Tag: bartending

The Oldest Trader Vic’s – London

On By traderjaysIn Visiting Tiki1 Comment

This year’s Anniversary trip was a big one… to celebrate 10 years we traveled over the “pond” to London for a week.

We did a TON of things and had an AMAZING time… but this blog’s focus is on Tiki and we had two great evenings that warrant tiki blog documentation.  The first was a visit to the oldest Trader Vic’s currently operating.  The London version of the Home of the Original Mai Tai opened its doors in 1963 and have been a part of Tiki History ever since.

Being in a large hotel (London Hilton-Park Lane) makes it easier to find than many newer tiki bars, that usually favor city outskirts or back alleyway entrances.  However, in true “tiki fashion”, you enter and immediately head down a winding staircase to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city hotel. The decor is fantastic!  Wood, bamboo, lamps, canoes, all the things that you would expect to see in a historic tiki bar.

As a side note, this was my first visit to a Trader Vic’s establishment… yes, I had to go all the way to England to pay tribute to Vic.

As normal, we wanted to sit at the bar however that became a little bit of a challenge.  On one side of the bar there are 4 barstools in a space that really should only fit 3. While the other side of the bar has a lot more space, we were told it was reserved for a special event.  We chose to squeeze on to 2 of the 4 stools and while we were a bit crammed at first, it all worked out.

I, of course, had to start with a Vic’s Original 1944 Mai Tai. I’ve waited a long time to have one… however I might have to wait a bit longer.  While the drink was fine, it was not crafted how Vic would have wanted.  The biggest issue is that they used Mount Gay Rum… I have nothing against Mount Gay, but Vic used a Jamaican Rum.  I’m a realist, I know that 17 year J. Wray & Nephew is long gone, however I believe that an “Original 1944 Mai Tai” should still feature an aged Jamaican rum.

I didn’t let this disappointment sour our evening but I was a bit taken back.  Speaking of sour, Mrs. Trader really enjoyed her London Sour… created for the opening of Trader Vic’s London.

We indulged in some bar bites, including the Beef Cho-Cho which are soy-sake glazed beef skewers that you finish yourself over a flame.  They were both fun and delicious.

We also had the opportunity to experience a number of different drinks including the Suffering Bastard, Navy Grog, Trader Vic’s Sling and some anniversary extras (including some drink tastings and a delicious cake).

In the tiki world I feel like it is important to be kind but also be honest among friends… I wasn’t blown away by the drinks from the menu, however our bartender, Aleks, was given free reign to mix us each up something based on our pallets and both drinks he was SPOT ON!  Aleks was a great bartender… he was funny, engaging, wanted to know about us.  It was wonderful to be able to sit at the bar and discuss rum, tiki drinks and Trader Vic with him.  He was excited to learn about my home tiki bar and our tiki travels.

Also, we had the opportunity to talk with the Assistant GM, Guy, who too was wonderful to talk with.  Both gentlemen were very welcoming… both welcoming us to Trader Vic’s as well as to London (as it was our first night).  Guy even allowed us a parting gift of a menu to bring back to Trader Jay’s.

Overall, I would never steer anyone away from Trader Vic’s London.  We had an AMAZING evening!  The decorations are wonderful!  They are quintkicensial tiki from one of the ORIGINALS, there is a bit of everything and I want to take it all back to Trader Jay’s.  The team is warm and welcoming and offers an amazing escape from the very Non-Tiki London.  The drinks from the menu were fine but chat with your bartender and let them get creative and you should be pleased!

(Special Note to Guy if he is reading… I’m still disappointed that the camera wasn’t charged for the wall of tiki!)

Age Rum Myself… Why Not?

On By traderjaysIn Building TikiLeave a comment

For my birthday Mrs. Trader bought me a personalized Oak Barrel from American Oak Barrel. At first I was only going to use it as a part of the eclectic decor that I continually add to but then it seemed like a waste to just have an empty barrel hanging there… empty… when I could be hanging there with rum inside.

