COCKTALE – A COCKTAIL ETYMOLOGY - MAI TAI
The California Mai Tai? Despite its tropical name, this hero of the Tiki generation was said to have been born by the hand of Victor J. Bergeron, proprietor of the California restaurant chain Trader Vic’s. Bergeron reportedly made it for a few mates who were on holiday from Tahiti in 1944, one of whom offered the Tahitian language compliment Maita’i roa ae!, which means “out of this world!” His recipe had no dark rum float, umbrella, or fruit, but today’s version goes something like this:
Equipment
- Shaker
- Highball Glass
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Dark Rum
- 1 oz. Light Rum
- ½ oz. Orange Curacao
- ½ oz. Orgeat Syrup
- ¼ oz. Lime Juice
- Pineapple Wedge
- Maraschino Cherry
- 1 Decorative Mini-Umbrella
Instructions
- Shake all ingredients except the dark rum with ice, strain into highball glass, and use a spoon to float the dark rum on top.