Mai Tai

This article is about the cocktail. For the pop-act, see Mai Tai (music group). For the pro wrestler, see Afa Anoa'i, Jr.. For the martial art, see Muay Thai.

Mai Tai

IBA Official Cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume	Rum
Served	On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish	pineapple spear and lime peel
Standard drinkware	Highball glass
IBA specified ingredients*	30ml (6 parts) white rum 15ml (3 parts) orange curaçao 15ml (3 parts) Orgeat syrup 5ml (1 part) rock candy syrup 10ml (2 parts) fresh lime juice 30ml (6 parts) dark rum
Preparation	Shake all ingredients except the dark rum together in a mixer with ice. Strain into glass and float the dark rum onto the top. Garnish and serve with straw.

The Mai Tai is an alcoholic cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, and lime juice, associated with "Polynesian-style" settings.

History

It was purportedly invented at the Trader Vic's restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it in 1933 at his then-new bar named for himself (later a famous restaurant) in Hollywood. Don the Beachcomber's recipe is more complex than that of Vic's and tastes quite different.^[1]

Etymology

"Maita'i" is the Tahitian word for "good"; but the drink is spelled as two words, sometimes hyphenated or capitalized.^[2][3]

The Trader Vic story of its invention is that the Trader (Victor J. Bergeron) created it one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. One of those friends, Carrie Guild, tasted it and cried out: "Maita'i roa ae!" (Literally "very good!", figuratively "Out of this world! The Best!") — hence the name.^[4]

Recipe

There are many recipes for Mai Tais. Seven of them, including three different versions of Trader Vic's, as well as the recipe of Don the Beachcomber, can be found at Wikibooks Mai Tai.

Culture

The Mai Tai became such a popular cocktail in the 1950s and 1960s that virtually every restaurant, particularly tiki-themed restaurants or bars served them. The Mai Tai was also prominently featured in the popular Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii.

Today, the Mai Tai is synonymous with Tiki culture, both of the past and present. Virtually every modern tiki gathering centers around the Mai Tai in some fashion. Contemporary tikiphiles are quite meticulous about the Mai Tai and insist that it be prepared according the traditional Trader Vic's recipe.

As of 2008, Trader Vic's Restaurant chain has begun to open small establishments called Mai Tai Bars, that primarily serve cocktails and pupus (appetizers).

References

1. ^ Charles A. Coulombe (2005). Rum: The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World. Citadel Press. p. 258. 
2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, s.v. mai tai
3. ^ maitai Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
4. ^ "Mai Tai". Bartenders Database. 2009-10-21. http://www.bartendersdatabase.com/wiki/Mai_Tai. Retrieved 2010-08-13. 

External links

• Mai Tai links at the Open Directory Project
• Tiki culture at the Open Directory Project
• The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess - Video demonstration for making a proper Mai Tai