. It will lend the drink a more robust flavour, elevating its overall taste. It is not an alcoholic syrup, however it does have a calorie count of 25.

5. 10ml Overproof Rum

The most important ingredient in the Mai Tai cocktail is overproof rum. It is used to give the drink a stronger flavour. Rums that have an alcohol content that is higher than fifty percent by volume are referred to as "overproof rums”. Diamond 151, Denros Strong Rum, and Sunset Very Strong Rum are some of the greatest overproof rums for Mai Tai.

How to make a Mai Tai?

Preparing a Mai Tai has never been easier thanks to this recipe, so don't miss it and make the most out of the cocktail!

1. Pour all the ingredients except the overproof rum into a shaker and shake.
2. Strain into a rocks glass or tiki mug.
3. Fill with crushed ice.
4. Float the overproof rum on top.
5. Garnish with a mint sprig.

1. Pour all the ingredients except the overproof rum into a shaker and shake.

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail mixer, except the overproof rum, and mix thoroughly. This process is critical since it will help to create a drink with an appealing flavour and texture.

2. Strain into a rocks glass or tiki mug.

Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass or Tiki mug. Straining is essential throughout the cocktail-making process since it helps remove unnecessary substances from the drink before serving.

3. Fill with crushed ice.

After straining the cocktail, add some crushed ice and leave it aside to chill. This process is necessary because the classic Mai Tai cocktail is served in a chilled glass.

4. Float the overproof rum on top.

Pour the dark rum over the drink and allow it to settle in a single layer. This is an essential step in order to add extra flavour to the drink.

5. Garnish with a mint sprig.

To release the oil, forcefully slap the mint sprig against the back of the palm before garnishing. This will make the drink more aromatic and also offer visual appeal.

What nutritional benefit can you get from drinking a Mai Tai?

There is no nutritional benefit from drinking a Mai Tai cocktail. However, the amount of calories present in Mai Tai cocktails is 309 per serving with an alcohol content of 26.2 by volume.

What are the different variations of Mai Tai?

There are multiple variations of the classic Mai Tai cocktail drink, including Irish Whiskey Mai Tai, Broken Heart Zombie Mai Tai and Mai Tai Swizzle. To variate a classic Mai Tai drink, the bartender should change some ingredients. The procedure of making the variation of Mai Tai cocktail is just the same as making the classic one. However, instead of using rum, a bartender can use bourbon whiskey to add a spicier flavour and depth of taste to the drink. Some similar cocktails to the classic Mai Tai cocktail are Rum Swizzle, Mad Girl’s Love Song, Royal Hawaiian, Poison Dart, and Three Dots and a Dash.