Mai Tai Recipes

[Moto]

The Clement Blanc is definitey available at 100 proof in the US. Their aged products are not unfortunately but the Blanc is and makes a perfect daiquiri. I have had good success with the St James products in Mai Tai's. They are sold at 92 proof in the US and are great in a Mai Tai!

[tanstaafl2]

So I did that. (Had to shake and dump, as ice here is not infinite.) As a working hypothesis, yes, I think I like Wayne Curtis' ratio better. Clearly more research is warranted. I wonder what this would be like with Creole Shrubb??

Creole Shrubb is a perfectly lovely substitution in a Mai Tai. I am sure Jeff "Beach Bum" Berry would approve!

In fact it is fun to play with various rum combos and orange liqueur combos to find what you like. I find a blend of Appleton 12 and S&C (I tend to use 3/4 oz of each but I like mine "rummy"!) for the Jamaican with the Clement VSOP and Creole Shrubb make a lovely Mai Tai!

[tanstaafl2]

The Clement Blanc is definitey available at 100 proof in the US. Their aged products are not unfortunately but the Blanc is and makes a perfect daiquiri. I have had good success with the St James products in Mai Tai's. They are sold at 92 proof in the US and are great in a Mai Tai!

Where are you located. I have heard rumors of there being a Clement Blanc 100 proof option in the US but have never seen it locally and last time I checked (which has been awhile) couldn't find it among any internet stores that ship to my location.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I revisited the recipe I used in post #157:

1 oz Wray & Nephew White Overproof

1 oz Pusser's
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz lime juice

1/2 oz orgeat

Strained over fresh ice, garnished with lime and mint (well, just one perfect leaf this time). I liked this version before and I like it now. What I am learning is that, for me at least, the optimum amounts of lime juice, Cointeau, and orgeat vary greatly with the rums.

This much lime and orgeat overwhelm a mai tai made with Appleton. But work quite nicely with Pusser's and W&N. Now I have to ask myself whether I prefer Pusser's/W&N or Appleton/Clement. Still hoping I can find some S&C to test.

[Moto]

The Clement Blanc is definitey available at 100 proof in the US. Their aged products are not unfortunately but the Blanc is and makes a perfect daiquiri. I have had good success with the St James products in Mai Tai's. They are sold at 92 proof in the US and are great in a Mai Tai!

Where are you located. I have heard rumors of there being a Clement Blanc 100 proof option in the US but have never seen it locally and last time I checked (which has been awhile) couldn't find it among any internet stores that ship to my location.

I'm located in NC. I bought a bottle several years ago that was 100 proof just finished it off this summer after discovering how wonderful it is in a daiquiri. I was in Atlanta this past week and saw it on the shelf in a new bottle. Did not notice if it was still 100 proof or not.

[Hassouni]

I revisited the recipe I used in post #157:

1 oz Wray & Nephew White Overproof

1 oz Pusser's

1/2 oz Cointreau

1 oz lime juice

1/2 oz orgeat

Strained over fresh ice, garnished with lime and mint (well, just one perfect leaf this time). I liked this version before and I like it now. What I am learning is that, for me at least, the optimum amounts of lime juice, Cointeau, and orgeat vary greatly with the rums.

This much lime and orgeat overwhelm a mai tai made with Appleton. But work quite nicely with Pusser's and W&N. Now I have to ask myself whether I prefer Pusser's/W&N or Appleton/Clement. Still hoping I can find some S&C to test.

That recipe (type of rums aside) is basically the original ratio, omitting the rock candy syrup (which I find unnecessary). OG FTW!

[tanstaafl2]

The Clement Blanc is definitey available at 100 proof in the US. Their aged products are not unfortunately but the Blanc is and makes a perfect daiquiri. I have had good success with the St James products in Mai Tai's. They are sold at 92 proof in the US and are great in a Mai Tai!

Where are you located. I have heard rumors of there being a Clement Blanc 100 proof option in the US but have never seen it locally and last time I checked (which has been awhile) couldn't find it among any internet stores that ship to my location.

I'm located in NC. I bought a bottle several years ago that was 100 proof just finished it off this summer after discovering how wonderful it is in a daiquiri. I was in Atlanta this past week and saw it on the shelf in a new bottle. Did not notice if it was still 100 proof or not.

Sounds like I need to take another look around!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I revisited the recipe I used in post #157:

1 oz Wray & Nephew White Overproof

1 oz Pusser's

1/2 oz Cointreau

1 oz lime juice

1/2 oz orgeat

Strained over fresh ice, garnished with lime and mint (well, just one perfect leaf this time). I liked this version before and I like it now. What I am learning is that, for me at least, the optimum amounts of lime juice, Cointeau, and orgeat vary greatly with the rums.

This much lime and orgeat overwhelm a mai tai made with Appleton. But work quite nicely with Pusser's and W&N. Now I have to ask myself whether I prefer Pusser's/W&N or Appleton/Clement. Still hoping I can find some S&C to test.

