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Mai Tai

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cocktails•american•contains alcohol, contains nuts, vegan, gluten-free
5 minutes•1 cocktail•

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce aged Jamaican rum
  • 1 ounce rhum agricole (Martinique)
  • 1 ounce fresh lime juice (~0.5 medium limes)
  • 1/2 ounce orange curaçao
  • 1/2 ounce orgeat syrup
  • 1/4 ounce rich demerara syrup (2:1)
  • crushed ice – for shaking and serving
  • mint sprig – for garnish
  • lime – spent shell (for garnish)
mai tai

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Add aged Jamaican rum (1 oz), rhum agricole (1 oz), fresh lime juice (1 oz), orange curaçao (0.5 oz), orgeat syrup (0.5 oz), and rich demerara syrup (0.25 oz) to a cocktail shaker, about 1 minute.

  2. 2.

    Fill the shaker two-thirds full and a double old-fashioned glass completely with crushed ice, then shake hard until the shaker is frosty, 10–12 seconds.

  3. 3.

    Dump the shaker’s contents, ice and all, into the prepared glass without straining. Dome the ice slightly above the rim if needed, about 10 seconds.

  4. 4.

    Gently slap the mint sprig once to release aroma and tuck it by the rim; nestle the lime shell cut-side down on the ice. Serve immediately.

The mai tai is a bright, spirit-forward tiki cocktail that balances tangy fresh lime with nutty almond and orange perfume over a rich backbone of blended rums. Crushed ice gives it a frosty, diluted texture that stays refreshing from the first sip to the last. The garnish—aromatic mint and a spent lime shell—adds an inviting bouquet that frames the drink’s tropical, citrusy notes without making it sugary.

Created in the mid-1940s, the mai tai is widely credited to Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron in California’s Bay Area tiki scene. Originally mixed to showcase a rare aged Jamaican rum, it evolved into a blend of Jamaican rum and Martinique rum when that bottling became scarce. Over time, resort versions added pineapple and other juices, but the 1944-style mai tai remains a benchmark of American tropical mixology: spirit-driven, restrained in sweetness, and all about balance and depth.