Mai Tai（マイタイ）
Two rums, orgeat, curaçao, lime — Trader Vic's argument that rum could be fine wine.
01Recipe
Recommended recipe
House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.
| Ingredient | Measure |
|---|---|
| White rum | 30 ml |
| Dark Jamaican rum | 30 ml |
| Orange Curaçao | 15 ml |
| Orgeat syrup | 15 ml |
| Fresh lime juice | 30 ml |
Total volume (pre-dilution)
2 : 2 : 1 : 1 : 2
- 01
Shake all ingredients hard with crushed ice.
- 02
Pour unstrained into a double old-fashioned glass.
- 03
Sink the lime shell, plant a mint bouquet — the garnish is the aroma.
Garnish — Mint bouquet · Spent lime shell
02Taste profile
- Sweetness
- 55Moderate
- Sourness*
- 90Intense
- Bitterness
- 15Faint
- Fruitiness
- 55Moderate
- Herbal*
- 0Faint
- Alcohol
- 55Moderate
- Crisp
- 55Moderate
Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.
03History
1944 — Trader Vic's, Oakland. Mixed for Tahitian friends; 'Mai tai roa ae' became the name. The original called for J. Wray & Nephew 17 — when it ran out, the two-rum blend was born.
Donn Beach counter-claimed a 1933 Q.B. Cooler ancestry; the fight never quite settled, but Vic's spec is the one the world drinks.
Explore in the timeline
Sources — Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide (1947) · Beachbum Berry, Sippin' Safari
04Recipe versions
Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.
- IBA Official Cocktails
International Bartenders Association · iba-web-current · Official
- Jamaican Rum30 ml
- Rhum Agricole30 ml
- Orange Curaçao15 ml
- Orgeat syrup15 ml
- Lime Juice30 ml
- Sugar Syrup7.5 ml
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a double rocks glass or an highball glass. * The Martinique molasses rum used by Trader Vic was not an Agricole Rhum but a type of “rummy” from molasses. — Garnish with pineapple spear, mint leaves and lime peel.
- Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide
Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide
Victor Bergeron · 1947 · Book · unverified
- Lime Juice1 oz
- Orange Curaçao0.5 oz
- orgeat0.5 oz
- simple syrup0.25 oz
- each gold Jamaica & Martinique rum1 oz
Shake with crushed ice; mint and spent lime.
Built on 17-year J. Wray & Nephew — Vic's famous pour.
Pick 2 versions to compare — up to 3 on a wider screen
05Variations
- VariationMai Tai 'the 44'Modern spec: orgeat light, both rums blended
- OriginQ.B. CoolerDonn Beach's rival ancestor recipe
06The map
Spirits
