Classic Mai Tai Cocktail
Original, exotic, unusual, and delicious! The classic Mai Tai is fairly strong thanks to the rum in it. Stick to the proportions and you'll get a drink with a truly tropical taste — sweet, with a slight bitterness and clear notes of fruit.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
How do you make a classic Mai Tai? Gather the ingredients. Everything should be well chilled, and have the ice ready ahead of time. Chill the glasses too, either by filling them with ice or putting them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Freshly squeezed juices are best, but if you don't have them, you can use store-bought ones as long as they're natural and good quality.
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Step 2:
Pour 40 ml of white or gold rum into a shaker, along with 15 ml each of orange liqueur and lime (or lemon) juice and 10 ml of almond syrup, and mix it all together. You don't need a professional shaker — at home, my sports-nutrition shaker does the job perfectly.
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Step 3:
Fill your pre-chilled glass halfway with fresh ice, then pour in the contents of the shaker and 20 ml of dark rum.
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Step 4:
Quickly add equal parts orange and pineapple juice.
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Step 5:
It's traditional to garnish the glass with a mint leaf, a slice of pineapple, and a slice of orange. Depending on which ingredients you use, you can swap in other tropical fruits. A cocktail cherry, a lime wedge, or a decoratively cut twist of orange peel are also popular choices.
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Step 6:
I garnished mine with a sprig of mint and orange slices, topped it with some melting pineapple-juice ice, and added a decorative cocktail pick. Sip the cocktail slowly through a narrow straw. Cheers!
- In bars, with rum prices on the rise, the Mai Tai is considered one of the most expensive cocktails in Europe.
- That said, it's quite easy to make, and with the right ingredients on hand you can easily prepare it at home.
- Like most famous cocktails, the Mai Tai has its own backstory. "Mai tai" comes from Tahitian and means "divine, out of this world" — that's what the visitors from Tahiti exclaimed when they first tried it. The cocktail was created in the 1930s, and its taste so impressed bar patrons that it remains popular to this day. Its origin is disputed: by some accounts it was Donn Beach (real name Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt), and by others Victor Bergeron, who called himself Trader Vic. Beach is thought to have used the name "Mai Tai" first, but it was Bergeron's version that caught on. Over the years it has spawned many variations, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, but the classic base has stayed the same — a combination of rum and liqueur. Depending on the recipe, its strength ranges from 23 to 27 percent ABV. In 1987, the Mai Tai was added to the official cocktail list of the IBA (International Bartenders Association).
- For drinks, it's best to use neutral-tasting filtered or bottled water. If you use tap water, keep in mind that it can give the drink an unpleasant aftertaste.
- How do you make good ice? For clear ice, use cold boiled or still purified water. Don't use tap water, as it'll give the drink an off taste. Boil the water for about 2 minutes. Let it cool. Boil it again. Cool it to room temperature. Pour it into ice molds. Put them in the freezer until fully frozen.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Rum - 75 kcal/100g
- Orange liqueur - 213 kcal/100g
- Orange juice - 36 kcal/100g
- Ice - 0 kcal/100g
- Syrup - 300 kcal/100g
- Lime juice - 10 kcal/100g
- Pineapple juice - 48 kcal/100g
