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mai tai (from trader vic's)

Northwestgal avatar
Recipe by
Vickie Parks
@Northwestgal
Renton, WA

This is my favorite Mai Tai recipe from Trader Vic's. Who first created it is a long-held debate. Donn Beach (a former Depression-era bootlegger) opened a Polynesian tiki bar, Don The Beachcomber Café, in San Francisco in 1933. In the late 1930s, Victor J. Bergeron opened another Polynesian restaurant in San Francisco, Trader Vic's. It was very popular, and many more Trader Vic's opened up throughout the west. Both claim to have created the Mai Tai. But there were more Trader Vic's at the height of their success, which gave it an edge in being credited as the creator of the Mai Tai cocktail.

yield 1 serving(s)
prep time 5 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For mai tai (from trader vic's)

  • 1 oz
    amber martinique rum
  • 1 oz
    dark jamaican rum
  • 1 oz
    fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz
    orgeat syrup (or any almond syrup - i use my torani almond syrup for coffee, and it works well)
  • 1/2 oz
    cointreau
  • crushed ice
  • 1 sprig
    fresh mint - optional garnish
  • 1
    lime wedge - optional garnish
  • 1
    maraschino cherry - optional garnish

How To Make mai tai (from trader vic's)

  • 1
    Add all ingredients (except garnishes) to a cocktail shaker, and shake well.
  • 2
    Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.
  • 3
    Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, lime wedge, and maraschino cherry, if desired. You can also float a quick splash of dark rum on top of cocktail when serving.
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