So, here we go. Figure I’ll chronicle the adventure here so that everyone can follow along…

March 12, 2018 – Day 1: Since this is a new barrel, before spirits can be added it has to be cured. So, first I did a few rinse outs and then I filled it to the top with hot water. Now it needs to sit for 3-5 days (boring) before we can add rum. I’ll have to keep the water filled until none is leaking out so stay tuned…

March 17, 2018 – Day 5: So the barrel started out pretty “leaky” however after two days of soaking it sealed up nicely.  Just in case I let it soak for an additional 3 days to make sure it was nice and solid.

No time like St. Patrick’s Day to add the rum… I selected a lightly aged El Dorado white rum from Guyana.  I’ve heard good things about El Dorado but have not had the pleasure yet to experience acclaimed 15 year rum.  While I am pretty sure I won’t be able to wait 15 years, I’m hoping the small barrel will add to the flavor and body to the rum over the next few months.  More coming soon…

April 8, 2018 – Day 27: The rum takes to the skies!!! Way back when I was first starting decorating Trader Jay’s I was on a long hunt for pulleys or sailing blocks. I felt like we definitely needed them for the decor. I kept coming up short but then Mrs. Trader stumbled upon some while out and about. She bought three (not knowing which I’d like/want). Well, while they were good they just sat unused for over a year.

Since receiving the Barrel I had it in the back of my head that I wanted to hang it from the ceiling using the pulleys. So, Sunday I finally made it happen. While there is some nervousness over it all, it seems to be anchored well and secure.

So now I have an Aging Rum Barrel hanging from the ceiling… and that’s the real dream, right???

Planning to give the rum a taste around the one month mark…

Chicago Tiki Tour Stop 1 (and 3): Three Dots and a Dash

On By traderjaysIn Visiting TikiLeave a comment

Every year my wife and I try to get away to celebrate our Anniversary.  We try our best to experience something new or different.  Last year we had a wonderful visit to NOLA (including Latitude 29 – Read my blog post here)… this year we decided to head up to Chicago.

While this trip is for both of us, I try not to let my desire to “visit every Tiki Bar Ever” take over the trip.  This trip we decided that on our first evening we would stop by Three Dots and a Dash for a Happy Hour drink to start our evening.

The entrance to Three Dots is a simple door in a back alleyway.  There is minimal signage, just a tiki torch and a doorman checking IDs. There were queue stanchions available for when things get really busy. I will definitely admit that while the crowd wasn’t to “stanchion level” it was packed inside!

After entering you decent down a staircase below the watchful eyes of the skull wall (pictured below) and then enter yet another door… this door is what takes you from the busy world of the big city into a tropical hideaway.


Upon reaching the hostess stand we found out that to get a table for 2 was almost an hour wait and the bar was packed, elbow to elbow.  Our goal was to sit at the bar and with some watchful eyes, a sexy wife and a bit of luck we were able to grab two seats at the very end of the bar right after ordering our first two drinks.

Cory was our bartender and his knowledge of “tiki” extended well beyond the amazing drinks he made up.  I started with an Aloha Felicia and my wife went with the Saturn.


Along with the delicious rums (Venezuela and Jamaican), the star of the Aloha Felicia was the coconut (of which I’m always a fan of). The Thai Basil also added the right hint of exotic flavor.


My wife has recently become a big gin fan and the Saturn didn’t let her down.  The flavors all complimented themselves and, for her, was a great option among the multiple rum drinks.


As Cory started to have a minute to come up for air we were able to talk “tiki” with him.  He was great about sharing his thoughts about the world of tiki and his travels. We asked him about Lost Lake and he said that it was worth the 20-30 minute Uber ride to experience. It was not originally on our list (well… it was kinda on mine) but we decided, based on Cory’s recommendation, to add it to our trip.

And just like that it was time for round 2… a Cheap Lei for myself and the eponymous Three Dots and a Dash for Mrs. Trader.


