The Legend of the Mai Tai

Today we go super deep into the Mai Tai. A while ago we had the idea of going through all the amazing Mai Tai riffs popping up. This drink is just such a wonderful template and that shows in not only the drink's enduring popularity but also there seems to be a different version or riff on so so many menus these days and not just in Tiki spots. But after discussing it a bit we decided that before doing all the riffs we really needed to tackle the originals. From the drink's inception in 1944 until 1971 there were four major builds on this one drink, and they're all different enough to warrant a little taste testing. So today we're doing all the classic Mai Tai recipes for you guys! Hope ya'll enjoy and see you In the comments!

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00:00 Teaser
00:27 Intro
00:42 Cold Open
00:50 Mai Tai
03:10 Tasting Notes?
04:04 Recipe
04:10 Don The Beachcomber Mai Tai
06:20 Tasting Something?
07:13 Recipe
07:17 Kon-Tiki Mai Tai
09:45 Taste?
10:42 Recipe
10:45 Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai
14:33 Tasting Notes? Last chance?
15:44 Recipe
15:49 A little History
17:09 Outro
17:15 Like And Subscribe!

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Trader Vic's Mai Tai:
1oz (30ml) Rhum Agricol
1oz (30ml) Appleton Estate Signature
.25oz (7.5ml) Curacao
1oz (30ml) Lime Juice
.25oz (7.5ml) Orgeat
.25oz (7.5ml) Simple Syrup
Spent Lime and Mint Garnish

Don The Beachcomber's Mai Tai Swizzle:
1.5oz (45ml) Dark Jamaica Rum
1oz (30ml) Dark Cuban Rum
.75oz (22.5ml) Falernum
.5oz (22.5ml) Cointreau
1oz (30ml) Grapefruit Juice
.75oz (22.5ml) Lime Juice
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
6 Drops Absinthe
Pineapple Spear Maraschino Cherry Garnish

Kon-Tiki Mai Tai:
1.5oz (45ml) Jamaica Rum
1.5oz (45ml) Puerto Rico Gold Rum
.75oz (22.5ml) Honey Syrup
.75oz (22.5ml) Lime Juice
.75oz (22.5ml) Orange Juice
.25oz (7.5ml) Ginger Syrup
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
6 Drops Absinthe
Mint Sprig Garnish

Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai
1oz (30ml) White Rum
1oz (30ml) Demerara Rum
1oz (30ml) Jamaican Rum
.25oz (7.5ml) Curacao
1oz (30ml) Orange Juice
1oz (30ml) Pineapple Juice
.5oz (15ml) Lime Juice
.25oz (7.5ml) Orgeat
.25oz (7.5ml) Lemon Juice
.25oz (7.5ml) Simple Syrup
Pineapple Spear Mint Sprig Garnish

[TheEducatedBarfly]

True to form we made a mistake in this video. Somehow we left 1oz of Jamaican Rum out of the edit. So, add 1oz of Jamaican Rum to your Royal Hawaiian and sorry! :)

[lyzarde]

Marius at the birth of his first child: "Yeah, sure, I mean. It's good. It's a baby. I'll take your word for it."

[BeginTheEnd]

Imagine making a drink so good you cause a shortage of its ingredients. That's a legacy

[mbalash]

I love what Martin Cate says about the original Trader Vic Mai Tai… “it’s a nutty tasting margarita” Bravo Trader Vic!!!

[theaussiebartender]

Marius buying a new car “well it’s nice, it’s got 4 wheels… I like the colour… Sure I’ll buy it” lol
Best tasting notes ever hahaha 😝 lol

[siriqbal]

I’m dying of laughter thinking of all the improvements you guys have done on the set design and editing, only to have Marius come on set, take a sip of every drink and say it tastes like … booze. I can almost see smoke coming from Leandro’s head! This needs to be a regular segment! Flavor Nuances with Marius! 😂

[justinrodriguez]

A 17 minute video on Mai tais? You know the way to my heart and my liver 😍

[bt]

The Vic Mai Tai is my favorite cocktail in the world, hands down... I can't wait to make these other Tais and see how they compare! Superb video, guys!

[johnnymac]

Marius as the taste tester is a fantastic addition. You guys actually have great chemistry without forcing it. Loved this video!

[katelynnb]

I don’t usually leave comments, but I just wanted to say I love the changes you’ve made recently… From Marius “tasting notes” to the more laid back approach. And Leandro your hair has never looked better! Great job guys ! Love it !

[dkoppe]

I'm not sure what I like more: Leandro flaming Marius for his 'subpar' tasting notes or Leandro actually tasting the drink and giving 'good' tasting notes...

[adamlebner]

The "old married couple" style bickering is always top quality viewing. Love your work.

[atanoulis]

I was waiting for a Mai Tai Video! Summer officially begins!

[kidyuki]

As much as we all love Marius, it'd be nice to see at least a couple of these recipes done again where we can get Leandro's tasting notes. Mainly, I need to know if the Royal Hawaiian variation is actually any good.

[rushcarlton]

The zoomed in head on Leandro’s body while shaking is absolutely terrifying!

[AccursedSlug]

There is so much sass in this episode, very entertaining. I hope you make it through your diet!

[andymay]

My wife and I visited Kauai'i in 2011 and the Mai Tai's we enjoyed were made with white rum, POG juice (Papaya Orange Guava mix hard to find outside of the islands) and a dark rum floater. We loved them, but discovered the much better Trader Vic's when we got back home. I miss the POG juice version sometimes, mostly because it's hard to find POG juice in the Midwest.

[draexian]

I keep both the fancy and candy shop cherries around. Each has their charms.

[colorfulcocktails]

One of my favorite tropical cocktail. Thank you for sharing different version of recipes. Love it!

[matthewprentiss]

You can talk about great home made ingredients, top shelf booze and getting the ratios perfectly balanced, but the thing everybody overlooks and what truly makes a Mai Tai an adult happy meal is the salad up top. In the 90's the Royal Hawaiian hotel still had marble bathrooms with bathroom attendants. They're all gone now, replaced with cheap Formica and no guy in an old suit basking in farts and dollar sprays of cologne. What's gone too is the exceptional garnishes they'd put on Mai Tai's. Each one, no matter how many Mai Tais deep you were, were presented with no less than a cherry and pineapple wedge skewered on a paper umbrella along with a mint sprig and the most beautiful orchid blossom ever. How I miss those days, picking people up at the airport, bringing them for a first pacific ocean experience with sandy feet and a perfect Mai Tai in hand trying to keep the new arrival awake until 10 pm so the jet lag wouldn't suck so much. Shout out to bathroom attendants everywhere if you still exist. You may bask in more farts than a returning flight from Cabo, but I miss you. The next Mai Tai's on me. Full salad.