Easy Mai Tai Recipe For A Crowd

Original Mai Tai Recipe

I get my Mai Tai recipe straight from the man that invented the Mai Tai, Victor Bergeron, or as he is better known – Trader Vic! When I was packing up my grandmother’s liquor cabinet and barware, I found a collection of Tiki Cocktail glasses, stirrers, salt and pepper shakers and this Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide dated 1972.

Trader Vic’s had a location in St. Louis and I’m sure my grandmother and her friends spent a lot of time there, judging by all the stir sticks!

In the book, Vic talks about how he came to invent the original Mai Tai recipe. He was inspired by a Jamaican rum that he knew he didn’t want to overpower with too many other ingredients. After creating the drink, he gave it to two of his friends, Ham and Carrie Guild from Tahiti.

Carrie took one sip and said, “Mai Tai – Roa Aé. Which in Tahitian means, “Out of this world – the best!” And with that the Mai Tai was born!

Frozen Pineapple Mai Tai

By Author Angela G.Posted on Last updated: September 12, 2022

This frozen Mai Tai is going to be your new BFF for summer weather! A classic Mai Tai is just one of those drinks that conjures up images of warm sandy beaches, palm trees and crystal clear waters. a.k.a. vacation, baby!

Trishs Tips And Tricks

• For and added punch, mix gold and light rum in the base of the drink before floating the dark rum on top. This drink was originally created to showcase the flavors in rum, the traditional recipe is quite strong.
• For a coconut version, use coconut rum as your base.
• High quality rum really does make a difference in this recipe since the drink is mostly spirits.

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There Are Countless Complicated Riffs On The Classic Here Are Six That Further The Tropical Staple While Remaining True To Its Roots

In the decades following its creation in 1944, the Mai Tais ability to cement its status as a tropical classic was challenged by countless bastardizations, containing everything from absinthe to gin. Fast-forward more than half a century later, and the Mai Tai has once again spawned a new school of imitators. This time, however, rather than muddying the reputation of the drink, these considered recipes only serve to further entrench Trader Vics Mai Tai as an enduring icon of the tiki genre.

Of course, even the classic construction has been obsessed over by tropical-leaning bartenders who have experimented with every conceivable combination of rum, orange liqueur and syrups in pursuit of the perfect iteration. Among the best is the recipe from Garret Richard, current head bartender at Brooklyns Sunken Harbor Club. The secret to his blind tastingwinning recipe, which calls for two types of rum and two orange liqueurs, is a spent lime hull and saline, both of which add extra brightness and pop.

Tahiti Nui Restaurants Mai Tai Recipe

I sampled a few varieties of Mai Tai recipes early in the week, and while they didnt repulse, they didnt prompt an enthusiastic response.

On our last full day on the island, we went for a long hike at the edge of the north shore. Okay, I only hiked a mile, due to the sticky mud on the trail, but my husband made four miles successfully. After that, we were ready for a late lunch and a strong drink.

No time to make a Hawaiian Mai Tai drink? Save it for later and Pin it!

A friend from college recommended the Tahiti Nui restaurant in Hanalei town, so thats where we wound up. I thought Id try a Mai Tai again and was I ever surprised!

I quickly sought out the bartender after a couple of sips of the best Mai Tai recipe I had sampled all week.

When I asked for the recipe, she was quick to tell me that it was a closely guarded secret!

The recipe had come from Tahiti 54 years ago with the owner, Louise Marston.

Louise had married a US Marine in Tahiti and they settled on Kauai, opening what I heard might have been the first bar on the island. Louise passed away in 2003 and the bar/restaurant is now run by her granddaughter.

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Whats In A Mai Tai Cocktail

A Mai Tai is a rum based cocktail thats associated with tiki-themed restaurants, Polynesian Culture, and Hawaii. The funny part it that the person who claims to have invented them created them for his restaurant in California.

A classic Mai Tai is a tart and strong cocktail, with a prominent rum flavor and a bit of orange and lime flavor on the backend. Its not a particularly sweet cocktail, although you can change up the flavors a bit to your liking.

There are SO many different versions of Mai Tai out there and Im going to share some of them with you today. Ill explain not only what goes into this drink, but also how to vary my cocktail into your own Mai Tai Recipe, depending on your tastes or what alcohol you have on hand.

Mai Tai Recipe Party Size

Posted: June 20, 2011| Purely Consumed|Filed under:Cooking and Recipes, Wine / Cocktails | Tags:mai tai|

Yes, we have ANOTHER party drink recipe. There are dozens of Mai Tai recipes available, and we tried them all before creating this one by trial and error , which went over well:

To make 3 quarts mix the ingredients below with an equal amount of ice cubes in a dispenser glass jug. Also serve over ice in drink glasses. Garnish with lime slice and pineapple wedge :

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History Of The Mai Tai

Victor Trader Vic Bergeron is credited with inventing the Mai Tai at his Trader Vics bar in Oakland, California in 1944. It may be likely that Donn Beach made the basis of this cocktail in the 1930s at his Don the Beachcomber bar. The original Trader Vics recipe featured Jamaican J. Wray & Nephew rum. Once Bergeron ran out of this, he blended rums to create a similar flavor profile.