Can I pause here and point out that in order to be a top notch tiki bar, your drink presentation skills need to be above and beyond!  Each drink at Three Dots is carefully crafted and mixed but then it is (almost) painstakingly decorated. Mrs. Trader told me that my presentation game needs to step up a notch or seven.

The Cheap Lei was extremely different… it had this smokey banana taste… almost like if you made bananas foster over wood chips. I will admit that I’m not usually a huge fan of smokey but this was carefully “mixologized”.  It was the right amount of smoke to make you say “hey, this is different and interesting and I LIKE it!”

The Three Dots, of course, did not let us down. It was flavorful, fruity, complex… all the things that Don (the creator back in the 1940s) would have wanted it to be.  And they must go through them like crazy since they are pre-batched and “on tap” (which definitely helps when they are rockin’).


The time was coming where we had to decide which tiki mug treasure was coming back to Trader Jay’s with us.  Cory was straight up that most mugs were not for sale due to inventory (including the Three Dots Urchin), but Mrs. Trader really wanted the Urchin to find a home in Florida with us. After asking nicely, Cory was able to pull a string or two and packed one up for us (with, again, wonderful presentation).


It was time to pay the tab but we enjoyed ourselves so much that we were already thinking we would be back to explore even more of the menu. Cory recommended coming back Sunday evening so we planned on that.

Jump Here to Read about Our Adventure to Lost Lake (Coming Soon)

Or continue reading below for our second visit to Three Dots…

After catching a matinee of the amazing musical Hamilton we swung back into Three Dots just two days later. Cory told us he’d be on bar however he was MIA… instead we were greeted at the bar by Ivana.  Sunday afternoons are a little slower, offering some great tiki mixology talk. Ivana was a delight to talk with and we had an extra treat… Kevin Beary was also behind the bar. (If you don’t know who Kevin Beary is then do a little Google search because he is the Award Winning Beverage Director of Three Dots!) I will be honest, it took me a few minutes to realize exactly what a treat we were in for but I’m glad I did.  Kevin was very generous in talking about his favorite rums, his tiki and bartending travels and even a sharing a few recipes. 

Besides the great conversation we also experienced four more amazing drinks.  I started with the Chief Lapu Lapu… which I really wanted because the passion fruit foam really intrigued me.  The drink and the foam did not disappoint!




Mrs. Trader went head first in with a Jet Pilot… strong, expertly mixed, maybe the perfect Jet Pilot!

Can I also pause here and point out that Three Dots’ tiki mug game is TOP OF THE CLASS!  Look at these amazing mugs, they a all wonderful, unique, detailed… I really wish I could have brought home at least 3 more! (Side note to the Three Dots Team: If you ever have leftover inventory you need to send away, I’ll happily find a good home for any orphan tiki mugs!)

We decided that we would finish off one more round before we said goodbye to Three Dots.  I went with the Pandan Pain Killer and Mrs. Trader went with the Violet Revolver… I don’t think I need to go into detail about how these were also amazing!


  

I cannot say enough good things about Three Dots and a Dash! I want to open one here in Orlando! I’d either apply for a job or be their best patron.

I don’t think I could sit down and pick a favorite tiki bar… each have something special and unique but I will say Three Dots is the first tiki bar I’ve visited two times in three days and that is worth something. If you are in Chicago make it your goal to go visit! The experience is wonderful and the drinks are beyond amazing. Thank you to Kevin and his team for hosting us and talking tiki! (And, Kevin, thank you for the suggestion on the Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Rum… if only I could find a bottle!!!)

We will be back!!! MAHALO! 

Becoming a Pretend Rum Connoisseur

On By traderjaysIn Building TikiLeave a comment

My Rum and Tiki journey has reached a year and what a ride! I’ve learned to much but still have a long way to go! As I sit on the Beach down in Key Biscayne (island off Miami) I sip a frozen mojito (highly recommended) and reflect on my learnings so far.

I figure the gateway to the Caribbean is as good a place as ever to summarize my lessons thus far.

