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Here’s how to make the original Mai Tai recipe! Gather the ingredients for this tropical rum drink that’s as complex as it is fruity.
The Mai Tai might sound like a simple fruity resort drink, but it’s anything but! No, this drink is a classic cocktail from the 1940’s that’s been (cough) ruined by saccharine sweet versions. How to make a real Mai Tai? The rum cocktail is breathtakingly complex, featuring aged rum, orange liqueur, and almond syrup for nutty and vanilla notes against sharp citrus. Float a little dark rum on top, and you get to the core of a Mai Tai: it’s sophisticated, nuanced, and might we say…extraordinarily special.
What’s a Mai Tai?
The most widely accepted origin story of the Mai Tai is that the cocktail was invented in 1944 at Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. It became very popular in the 1950’s and 60’s, especially at tiki restaurants. (And since Tiki culture is built on appropriation, we won’t exalt the virtues of that phenomenon.)
Full disclosure: we weren’t fans of this drink until we tasted the classic version! The Mai Tai cocktail in its original form just makes sense. It’s tropical, nutty, boozy and zingy: and it’s nothing like the adult fruit juice you might be expecting. (I ordered a Mai tai at a bar recently and it tasted like a Hawaiian punch juice box.)
Mai Tai ingredients
What’s in the original Mai Tai? Despite what you might think, there’s no pineapple juice! There’s actually no fruit juice, other than lime juice. The classic Mai Tai cocktail is on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails, meaning that it has an “official” definition. The ingredients in a Mai Tai drink are:
- Aged rum (also called golden, amber or anejo)
- Orange liqueur: either curaçao, Cointreau or Grand Marnier
- Lime juice
- Orgeat syrup
- Simple syrup (optional)
- Dark rum
The classic Mai Tai ingredients also often include simple syrup. Using a hint of simple syrup accentuates the flavor for a fruity, sweet tart Mai Tai. Omit the simple syrup and it makes a more boozy, spirit-forward drink. I prefer adding simple syrup for the flavor of that classic tropical drink, but Alex prefers the boozier version. Try it both ways and find your favorite!
What is orgeat syrup?
You may have noticed cocktails at bars that include the ingredient orgeat syrup. What is it, and is it absolutely necessary for a Mai Tai?
- Orgeat syrup is a non-alcoholic almond syrup used for sweetening cocktails. It has a distinctive nutty flavor with a hint of citrus that’s hard to replicate.
- How do you pronounce orgeat? Say Or-ZHAAT, where the “ZH” is like the J in the name Jacque.
- What is a substitute for orgeat syrup? There is no substitute for the unique nutty citrus flavor. A Mai Tai without orgeat syrup just doesn’t work. It’s a tasty drink: just not a real Mai Tai.
- How much does orgeat syrup cost? You can grab a bottle for about $10. It’s easy to find online: here’s the orgeat syrup we have. Use up leftovers with a Japanese Cocktail, Trinidad Sour, or Mojito Mocktail.
Orange liqueur: Grand Marnier vs Curaçao
A Mai Tai recipe traditionally uses orange curaçao, but it can be hard to find. Here are a few notes on what else to use as a substitute for the orange liqueur:
- Grand Marnier is your best bet. Grand Marnier is the highest end orange liqueur, and brings nuanced, sophisticated flavor. We had a bottle (since we like Grand Marnier cocktails), so we used it here.
- Cointreau also works. Got a bottle for making margaritas or other Cointreau drinks? You can use it here too. The flavor is a little less nuanced, but it still works!
Two types of rum make the best flavor
Many Mai Tai recipes use two types of rum mixed into the drink. Our version takes it a step further and floats the dark rum on top! It makes for a showy presentation and it’s become a tradition that some people like in their version of this drink. Here’s a bit more about the two types of rum you’ll need:
- Aged rum: This type of rum is also referred to as golden rum, amber rum, or añejo rum (meaning “aged”). Aging gives it a complex flavor, more like a Cognac. It has undertones of vanilla, coconut, almond, citrus, or caramel. The aged rum that we used here was Brugal Añejo Rum.
- Dark rum: Also known as black rum, dark rum has a dark color and a rich flavor that’s smoky and sweet.
What other cocktails use these types of rums? Use aged rum in an El Presidente or Pineapple Rum Cocktail, and dark rum in Rum Punch, Dark and Stormy, or a Jungle Bird.
