The Cocktail Scientist
T H E M A I T A I
INTRODUCTION
True royalty of the Tiki cocktail kingdom, the Mai Tai is a majestic and enchanting libation. Globally recognized on cocktail menus across the world, it is one of the most popular rum drinks of all time. Drawing on its Tiki heritage and the aromatic properties of heavier rums used historically in its construction, the Mai Tai’s popularity took off like a rocket once it was discovered by the masses. Rich in cocktail history and controversy, the drink has been linked to everything from the extinction of a rum brand, being be an overly sweet fruity tropical cocktail, to being yet another victim of multiple originators. However, while the Mai Tai may be shrouded in controversy, there is no understating the fact that it will continue to be an exotic symbol for paradise for years to come.
The Mai Tai
MATERIALS & METHODS
Trader Vic, 1944 recipe (1)
Ingredients:
- Juice of a full lime – 1 oz works best (30 mL)
- Simple syrup – 0.25 oz (7.5 mL)
- Orgeat syrup – 0.25 oz (7.5 mL)
- Orange curacao – 0.50 oz (15 mL)
- Blend of dark rums* - 2 oz (60 mL)
Directions:
- Mix and shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker filled with ice for at least 10 seconds.
- Pour into an old-fashioned glass pre-filled 2/3 of the way with crushed ice.
- Garnish and float with spent lime shell half (which represents the island) and a mint sprig (to represent a palm tree).
*The original recipe called for J. Wray and Nephew’s 17-year Jamaican rum. Today, two dark rums are blended together to approximate the flavor, one Jamaican rum with a rhum Agricole vieux.
DISCUSSION
Historical Origin
The Mai Tai is not only an iconic monarch in rum cocktail history but is probably the most misconstrued cocktail of all time as well. Many of the cocktails advertised today on menus across the world that call themselves a Mai Tai are a far cry from the original recipe that Trader Vic developed in 1944 in Oakland, California. At some point throughout the years, it became acceptable to include light rum, add any fruit juice readily available to bar staff, and insert tiki umbrellas as a garnish. It is unfortunately common practice to see none of the original ingredients included, yet the cocktail still is labeled as a Mai Tai on a menu. This is one of the few examples of where the craft cocktail industry has likely done more harm than good; and it is an important lesson to remember that the roots of this cocktail propelled the Tiki culture to greater heights, and the ingredients that go into the cocktail should be true to its history.
Over time, as is the case with many things that become widely popular too fast, the Mai Tai was subject to a series of unfortunate events, the first being the rum that was used in its initial architecture. Trader Vic created the Mai Tai in 1944 with an experimentation in his Oakland restaurant when he prepared the mixture for Ham and Carrie Guild, who were friends of his from Tahiti. In his own words, he never sought the cocktail to be over-powered by fruit juice as he stated the following in a press release:
I took down a bottle of 17-year old rum. It was J.Wray Nephew from Jamaica; surprisingly gold in color, medium bodied, but with the rich pungent flavor particular to the Jamaican blends. The flavor of this great rum wasn’t meant to be overpowered with heavy additions of fruit juices and flavorings. I took a fresh lime, added some orange curacao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy Syrup, and a dollop of French Orgeat, for its subtle almond flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Carrie took one sip and said, “Mai Tai – Roa Ae.” In Tahitian this means “Out of this World – The Best. Well, that was that. I named the drink “Mai Tai” (2).
The Mai Tai became widely popular about a decade after its inception, mostly in part to its introduction on menus across Honolulu, and this led to a severe shortage of J. Wray and Nephew’s 17-year Jamaican rum and eventually the supply ran out. Today, there are very few known bottles in existence which has made this rum one of the most expensive bottles in the world today. As time went by, Trader Vic developed many more Mai Tai formulas due to the shortage of inventory of substitute rums, but finally settled on a rum blend (a Jamaican rum with a Martinique rum) to shore up the supply chain issues, and this is the preferred methodology today.
Just as a formulation change was a necessity for Trader Vic to iron out supply chain issues to construct the Mai Tai, so was a lawsuit needed against archrival, Don The Beachcomber. For years Don The Beachcomber claimed he invented the Mai Tai in 1933. The courts eventually sided with Trader Vic as it was revealed that Trader Vic’s Mai Tai had half the number of ingredients as Don The Beachcomber and was less complex.
