Mai Tai (Commercial Mix)
Victor 'Trader Vic' Bergeron (1902-91). Trader Vic was one of the most outstanding restaurateurs of his generation. His combination of tropical drinks and exotic food soon had people literally queuing in the street. Today there are a number of his restaurants around the world, but the jewel in the crown is the Beverly Hills Trader Vic's, where the world's glitterati are thick on the ground each evening. About 1944 he decided to make a cocktail from the finest ingredients he could find. With some input from his head bartender, he came up with a mixture of 2 measures of 17-year-old J.Wray & Nephew rum, 1/2 measure of triple sec, 1/4 measure of Orgeat, 1/4 measure of rock candy syrup and the juice of a lime. This was shaken with a glassful of crushed ice and poured, half the spent lime shell was added, and the result garnished with a sprig of mint. When he introduced the Mai Tai to Hawaii in 1953 it was too successful. Within a year the entire world supply of 17-year-old rum was exhausted, and he had to reinvent the cocktail using a blend of rums.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 measure of St. James rum
- 1 1/4 measure of Appleton gold rum (or 2 1/2 measures of Mai Tai rum)
- 2 measures of Mai Tai mix
- juice of 1 large lime
Instructions
Shake with a glassful of crushed ice. Add half the spent lime shell.
Garnish: sprig of mint and fruit stick. If the above rums or commercial mix are not available, the following is a standard bar recipe.
Alcohol Content: 2.5 units
Glass Type: Collins Glass
