How To Make a Mai Tai (2024)

Method

Take your Boston glass or small tin and, using your jigger to measure, add the rum, triple sec and orgeat to the shaker.

Using your Mexican elbow and your jigger to measure, squeeze 25ml of lime juice and add to the shaker.

Add 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters to the shaker.

Fill the shaker with cubed ice and seal with Boston tin or lid, before shaking vigorously for 10-15 seconds.

Use your Hawthorne strainer to strain the co*cktail into your glass before filling the glass with crushed ice and piling some on top.

Garnish with orange slice and co*cktail cherry.

Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

Shaker
Jigger/Measure
Mexican Elbow
Hawthorne Strainer
Crushed Ice
Cubed Ice

History

The Mai Tai’s name comes from maita’i, the Tahitian word for “good” or “excellence.” Like with all good classics the origins of the co*cktail are still disputed.

Trader Vic is probably the bartender most widely attributed with the invesntion of the Mai Tai, but his long-time rival, Donn Beach claims he took inspiration from a punch he made. The punch contained a whole lot of other ingredients, so we can assume this wasn’t strictly the case and was more a reflection of their fiery rivalry at the time. Trader Vic is said to have claimed: “Anybody who says I didn’t create this drink is a dirty stinker.”

The Mai Tai is said to have been so popular in America it depleted the stocks of J. Wray Nephews 17 year old rum, the original rum used.

Allergens

Contains nuts

Recommended

The Mai Tai is famous for a reason, this gorgeous drink has everything you want or need from a tiki co*cktail; the rich caramel-y warmth of rum, the sharp tang of lime, the subtle floral citrus notes of orange liqueur and the nutty, creamy sweetness of orgeat, finished with a dash of bitters to add an extra depth and garnished with any number of fun fruity decorations, this drink exudes tiki through and through.

As tiki drinks go, the Mai Tai is neither the strongest nor the most complex to make. Tiki drinks tend to contain a list of ingredients as long as a bar-spoon and can take considerable time to produce, as well as packing enough rumto down even the most robust of guests within a few rounds. The Mai Tai keeps things simple, with just a few ingredients, combined to create something greater than the sum of its parts and packing a healthy dose of rum without being overpowering, this is the perfect drink to round out a tiki menu and keep service flowing smoothly.

If classic rum drinks are your thing and you want some other classy options alongside the noble Mai Tai, why not feature the mother of all rum drinks, the classic Daiquiri, this simple but elegant mixture of rum, lime and sugar is a perfectly balanced classic that’s sure to be a hit with everyone.

If you’re interested in featuring the Mai Tai as part of your menu and want to know more about what drinks could be served alongside it, be sure to speak to your event organiser about your options, or check out some other rum-based, classic and tiki-style co*cktails from our list.