That recipe (type of rums aside) is basically the original ratio, omitting the rock candy syrup (which I find unnecessary). OG FTW!

Yet when I use Appleton 12 and Clement VSOP in this recipe, it just does not do that much for me. (I've been doing more experiments.) Perfectly fine drink, to be sure, but not as good as Pusser's and W&N. The results are repeatable. Makes me kind of sad.

I still wonder exactly how much lime juice Trader Vic had in mind for his mai tai. A couple of weeks ago the market had limes that gave more than two ounces of juice. The current limes are lucky to yield as much as one ounce, on a good day. My ounce was scant tonight.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight is a rum combination I don't believe I have tried before:

1 oz Clement VSOP

1 oz Pusser's
1/2 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz lime juice

1/4 oz orgeat

Quite pleased with it. Problem is, like Captain Jack, I am rapidly running out of rum. All the rums I have -- except possibly for Clement: Pusser's, Appleton 12, W&N, Busted Barrel, Barbancourt. This is sad. Come payday I may be able to get another bottle, but I doubt I could spring for two, unless I skip the rent. I do not exaggerate. Plus there are other recurring expenses, like orgeat and Cointreau.

If you were stranded on a desert tiki island and could have but one rotgut rum for your mai tai, what rum would it be? For myself I'm leaning towards W&N.

[lesliec]

Problem is, like Captain Jack, I am rapidly running out of rum. ... If you were stranded on a desert tiki island and could have but one rotgut rum for your mai tai, what rum would it be? For myself I'm leaning towards W&N.

I feel your pain, Jo. After a Mai Tai each on Saturday night I find I now need more Wray & Nephew, more Appleton and more Smoke & Oakum. And I need to make more orgeat and Curaçao, the former being easier/faster than the latter. This is what comes of drinking ...

A desert island rum is a problem. I'm rather fond of Gosling. Then there's Bounty Overproof from Fiji, which is almost impossible to get without going to Fiji although I have a feeling it's available in Australia, where it masquerades as Inner Circle or something. I've had delicious things with Smith & Cross but I can't get that here either. Forget about Lemon Hart.

But you specified a rum for Mai Tais, so I'll happily agree on W&N.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

A couple of types of Gosling are available in my local store, though I have never seen Gosling that well reviewed. If not in a mai tai, in what would you use Gosling?

Smith & Cross should be available to me if my merchant would make the effort. But so far he has not. It was hard enough to come by Clement. Unfortunately in this state we are not allowed to order alcohol from the Internet.

Lemon Hart 151 was my only rum purchase prior to last summer. And that was in the 1970's. I recall I rather liked it actually. But not enough to buy another bottle. Lemon Hart was rather hard to get down neat. I never realized other rums were different.

Since W&N seems to go well with everything (and is cheap) that will probably be my choice. Hmm, I may have a sip tonight.

[EvergreenDan]

Lemon Hart 151 and W&N neat? Asbestos esophagus?

[sbumgarner]

A couple of types of Gosling are available in my local store, though I have never seen Gosling that well reviewed. If not in a mai tai, in what would you use Gosling?

Smith & Cross should be available to me if my merchant would make the effort. But so far he has not. It was hard enough to come by Clement. Unfortunately in this state we are not allowed to order alcohol from the Internet.

Lemon Hart 151 was my only rum purchase prior to last summer. And that was in the 1970's. I recall I rather liked it actually. But not enough to buy another bottle. Lemon Hart was rather hard to get down neat. I never realized other rums were different.

Since W&N seems to go well with everything (and is cheap) that will probably be my choice. Hmm, I may have a sip tonight.

I'm in Jersey too, DrinkUp NY (www.drinkupny.com) will definitely ship liquor to NJ, but they're pretty much the only ones I've found.

[Rafa]

Gosling's is a perfectly solid rum. Their ester-ific 151 version is my preference. The classic use is a Dark & Stormy; don't call a drink made with another rum a Dark 'n' Stormy or they'll sue the pants off you. It's not my first choice for a Vic's Mai Tai; I could see it working well as a float, though that's not traditional. The Gosling's 151 can be substituted in Tiki drinks that call for Lemon Hart 151; the taste won't be the same, but the punch of flavor (and proof) will be.

Lemon Hart 151 is actually a delicious sipper if you mellow it with an ice cube or two, dangerously so. If the kids ever take to it politicians will be calling for it to be banned.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Rafa (log)

[Hassouni]

I haven't tried, but I can see Black Seal being a good sub for younger, less complex Demeraras in cocktails and swizzles

[Rafa]

I believe I've read, and have zip to back it up, that at least some of Gosling's rums are distilled by DDL in Guyana. I'll say no more lest the fine (and litigious) people at Gosling's, family-owned makers of fine rums, catch wind.

