The Mai Tai is one of the world’s most famous Tiki drinks, made with rum, orange curaçao, lime juice, and orgeat (almond syrup). It’s been popular with cocktail lovers for decades and even appeared in the Elvis movie "Blue Hawaii."
Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron is credited with creating the drink in the 1940s at his bar, but Donn Beach may have inspired the recipe in the 1930s at his bar. The original recipe used J. Wray & Nephew rum from Jamaica, but when Trader Vic ran out, he started blending rums to recreate the flavor.
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces white rum
3/4 ounce orange curaçao
3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce orgeat (almond syrup)
1/2 ounce dark rum
Garnish: lime wheel
Garnish: mint sprig
Steps
Add the white rum, curaçao, lime juice and orgeat into a shaker with crushed ice and shake lightly (about 3 seconds).
Pour into a double rocks glass.
Float the dark rum over the top.
Garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig.
Recipe is from liquor Dot Com
Incidentally, you can try a Mai Tai at the Trader Vic’s in Tokyo’s New Otani Hotel.
The Royal Hawaiian’s Mai Tai