Flavor Profile
Rum
Long gone are the days where J. Wray and Nephew’s 17-year Jamaican rum was used in the construction of the Mai Tai. Today, the use of two rums, one Jamaican and the other Martinique, together forge a Mai Tai that works very well because they complement one another, each providing unique characteristics. Heavier rums like a Jamaican rum and a Martinique rum naturally contain more flavor and aromatic compounds than lighter rums which are sometimes unfortunately substituted in.
Jamaican rums used for the Mai Tai are full bodied, complex, rich in flavor and often aged in oak barrels, originating from molasses. The darker color of a Jamaican rum also contributes to the cocktail’s darker translucent properties when mixed with other transparent ingredients.
As mentioned, the Mai Tai also includes AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole, a style of rum originally distilled from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice rather than molasses that is unique to Martinique. However, it is highly believed that Trader Vic initially incorporated rhum traditionnel, a rum made in the French islands from molasses, and not the fresh pressed cane juice because they were too expensive at the time (3). Today’s Agricole rums provide a grassy and oak flavor and are also commonly aged in barrels. The process of aging rum in barrels allows for the composites in the barrels under normal conditions to also end up in the final product, and these include several phenolic compounds that can impart additional aromatic properties.
Lime Juice
Lime juice is a citrus juice that is roughly 6 percent acid and adds tartness to a cocktail. With a pH of 2.8, the acidity of lime juice contains nearly 4 percent citric acid, and 2 percent malic acid. The additional malic acid in a lime allows for the taste to linger a little longer than with lemon juice which is almost purely made of citric acid.
Simple Syrup
One element that adds sweetness to the Mai Tai is simple syrup. Simple syrup is sucrose (granulated sugar) that is dissolved in water in 1:1 equal part ratio. Sucrose is a common sugar and is a disaccharide, a molecule composed of two monosaccharides which are simple sugars, one molecule of glucose bound to one molecule of fructose. The sugar ingredient is typically pH neutral and balances out the sourcing profile created by lime juice.
Orgeat Syrup
Orgeat Syrup is a sweet almond based syrup made from sweet almonds, sugar, an either rose water or orange flower water. The word “orgeat” is a French word derived from the Latin horceaceus, which means “made with barley.” Orgeat syrup is an emulsion which means that the oil-based and water-based ingredients do not mix completely.
Orange Curacao
Orange Curacao is an orange liqueur that is colorless, made popular in the 17th century, and is normally found at 15% ABV (30 proof), but it is also available as high as 40% ABV (80 proof). The flavor of Orange Curaçao originates from the oils extracted from the peels of the Laraha Orange (Citrus aurantium var. curassuviensis) which is native to Curaçao, a small Caribbean island near Aruba, and about 60 miles off the coast of Venezuela (4). Today, Orange Curacao is not required to come from the island of Curacao nor use Curacao-grown oranges.
NUTRITION
Compared to other popular Tiki cocktails the Mai Tai is a relatively easy cocktail to make with two rums, citrus ingredients, and sweeteners. The classic Mai Tai recipe has less calories, less total carbohydrates, and less sugar than many other rum cocktails because the total volume of the cocktail is much less at only 4.25 Fl oz. Unfortunately, due to the growing variability away from the original recipe, over time additional fruit juices are been included, additional sweeteners are being added, and volume has gotten larger, sometimes as high as 12 Fl oz. It is important to always understand what ingredients are being used in the preparation of any cocktail, especially if blood sugar, carbohydrate count, and calorie count are important to your health.
NUTRITION FACTS
(Amount Per 1 Fl oz in a 4.25 Fl oz Cocktail)
Calories: 54.9
Total Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 2.4 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 5.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Sugar: 4.2 g
CONCLUSION
The Mai Tai cocktail although iconic, is widely misunderstood. The Mai Tai simply never had the chance to anchor its original recipe with society. A change in formulation by the original architect along with its synonymous link to paradise has inspired an unfortunate cavalier mentality among many that the Mai Tai is a tropical drink with an abundance of fruit flavor. However, for the rum cocktail enthusiast who does enjoy Trader Vic’s classic Mai Tai recipe, one can only wonder what paradise would taste like if it only had J. Wray and Nephew’s 17-year Jamaican rum in it.
REFERENCES
- Berry, J. (2017). Beachbum Berry’s Potions of the Caribbean. NY: Cocktail Kingdom, p. 195.
- Bergeron, V. (1970). Let’s Set the Record Straight on the Mai Tai. Press Release.Cate, M. and Cate, R. (2016). Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki. NY: Crown Publishing.
- Tolbert, L. (2018). The History of Blue Curacao Liqueur. Retrieved from: https://voyagevixens.com/2018/05/29/the-history-of-blue-curacao-liqueur/