So, in no particular order…

  • If the drink menu says “Mai Tai = spiced rum and fruit juices” then that is a hard pass! I can accept a slight variation from Trader Vic’s Original Recipe but it better have fresh juice and aged, quality rum.
  • There is no substitute for fresh squeezed lime juice (or my special Frozen squeezed juice).
  • Finding a quality rum at the basic bar is near impossible. Main stream bars haven’t caught on… most just carry Bacardi, Captain Morgan and then they think they are fancy if they have Meyers.
  • I’ve tried a decent number of rums over the past year but still think Appleton Estate Reserve is my favorite multi-use mixing rum. It is the go to for my Mai Tai and many other drinks.
  • For sipping, still keeping Plantation 20th anniversary on the top of the shelf (though I won’t lie that Zacapa is working its way up).
  • If you are lucky enough to find a bartender who knows rums then talk as much as you can to them! They will share what they like and will enjoy the conversation enough, usually, to let you sample.
  • Overproof rum doesn’t have to taste like rubbing alcohol… get some Plantation OFTD! It is a powerful ally (in the right quantities).
  • There is never enough self space in an at home-Tiki-Bar-in-progress.
  • Always buy the Tiki mug that comes with the drink, you’ll regret it if you don’t.
  • Take your time and measure your drinks… you wouldn’t make a soufflé by just eyeballing it, don’t compromise on a perfectly crafted cocktail.
  • Your tiki bar will never be finished… both decorating and stocking with rum/liquor/mixers.
  • The Tiki Community takes care of their own! Thank you to Trader Vic’s, Florida Mermaid Rum, the staff at the Marriott Denver South and Diplomatico Rum for their support.

So there ya go, some of the lessons in Trader Jay’s first year! Here’s to many more Tiki-rific years to come!

Fresh Lime – A Must!

On By traderjaysIn Mixing Tiki1 Comment

Before I started down my Tiki journey, I would have said, like many others, “I’ll just use the bottled juice, it is so much easier… can it really matter that much?”

The truth… I matters more than typed words can describe!

Once I moved to real juice, especially lime, my drinks became more fresh and more delishious! (I made the move due to a passage in my Tiki Bible from Smuggler’s Cove.) The real issue with fresh juice is “time”… being a full time working father of two boys leaves little time to squeeze limes every night. There are so many times that I’ll get home from work, crave a delicious exotic cocktail but not want to take the time to squeeze the limes (but I also won’t shortcut and use pre-bottled lime juice).

Enter an idea that I actually am claiming as original-ish… freezing fresh lime juice in pre-measured amounts in ice cube trays.

I won’t pretend I’m the first person ever to think of this but I also didn’t read about it somewhere else… therefor “original-ish”.

What I’ll do is buy and squeeze 5-6 limes at one time, pour in this awesome ice cube tray and then just use the number of cubes I need when time. (The size of one cube, purposefully, is 3/4 of an ounce… the exact amount I use in my Mai Tai.)

I’ve also found that for some drinks, shaking the drink with only the lime ice cube will chill it enough without watering it down (lime ice cubes melt faster than H2O so a standard amount of shaking is almost perfect).

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The ice cube tray is perfect and the cubes slide out so easily.  You can either just leave in the tray, since it has a cover, or remove and put in a plastic bag or food storage container.

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Either way, the time savings is great and the drinks still taste to Tiki-Perfection!  So give it a try!

Our House Cocktail: The Coco Nut

On By traderjaysIn Mixing TikiLeave a comment

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Coco Nut will be going through a re-invention soon using different rums… stay tuned for the Coco Nut 2.0 (but feel free to read about how the original came to be)…

As my (fake) tiki bar started to come together I figured that all great, well visited bars need a House Cocktail… something that people feel like they MUST have in order to get the full experience. If you go to Trader Vic’s, you know that you have to order a Mai Tai… when you visit Don’s, and now Latitude 29, you cannot leave without tasting a Zombie… you need to bring a few friends to the Mai Kai to make sure you can order the Mystery Drink… and you should make it a goal to give Smuggler’s Cove’s secret recipe Rum Barrel a try.

