Mai Tai is a popular rum-based cocktail, exotic in flavour and fresh in appearance, that originated in Oakland in 1944 and is closely linked to tiki or Polynesian culture
The Mai Tai is a cocktail that originated in Oakland in 1944. It is considered the most popular of all rum-based mixed drinks. It is a high-alcohol drink that also contains curaçao and lime juice.
It was invented in the United States; however, it is closely associated with tiki or Polynesian culture thanks to its exotic flavour and refreshing appearance.
Its name means “good” in Tahitian. In addition to rum, which may be either spiced or coconut-flavoured, the cocktail contains lemon juice, orgeat syrup and orange liqueur, usually curaçao, although some versions may include grapefruit juice, bitters or grenadine.
Historical records suggest that this cocktail was created at the Trader Vic bar in California by bartender Victor J. Bergeron in 1944, when he was entertaining friends visiting from Tahiti. On tasting it, one of them is said to have exclaimed: Maitai Roa! (very good!). T
his drink, made with rum as its main ingredient, became popular in the United States during the 1950s and especially in the 1960s, when singer Elvis Presley was seen drinking it in the film Blue Hawaii. 
The original Trader Vic recipe is regarded by purists as the only proper way to make it; however, if you want to experiment, there are at least a dozen ways to prepare a Mai Tai:
The original formula—1944
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of 17-year-old J. Wray & Nephew rum, over crushed ice
- Add the juice of one fresh lime
- 1/2 ounce of Holland DeKuyper orange Curaçao
- 1/4 ounce of caramel syrup
- 1/2 ounce of French Garnier Orgeat syrup
- Shake vigorously
- Add a sprig of fresh mint.
Preparation: Once these ingredients have been combined, shake them in a cocktail shaker and serve in a wide-mouthed glass or a highball glass.
The richness of its ingredients
As we can see, this cocktail has a high alcohol content because of the liqueurs used in its preparation. On the one hand, rum can reach up to 80 degrees of alcohol; however, distilled water is added to reduce this percentage. On the other, curaçao is a liqueur made by macerating the bitter peels of a variety of orange from the Caribbean island of the same name in alcohol; its alcohol content ranges from 20 to 40 degrees. 
There are several varieties of curaçao, the most common and best known being Triple Sec, or white curaçao, a colourless liqueur with a 40-degree alcohol content, triple distilled and made from orange peels.
It was invented in 1875 by Edouard Cointreau, who registered it under his own name in the town of Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou (near Angers), in France’s Loire region. Both the lime juice and the spoonfuls of sugar and almond syrup added to the Mai Tai serve to sweeten this drink and give it a smoother flavour. It is not recommended to drink it on an empty stomach, as it is more of a digestif.
Like any cocktail worth its salt...
The fame this alcoholic drink achieved led many people to claim its invention. One of them was fellow bartender Ernest Raymond Beaumont, known as Don the Beachcomber, who insisted to anyone willing to listen that he had created the Mai Tai in 1933. 
The Mai Tai was invented in the United States; however, it is closely tied to tiki or Polynesian culture thanks to its exotic flavour and fresh appearance. Don the Beachcomber’s recipe is made with:
- 1 part dark rum
- 1 1/2 parts gold or white rum
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- 1 part grapefruit juice
- 1 part sugar syrup
- 1/2 part Cointreau or triple sec
- 1/2 tablespoon Falernum syrup or Grenadine (the more commonly used option)
- 2 or 3 dashes of Angostura
- 1 splash of Pernod
- Ice
- A sprig of fresh mint
- A pineapple wedge
Preparation:
Beyond mixing dark rum with white rum, the key is that the white rum is added after the other ingredients have been mixed and served in a tall glass.
The idea is for the white rum to remain on the surface, without blending into the other ingredients, so it keeps a more tropical and bitter flavour.
Mai Tai "Old Fashioned" - 1997
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce Jamaican rum (8 or 15 years)
- 1 ounce Martinique rum (St. James)
- 1/2 ounce orange Curaçao
- 1/2 ounce Orgeat syrup
- Juice of one fresh lime (about 3/4 ounce)
- Mix and serve as in the original recipe
Mai Tai #1
This recipe is apparently similar to the one served at Trader Vic.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces light rum
- 1 ounce triple sec
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce Orgeat syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon grenadine
- Garnish: maraschino cherry, pineapple
Preparation:
Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and serve in an old fashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with fruit and serve with a straw.
Mai Tai #2
This version is much closer to the one Don the Beachcomber served in his restaurants. It can be garnished with assorted fruit, just like the previous recipe. Falernum, an ingredient that is hard to find except in Seattle, is a Caribbean-flavoured syrup with a taste quite different from the Orgeat syrup used in other recipes.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces (or 1/4 cup) water
- 3/4 ounce or 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons fresh grape juice
- 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons sugar syrup
- 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 1/2 ounces or 3 tablespoons gold rum
- 1/2 ounce or 1 tablespoon Cointreau or triple sec
- 1/4 ounce or 1/2 tablespoon Falernum syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters
- 1 dash of Pernod
Preparation:
Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and serve in a tall glass with crushed ice. Garnish with fruit and serve with a straw.
Mai Tai #3, pineapple variation
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces orange juice
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce dark rum
- 1 ounce light rum
- 1 ounce triple sec
- 1/2 ounce grenadine
Tips you may find useful:
- If you do not have pineapple or mint to garnish, use only a lime twist.
- If you do not have overproof rum, or Jamaican rum, you can use 2 oz of whichever rum you have.
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