MAI TAI
Mai Tai: Trader Vic's 1944 Oakland Tiki Classic
The Mai Tai was invented in 1944 by Victor J. Bergeron at his restaurant, Trader Vic's, in Oakland, California WikipediaTrader Vic's. Bergeron was at the service bar when he took down a bottle of 17-year-old Jamaican J. Wray & Nephew rum, adding fresh lime, orange curaçao from Holland, rock candy syrup, and French orgeat for its subtle almond flavor Trader Vic's.
After vigorous shaking with ice, he gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti. Carrie took one sip and said "Mai Tai – Roa Ae," which in Tahitian means "Out of this World – The Best" Trader Vic's. Bergeron named the drink Mai Tai.
Rival tiki pioneer Donn Beach claimed to have created it in 1933, although a longtime colleague said Beach was alleging the Mai Tai was based on his Q.B. Cooler cocktail Wikipedia. However, Bergeron's claim is widely accepted as authentic.
The Mai Tai was introduced to Hawaii in 1953 when Bergeron created a cocktail menu for the Matson Company's Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Moana Hotel Wikipedia. The cocktail became enormously popular and was called the "top tourist tantalizer" in 1959. As demand grew, the original 17-year-old rum became scarce, forcing Bergeron to create a blend using aged Jamaican and Martinique rums to replicate the flavor profile.
RECIPE:
2 oz aged rum (Jamaican or blend of Jamaican and Martinique)
¾ oz fresh lime juice
½ oz orange curaçao
½ oz orgeat syrup
¼ oz simple syrup or rock candy syrup
Method:
Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously
Pour into double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice
Garnish with spent lime shell and fresh mint sprig