So, a few months back I set out to make such a drink.  I started much the same way that the Rum Runner was invented down at the Holiday Isle Tiki Bar in Islamorada, Florida, by focusing on what rum I had a plethora of.  However, different from the Rum Runner (which was trying to move inventory out), I wanted to make sure I was using rums that I would always have on hand.  The first rum was pretty obvious to me… a Coconut Rum… this was obvious for a few different reasons:

1) I love coconut
2) my last name is Cocorullo so anything with a “coco” wins in my book and
3) I could use the “coco” as part of the drink’s name.

I use Cruzan Coconut Rum… I enjoy that it is made in the U.S. Virgin Islands and can usually pick up a few bottles for cheap when visiting St. Thomas.

I wanted at least one more rum and my 1.75L bottle of Kraken Black Rum was staring me right in the face. (I love it for my Dark and Stormys.) I figured the Black would be a nice contrast to the clear Coconut.

Now that I decided on the rum, it was time to take my first real stab at “mixology”. I decided to use Vic’s Mai Tai recipe as my road map and see where that would take me.

I took the lime juice and replaced it with pineapple juice (seemed like a good start). Then I looked at the demerara simple syrup and decided not to change out anything there.  Next on the list was the orange curacao, which I didn’t have in stock at the time.  I did, however, have Grand Marnier. I figured bringing it up a notch couldn’t hurt.

Now I had my rums, I had my sweet, I had my sour(ish) and had a slightly different orange flavor… which left the orgeat (almond).  I didn’t want to just use orgeat… then it really just would be a coconut/pineapple mai tai and that was not what I was going for.  After pulling out every bottle under the bar, I looked up at one of my decorative shelves and there, like a shining beacon of tiki-ness, was my beautiful bottle of Trader Vic’s Macadamia Nut Liqueur.  (My wife and I discovered the Macadamia Nut liqueur about a year ago where we bought it for our tiki/Christmas/housewarming party and it has been a staple since.)  I thought, “orgeat is made from almonds… almonds are nuts… macadamias are nuts… how can this not work?”

The addition of the Trader Vic’s Mac Nut made it all come together as a nice little package and led to the simple but ideal name for the House Drink of Trader Jay’s.  It is not an extremely original name but it fits perfectly… The Coco Nut

I tweaked the amounts a little during the first few mixes (the Kraken was overpowering at first, and not allowing the coconut and macadamia nut to shine through). But after about three tries I nailed it!

The finished product… using the perfect tiki mug for it from Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29

So come on by, check out our menu (yes, I have ONE copy) and read through the options… but then order a Coco Nut because, of course, you will feel like you have to!

RECIPE:
-3/4 oz pineapple juice
-1/4 oz Mai Tai Simple Syrup
-1/4 oz Trader Vic’s Macadamia Nut Liqueur
-1/2 oz orange curacao (or other preferred orange liqueur)
-1 oz coconut rum
-1/2 oz Kraken Black Rum

Shake it all together and serve over ice (preferably in a coconut shaped tiki mug).

(Give it a try and then reach out and let me know your thoughts.)

A Mermaid Kiss

On By traderjaysIn Mixing Tiki, Rum RunningLeave a comment

We here at Trader Jay’s Tiki Blog are THRILLED to bring on our first Rum Sponsor… Florida Mermaid Rum.

Florida Mermaid Rum is made by NJoy Spirits, LLC out of Weeki Wachee, FL. It is a “Gold” 3 year old Florida Sugar Cane sipping rum blended with a Caribbean pot still rum then aged in their Wild Buck Whiskey barrels for 90 days.

Natalie and Kevin were very generous to provide the Trader with a sample of their local rum for tasting and mixing.


The rum recently won a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition so, naturally, I was excited to try it.