What people are saying about this Mai Tai recipe
Once you’ve got your orgeat syrup, stocked up on golden and dark rum, and figured our your orange liqueur, it’s time to make your Mai Tai cocktail! This is the easy part: shake up the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain into a glass, float the dark rum on top and garnish! Here are a few comments from readers who have made this recipe:
- “I thought your recipe was excellent. I added more lime juice than listed by accident, but is turned out fine. The flavors are amazing and I felt like I was back on Maui enjoying happy hour. It sure packs a punch! I will definitely make this again.” -Rosemary
- “Used 15 year old Rhum Barbancourt from Haiti topped with Bacardi Black with Grand Marnier. It came out very nice!” -Jim
- “Wow, wow, wow! You guys hit this one on the head. Absolutely fantastic recipe. The moment I tasted this, the memories of when I first had this came back to me.” -Justin
Want more ideas? The Mai Tai is on our list of the top 50 Most Popular Cocktails. Also try these favorite cocktails with rum:
Mai Tai
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Description
Here’s how to make the original Mai Tai recipe! Gather the ingredients for this tropical rum drink that’s as complex as it is fruity.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces* aged rum
- ½ ounce orange liqueur: Curaçao, Cointreau or Grand Marnier
- ¾ ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce orgeat syrup
- ½ teaspoon simple syrup (optional**)
- ½ ounce dark rum, to float (optional)
- For serving: Crushed ice or clear ice, fresh mint, cocktail cherry, lime wedge
Instructions
- Place the aged rum, orange liqueur, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and simple syrup (if using**) in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until cold.
- Strain the drink into an ice-filled glass. Top with the dark rum. Garnish with fresh mint, a lime wedge, cocktail cherry and pineapple slice.
Notes
Here’s a link to these fluted lowball glasses.
*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons.
**A hint of simple syrup accentuates the flavor for a fruity, sweet tart Mai Tai. Omit it for a more boozy, spirit-forward Mai Tai.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Easily my favorite mai tai recipe and overall drink. I’ll use Brugal 1888, if I don’t mix the rums, and then a topper of Kraken. Fresh mint from my garden adds a bunch. Also, the orgeat is critical. There are plenty of terrible, cheap orgeats out there. I haven’t made my own, but I really like either Liquid Alchemist’s version or Liber & Co. I find lime overpowers the drink, so only a half ounce.
SO so glad you enjoy this one! Thank you for this orgeat recommendation, we do find there is a lot of variation in orgeat. We’ll check those out: thank you!
Lovely! Delicious! Made it exactly as written with the smidgen of simple syrup and floated dark rum at the end. I decanted into a coupe and felt like a golden age Hollywood film star.
What an adorable young couple!
Warms my heart to see that you honor the traditional; bookmarking your page.
I’d like to add that you have an attractive look with the typography and graphic design.
Highest regards
This is really good and very easy. I’m drinking it right now, or should I say them, because I made a double. I use gold rum and aged rum and squeezed my own lime juice. It’s very refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness.
Who cares if a drink or culture is ‘appropriated’? That’s the entire point of different people getting together and learning about each other, take a bit of this, take a bit of that. Imagine thinking your doing good by virtue signaling in a drink recipe. Enjoy your drink and be glad Tiki appropriated whatever led to a drink you like.
Close, but not quite the original recipe.
Your proportions are off, you’re not using 2 rums, and you don’t float the rum.
Also, Grand Marnier is -not- “your best bet.’ It’s made with brandy, and that will influence the flavor of the drink. Most tiki bartenders will use Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, and since a Mai Tai is a Tiki drink, I’ll defer to them.
The original 1944 Trader Vic Mai Tai recipe:
1 oz -fresh- lime juice
1/2 oz orange curaçao (e.g. Pierre Ferrand, Clement Créole Shrubb, or Cointreau)
1/4 oz orgeat (e.g. Small Hand, Liber, Liquid Alchemist)
1/4 oz simple syrup
1 oz Jamaican rum (e.g. Appleton, Coruba, Hamilton)
1 oz Martinique rum (e.g. Clement, Rhum JM, Neisson, St. James)
Shake well with crushed ice, pour unstrained into a large old fashioned glass. Sink your lime shell and garnish with a freshly slapped mint sprig. Enjoy.
I need the math for how many ounces of each ingredient for a gallon of mai tais for a party.
The easiest is to just switch ounce with cup. This gives you an 8x recipe.
What about Don Beach (Of Don the beachcomber’s). He is credited for inventing the Mai Tai in 1933. Just saying!
Merriman’s Monkey Pod Kitchen in Hawaii adds Lilykoi (passion fruit) foam.
Yum