[Hassouni]

Are they that big that they can't produce their entire stock? They aren't Bacardi or Diageo or anyone whose brands are so widely spread that there's no way they can produce that much (allegedly Angostura makes a lot of bulk rum for Bacardi...or something along those lines)?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm in Jersey too, DrinkUp NY (www.drinkupny.com) will definitely ship liquor to NJ, but they're pretty much the only ones I've found.

Last I checked though, I thought it was still against NJ regulations? I'm glad to be wrong on this! If indeed it is OK to buy from them (and if I could afford it) there are all sorts of things that I would like to order that I can't get locally.

Meanwhile my experiments continue (continue at least as long as the rum lasts). Last night I tried a combination of W&N and Clement. I did not care for it much at all. And the only color was slightly of lime juice. Not one of my better efforts.

So far I like W&N and Pusser's, and Appleton and Clement. For me the W&N/Pusser's combination takes more lime and orgeat than the Appleton/Clement. However both combinations seem to work. I also thought all W&N worked as well, but it was sort of a different drink.

At the moment I am enjoying Appleton and Clement.

[sbumgarner]

Last I checked though, I thought it was still against NJ regulations? I'm glad to be wrong on this! If indeed it is OK to buy from them (and if I could afford it) there are all sorts of things that I would like to order that I can't get locally.

It seems like it should be, but I've done half a dozen orders with them in the past 2 or 3 years and have never had a problem. There's also Shopper's Vineyard in Clifton who will ship within the state. They have a nice collection of things, including most or all of the Haus Alpenz stuff (like Smith and Cross). The nice thing about DrinkUpNY is the shipping is free for orders over $200, I usually go in with a few people or wait til I'm out of a lot of things.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I varied my proportions a little and am trying:

1 1/2 oz Appleton 12
1/2 oz Clement VSOP

1/2 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz lime juice

1/4 oz orgeat

Shaken and strained over fresh ice, but not crushed ice, just the tiny 1/2 inch cubes. Nice recipe, but (memo to self) crushed ice would have been even better. Not to mention no mint in the store to buy. I still have not made up my mind whether of the rums I have available I prefer the Appleton/Clement combination or the W&N/Pusser's. I like them both. Tonight's garnish was half lime of course.

[Czequershuus]

New Mai Tai variation tonight - the Transatlantic Mai, rom Jacob Grier,m which splits the spirit element between Rye and Genever. Far from the original, but the Mai Ta framework always seems to hold up.

1 Oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)

1 Oz Genever (Bols)

1 Oz Lime Juice

0.75 Oz Orgeat

0.5 Oz Orange Liqueur (Cointreau)

Shake, strain, rocks (crushed ice)

Extraordinarily yummy. The Mai Tai really does stand up to variation, much in the way the Negroni does and the Martini does not. Spicy, sweet, sour, funky. The genever plays with the rye in a way similar to how an Agricole rum would play with the tamer rum in a normal Mai Tai.

[ChrisTaylor]

You've made me want to stock up again on orgeat. Genius.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have another shipment of orgeat on its way to me across the continent, coming from Small Hand Foods. It should be crossing the Rockies about now.

[Rafa]

New Mai Tai variation tonight - the Transatlantic Mai, rom Jacob Grier,m which splits the spirit element between Rye and Genever. Far from the original, but the Mai Ta framework always seems to hold up.

1 Oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)

1 Oz Genever (Bols)

1 Oz Lime Juice

0.75 Oz Orgeat

0.5 Oz Orange Liqueur (Cointreau)

Shake, strain, rocks (crushed ice)

Extraordinarily yummy. The Mai Tai really does stand up to variation, much in the way the Negroni does and the Martini does not. Spicy, sweet, sour, funky. The genever plays with the rye in a way similar to how an Agricole rum would play with the tamer rum in a normal Mai Tai.

That's a great one. Another good Mai Tai variation by Grier is his Mai Ta-IPA:

Mai Ta-IPA

by Jacob Grier, Metrovino, Portland, OR.

1 oz Demerara Rum, El Dorado White

1 oz Demerara Rum, El Dorado 8

1 1/2 oz India Pale Ale

1 oz Lime juice

3/4 oz Orgeat, B.G. Reynolds

1/2 oz Triple sec, Combier L'Original Liqueur D'Orange

1 Cherry (as garnish)

Shake, strain into a Collins over rocks, garnish with a paper parasol through a cherry.

--

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The IPA adds another layer of flavor with a mild bitterness and a grapefruit-y aroma, along with length and effervescence. I imagine you could mash up the IPA version and the Transatlantic one and end up with something malty and delicious.

Grier has a book on beer cocktails forthcoming, should be full of interesting recipes.

[Czequershuus]

The Mai Ta-IPA is a huge favorite of mine, and you are right, a mash-up with the transatlantic might work very nicely, hmm, good excuse to go buy more beer, not that I ever need an excuse.

Funny how for years the Mai-Tai was tortured beyond all recognition, with the addition of pineapple juice among other abominations, then mercifully restored to glory, only to once again be tortured by the craft cocktail movement. But I think our tortures are better