I poured about a half an ounce out to just sip on. First, the aroma is very flavorful, it has a nice oak barrel smell. In the initial taste you can feel the natural rum taste, slightly strong, but then the sweetness peaks through and you can sense the Florida sugar cane (important to me as a Florida native). Finally, the finish ties it up in a bow as the smooth oak from the whisky barrels stays with you as the taste fades. Overall, a really nice, hardy 3 year pot still rum.

    
After a few sips I wanted to try a simple drink. Kindly, NJoy provided a few recipes to try. I decided to keep it simple with a Mermaid Old Fashioned. I took 2 ounce of Florida Mermaid Rum and mixed with the suggested 1 ounce of simple syrup (I used my homemade Mai Tai simple syrup). I then added 2 dashes of aromatic bitters, shook lightly and poured over a big single ice cube (I like to use these tiki ones). Once again, the oak was the star as it was the highlight of every sip. The 2:1 was a little sweet for my pallet, probably would pull back on the simple syrup and add an citrus peel (as suggested) but still a good after dinner sipping cocktail.

Now that I have tasted the flavor subtleties, I have a few Trader Originals in mind. Hope to experiment right after Turkey Day and share my findings. In the meantime, please give Florida Mermaid Rum a try. It is available in Florida and Georgia (full list) or you can order online here.

A special Mahalo to Natalie and Kevin for “sponsoring” my Tiki Blog.

Behind the Bar: The Black Pearl

On By traderjaysIn Mixing Tiki3 Comments

A few months ago I came across a video for a drink called The Black Pearl that is made at The Cove Bar at Disney’s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim. I’d never had one but with the Pirates of the Caribbean movie reference I knew I had to give it a try.

It is fairly straight forward… half an ounce of gin, vodka and rum then add sour mix and “black berry liqueur”. Two things that made gave this a little trial and error… 1) I don’t really keep Chambord in stock and 2) they didn’t provide measurements for the chambour and sour mix. So I tucked the recipe away for some point in the future.

Last Saturday rolls around and some friends are at Trader Jay’s for the Florida Gator football game. I’m telling my buddy, Golden, about the Black Pearl and he offers to run back to his house to get… wait for it… his bottle of Chambord! And the mixing was on!

I decided that the Chambord was the key ingredient so I made it an equal pour to the other liquors (1/2 oz). Then I thought the sour mix should be enough to fill a rocks glass (1 oz combined with 2 oz of booze). To stretch it, you could add more sour (in the video it seems like at least 3 ounces), but where is the fun in that? Vodka and gin are pretty straight forward but the final decision was “type of rum”. Once again the video showed a white rum (probably Bacardi). There was some debate in the bar but The Trader ultimately decided that the BLACK Pearl should have Kraken Black Rum! (*See variation with Bacardi below)

The taste testing (and over a bottle of Chambord) confirmed that the mix was true! (Shout out to Justin for taking us to liquor store halfway through taste testing!)

Here is the full recipe that Trader Jay’s will be serving:

  • 1/2 oz Kraken Black Rum
  • 1/2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
  • 1/2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
  • 1/2 oz Chambord
  • 1 oz sour mix

Pour all ingredients into shaker, shake and strain into rocks glass with ice.

All who partook in the taste testing agreed it was a flavorful, fresh drink but can really pack a punch. So give it a mix and a pour and let me know what you think in the comments.

Cheers and Aloha!

*Golden claims that he’s had a similar drink called a Grateful Dead with Bacardi replacing the Kraken. After some research, the Grateful Dead also include Tequila. The Trader will use Bacardi upon request via the Secret Menu. We will call that “The Black Pearl’s Dinghy”.

Hurricanes in a Hurricane

On By traderjaysIn Mixing TikiLeave a comment

As a Florida native, I’m no stranger to Hurricanes. While we take them very seriously, we also know that “Hurricane Supplies” should include alcohol… especially at Trader Jay’s.

Right on the heals of my trip to New Orleans, the perfect drink to feature, obviously, is the Hurricane.

Created and made famous by Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon Street, it is known for being a strong drink, traditionally featuring at least 4 oz of rum.

My Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans in September 2016

The recipe on the Pat O’Brien site really is just “4 oz of rum and 4 oz of  Pat O’s hurricane mix”… this is all well and good if you buy their mix but not if you don’t want to cheat.

Another issue is that Hurricanes are a hard drink to tinker with because of the high alcohol amounts (had to keep some wits about me in case things went south with Hurricane Matthew).

After some interweb research, I came up with my owen recipes. They both have the same ingredients, just with different levels of alcohol (let’s go with “Cat 1” vs “Cat 4”; We will reserve Cat 5 for one using Overproof Rum).

For non-alcoholic ingredients I used orange juice, simple syrup, sour mix and cherry/pomegranate grenadine. For rum I went with Bacardi white rum and Kraken black rum. Finally, a popular ingredient to use is passion fruit juice or purée, however I decided to up the game by using Passoà passion fruit liqueur… that’s right, even more booze!

Trader Jay’s Category 4 Hurricane

  • 3 oz Bacardi White Rum
  • 2 oz Kraken Black Rum
  • 1.5 oz Passoà Passion Fruit Liqueur
  • 1.5 oz sour mix
  • 1.5 oz orange juice
  • 1 oz cherry/pomegranate grenadine
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup

Pour all ingredients into Hurricane glass filled with ice, give a stir and enjoy!

If you’re looking to bring it down a notch…

Trader Jay’s Category 1 Hurricane

  • 2 oz Bacardi White Rum
  • 1 oz Kraken Black Rum
  • 1 oz Passoà Passion Fruit Liqueur
  • 1 oz sour mix
  • 1.5 oz orange juice
  • 3/4 oz cherry/pomegranate grenadine
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup

Should fit in Collins glass with ice.

Enjoy, Cheers & Aloha! 🍹🌺🗿

Behind the Bar: Mai Tai Roa Ae!

On By traderjaysIn Mixing Tiki1 Comment

In my first post about mixing my own exotic cocktails I figure there is no better place to start than with the most famous tiki drink ever… The Mai Tai!

There are verying stories about the creation of the Mai Tai but the most widely accepted one is from the Original Trader, Trader Vic…

“I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of 17-year old Jamacian J. Wray Nephew rum, added fresh lime, some Orange Curaçao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy syrup and a dollop of French Orgeat, for its subtle flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and a vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Half a lime shell went in for color, I stuck in a branch of fresh mint and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Taihiti, who were there that night. Carrie took a 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’.”

Unfortunately the popularity of the Mai Tai created a run on the 17-year Wray and it is no longer in existence. Martin Cate of Smuggler’s Cove believes that to create a taste similar to Vic’s original you should use a “blended, aged” rum (meaning of blend of the pot and column distilling methods and aged between 4 and 14 years). I experimented with a few different rums but found my favorite to be Appleton Estate Reserve Blend from Jamacia.

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Tiki Drummer guarding the Appleton Estate Reserve Rum closely!

Prior to this journey I’m not sure I would have said this but Fresh Fruit Juice makes a HUGE difference! So I now only use fresh squeezed lime in my Mai Tai. I also make my own Simple Syrup to keep as many ingredients homemade as possible. (I have not tackled my own Orgeat yet, but maybe in the future.)

My Homemade Mai Tai simple syrup (demerara suger, water and a dash of vanilla extract) and Fresh Lime.

Below is my adaption of Vic’s Original Mai Tai using guidance from Smuggler’s Cove… Give it a go and let me know what you think or put your own adaptation in the comments.

  • 3/4 oz FRESH lime juice
  • 1/4 oz Mai Tai simple syrup
  • 1/4 oz orgeat
  • 1/2 oz Orange Curaçao
  • 2 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum

Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice, pour over crushed ice and garnish with mint and/or lime.

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Finished product in the HippopotoMai-Tai tiki mug from Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

Looks like Mai Tai Roe Ae to me! (Tastes like it too!)

Mahalo, Trader Vic