The story of the Mai Tai š¹
Happy Friday,
I'm about to get a lot of snow, and we live in an area that doesn't get a lot of snow. So, of course, my mind goes to something like wanting to talk about a lesser-known interest of mine: Tiki drinks.
The Mai Tai is probably the most famous of Tiki drinks, and for good reason. I'll put a classic recipe that you absolutely need to try. It'll change your opinion on what a tiki drink is.
So way back when tiki was getting started, there was a guy named Trader Vic who really pioneered a lot of what tiki drinks are and the weird Polynesian vibe that goes with it. More than that, he was crazy about rum and obsessive about blending the unique flavors of rum.
His first bar was so popular that he actually had to hide his recipes since others began to copy and steal his creations! So much so that if you went to his bar, there wouldn't be a bar at all. The drinks would be made in a back room. That back room would have bottles that had numbers after removing the original labels. That way, when he put the recipes down, he could write something like: 1.5 oz of #2.
He also insisted on a maximum of 2 drinks, as tiki drinks are incredibly strong. Most have a minimum of 2 oz of alcohol.
Over the years, the craze peaked, then collapsed, with many recipes being lost and altered. The Mai Tai is one that suffered over the years. Ordering a Mai Tai at many places meant getting a sickeningly sweet mixture of juice and rum. The degradation helped form the opinion in most people's minds that tiki drinks, like the Mai Tai, were what you drank in college before you knew what a hangover was.
Why write about this? Well, I wanted to. Also, there are parallels in many aspects of any organization. There are things that come up regarding techniques and methods of work. For example, everyone is agile now, but are they agile in the way the original Mai Tai is, or are they the agile of the modern head-splitting-hangover one? Everyone knows the words, but few really know what's behind them.
Was that a stretch? It felt like one.
So, here's the original Mai Tai recipe you really do need to try. Yeah, it sucks to get these ingredients, but the drink is worth it. It is a really complicated blend of flavors that never gets old.
The Mai Tai
1/4 oz rich simple syrup
1/4 oz orgeat
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz Dry curacao
1 1/2 oz aged dark rum
1/2 oz aged rum
Put all that mess in a shaker, shake it up, and pour it over crushed ice. Garnish with a spent lime shell and mint.
Notes and adjustments:
Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water. To make it rich, you can add a drop of vanilla.
Orgeat is an almond syrup. You can make this yourself, but most fancy liquor stores will carry it. Gifford is a pretty common brand that works well.
Dry curacao really can't be substituted. It is really different than the orange curacao we all used to mix drinks with. Look for Pierre Ferrand.
Lime juice really has to be done with real limes. If you don't believe me, try it with your pre-squeezed junk and then a different one with fresh. I've done this with folks, and they are always surprised at how much of a difference it makes.
Now for the rums. Rum is a complicated thing. Unlike most other liquors, it has a ton of variety that doesn't fit well with how we normally label things. So here are the basics for this drink.
The aged dark rum needs to be amber-colored and aged for 5+ years. Plantaray makes a really good one. Do not use something like Myers dark rum. That is what is called a "Black-strap" rum and not at all what we want.
The last aged rum, you can try something that looks interesting. The color isn't important, but it shouldn't be a black-strap rum. Again, Planteray makes really good rum at a good price. Some other choices could be Appleton Jamaican, Bacardi Reserve, Cruzan Aged (If you're out of other choices). The origin of the Rum will absolutely change the flavor in noticeable ways, so that makes this fun. Jamaican rum is often described as "funky," and I'll echo that.
Let me know if you try this and what you think. Though if you have more than 2, I warned you.
Sincerely,
Ryan
PS: You might wonder how much I like Tiki. I was able to write all of this from what is in my head already. Don't shame me.