This cocktail became very popular in the 1950s and 60s, especially at tiki restaurants. Tiki Culture is built on appropriation, so we arent going to extol that. But, these classical tropical cocktails are tasty as they originally were made.

Mai Tai recipe

Whats a Mai Tai?

If you have had a bad Mai Tai, you will know. The classic Mai Tai cocktail as originally created makes sense. The combination is boozy, nutty, and tart.

The Mai Tai recipe is shaken and served over crushed ice. Tropical cocktails can feature everything from pineapple wedges to cherries. If you would like a classic garnish, a lime wheel and mint sprig work well.

The Mai Tais taste is complex and not as fruity as most tropical cocktails. Note: A Mai Tai does not have pineapple juice in it. Or orange juice. Or any other juice besides lime. There are a lot of various recipes out there the classic recipe only has lime juice.

What is Orgeat?

Can I Easily Make These For A Crowd

A Mai Tai cocktail is a great drink for a crowd. It is very easy to multiply this recipe by the number of servings needed. Just add the chilled white rum, lime juice, orange curacao, and orgeat syrup to a large pitcher or punch bowl in the quantity you want. Then, pour the punch over ice in glasses, carefully top with the dark rum, then add garnishes. A fun Mai Tai bar would be so amazing for summer parties.

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Mai Tai For A Crowd Recipe

Steps:

• In a large pitcher, add the light rum, Jamaican rum, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice and orgeat syrup and stir until combined. Add crushed ice to rocks glasses, then pour the mai tai over the ice. Add a splash of grenadine to each, then garnish with an orange wheel, lime wheel and maraschino cherry.

How To Make A Mai Tai Step By Step:

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Mai Tai Tips And Variations:

• The pineapple juice and grenadine are non-traditional ingredients when it comes to a classic Mai Tai cocktail. They add an extra layer of flavor and pinkish orange color but you can absolutely leave them out if you prefer.
• For a stronger drink, blend white and gold rum as the base and float the dark rum on top as instructed. It becomes dangerously deceptive in flavor but original Mai Tais were created to show off the flavors in the different types of rum, so why not make a blend!
• Coconut rum can be used for a flavored version.
• This easy Mai Tai recipe makes one cocktail, however you can easily make larger batches for parties or groups. Keep all the ratios of the ingredients the same, just increase the amount of each!

Can You Make Mai Tais For A Crowd

You can definitely make these Mai Tais for a crowd, and its super easy. All you have to do is add chilled white rum, lime juice, orange curacao, and orgeat syrup to a large pitcher or punch bowl in the quantity that you want.

Its incredibly simple to multiple this recipe to the number of servings needed. Then, pour the cocktail recipe over ice in various glasses when ready, float dark rum over each drink, then add garnishes to them and enjoy!

Making a fun Mati Tai bar would so amazing for hot, summer parties.

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What Can I Use In Place Of Orgeat Syrup

Swap our the orgeat syrup with amaretto liqueur or almond syrup. If you opt for the amaretto liqueur, youll lose the floral essence but retain some the sweetness and almond flavor. The almond syrup will also lack floral flavor, but theyre normally sweet and less expensive than liqueurs.

Another option is to make homemade orgeat syrup so you can control the amounts of the ingredients.

Best Rum For Mai Tai Mix

The Classic Mai Tai Ingredients has 3 kinds of rum in it: light, gold, and dark.

I told you its a strong drink! Three kinds of rum pack a punch.

Im sure that a purist would tell you you HAVE to buy top shelf rum but get what you like or what you want to spend.

I do recommend Bacardi and Meyers for the light/dark but get what you like!

The gold and light rum go in the cocktail mix itself and the dark rum is floated on the top .

You could also use aged rum or Jamaican rum your choice.

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The Story Behind The Easy Mai Tai

It is hard to picture tiki drinks as we know them today without the Mai Tai, a beloved cocktail thats nutty, tropical, smooth, and fiery all at once. This version of the classic drink is a perfect back-pocket recipe, great for impressing friends because it tastes so much more complex than it actually is.

Most cocktail historians agree that the Mai Tai was invented by tiki icon Victor J. Bergeron, or, as most people know him, Trader Vic . This concoction was so popular at his bars that it caused a depletion of a rare Jamaican rum, and Vic had to resort to making his own. As a result, many modern tiki bartenders still take a lot of pride in concocting their own rum blends. This cocktail also established orgeat an almond syrup laced with orange flower water as a quintessential tiki ingredient .

