Incredible Good Mai Tais – Part 1

Well, I love Mai Tais like the next guy. However, I asked myself how I could make the best Mai Tai at home. So, I started a little series to see which combination of rum and orange curaçao in my home bar result in the, admittedly subjective, best version. Today, we start with four different rums in two combinations.

Victor Bergeron created THE original Mai Tai 1944 in is Trader Vic’s bar in Oakland, California. Since, the 17-year-old J. Wray & Nephew Jamaican Rum has not been available for ages, which rums to use in the drink always results in a big debate. Jeff “Beachbum” Berry published a recipe based on Trader Vic’s updated recipe in the 1990s. This recipe includes the mix of Jamaican Rum and Rhum Agricole from Martinique. However, Victor Bergeron probably did not even mean Rhum Agricole, but Rhum Grand Arome distilled from molasses. This was discovered by Martin Cate when doing research for his Smuggler’s Cove cocktail book. So, Martin Cate partnered up with Denizen Rum and their Merchant’s Reserve combines Jamaican rum with molasses based Martinique rum.

On to the rums

Yet, the Denizen Merchant’s Reserve is not available here in Germany. So, I had a good look at my liqueur cabinet and decided to try a few rum combinations. We will start off with the combination of two rums. All in all, I will mix up seven different Mai Tais in this round, before we continue with the combination of three rums. First up are the pairings Navy Island Navy Strength Rum and Clement V.S.O.P Rhum as well as the Kill Devil Navy Style Rum and the Burke’s Seamaster Rum. With all Mai Tais I cut the recipe in half, and served two small ones each containing a different rum pairing.

Mai Tai:
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1,5 cl Navy Island Navy Strength Rum
1,5 cl Clement V.S.O.P Rhum
0,75 cl Pierre Ferrand Orange Curaçao
1,5 cl Lime Juice
0,75 cl Meneau Orgeat
0,25 cl Palm’s Palm Blossom Syrup
Shake – strain – chilled Old–Fashioned glass over ice cubes;
Garnish: Mint Sprig;

Shake – strain – chilled Old–Fashioned glass over ice cubes;
Garnish: Mint Sprig;
In conclusion, both Mai Tais were delicious. However, you really could taste subtle differences between the two. While the Navy Island and Clement rum pairing resulted in a smooth and straight flavour profile, the other two rums made a more complex drink. The combination of the Kill Devil and the Burke’s had more ester notes and emphasized the citrus and almond flavours. The differences were minimal, but my wife and I liked the second one better.

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