This recipe is a simplified version the original Mai Tai recipe included three rare rums, and some bartenders today use up to seven types of rum for their own house blends. This rendition, ideal for home bartending, uses just two rums light and dark and doesnt require making your own orgeat either. Just shake it up, add the floater, and let this drink sail you away.

How To Make A Mai Tai

To make the cocktail, you add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker, shake and pour over ice, then float the dark rum on top.

Ive listed the ingredients and method for how to make a pitcher in the recipe card. I also think its important to add pineapple juice, orange juice, and/or lemon lime soda when doing a pitcher cocktail.

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What Is The Best Rum For A Mai Tai

This cocktail started with 100% Jamaican rum that was aged 17 years. Rich in body and oak flavor, there is no exact substitute today, but 100% pot still or blended pot and column molasses rums work. The Mai Tai is an simple cocktail designed showoff great rum. You can blend rums or use Rhum Agricole in the cocktail with a dark rum.

Now, most Mai Tai recipes use both light and dark rum. Use good quality rums, since this cocktail is rum heavy and flavorful. Go mid range not your most expensive rum, and definitely not your cheapest.

Bartenders have continued the tradition of blending rums for their Mai Tai recipes, aiming to find the optimal combo of flavor and complexity. Some use a white rum alongside a dark overproof rum. Others combine Jamaican rums and grassy rhum agricole. Find things that play well together and you will find a lovely mix for your own Mai Tai.

• White Rum or Rhum Agricole are great choices. Some recipes use aged rum, but we prefer the white rum as it shows the color differential in the cocktail.
• Aged rum can be used if you prefer. This is a rum that is also called golden, amber or anejo. This gives rum a complex flavor with vanilla, coconut, citrus or caramel undertones.
• Dark Rum: Also known as black rum, dark rum is dark and has a rich flavor that is sweet and a little smoky.

Tips and Tricks

If you have had the classic version, then feel free to mix it up with these variations:

Cuisine:Category:

PIN THIS MAI TAI RECIPE FOR LATER!

Make A Mai Tai For A Crowd

by Veronica | Sep 10, 2022 | Popular Drinks

When entertaining a large group, its important to have a few cocktails on hand that can be easily made in batches. Mai tais are a classic tiki drink that are perfect for serving a crowd. Heres a recipe for a large-batch mai tai that will keep your guests happy all night long. To make a mai tai for a crowd, youll need: -1 liter of dark rum -1 liter of light rum -1 quart of fresh lime juice -1 cup of simple syrup -1 cup of orange curaçao -1 cup of orgeat syrup Combine all of the ingredients in a large pitcher or punch bowl and stir well. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves and lime slices.

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The Perfect Mai Tai Recipe

Provided by: 7MICK

Steps:

• In a large jar or drink cooler, combine the light rum, dark rum, 151 rum, orange liqueur, almond syrup, simple syrup, and lime juice. Stir and top off with orange juice. Do not use grenadine if you want the true Mai Tai! Serve in 8 to 12 ounce glasses with ice.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 171.5 calories, CarbohydrateContent 21.3 g, CholesterolContent 0 mg, FatContent 0.1 g, FiberContent 0.1 g, ProteinContent 0.4 g, SaturatedFatContent 0 g, SodiumContent 4.3 mg, SugarContent 13 g

How do you make a Mai Tai?

Watch how to make this recipe. In a large pitcher, add the light rum, Jamaican rum, orange liqueur, lime juice, orange juice and orgeat syrup and stir until combined. Add crushed ice to rocks glasses, then pour the mai tai over the ice.

What is in a Mai Tai drink?

In a large jar or drink cooler, combine the light rum, dark rum, 151 rum, orange liqueur, almond syrup, simple syrup, and lime juice. Stir and top off with orange juice. Do not use grenadine if you want the true Mai Tai! Serve in 8 to 12 ounce glasses with ice.

What can I substitute for orgeat in a Mai Tai?

You can also make your own, but its kind of an involved process. I substitute a bit of Amaretto for the orgeat called for in a tradtional Mai Tai recipe, but almond liqueur isnt something everyone has. It also depends on the sweetness level you like.

If You’re Looking For More Rum Recipes:

Piña Colada Popsicles – have your favorite rum cocktail in a fun frozen treat!

Dark and Stormy – only two ingredients in this classic!

Hemingway Daiquiri – if anyone knew his way around a daiquiri, it’s Hemingway!

Vanilla Infused Rum – turn any cocktail into a craft cocktail with this easy infused rum. Also, makes a great gift for your cocktail loving friends!

And, if you want even more, be sure and follow my

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