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Mai Tai (Difford's recipe)
I love Daiquiris and this is basically a classic Daiquiri with a few bells and whistles: orange curaçao, lime juice, almond syrup, amaretto, falernum...
Gareth Hives
15th June at 21:11
Love this version, I'd probably still go with the original if I had to choose but this really works. I vibed off the original slightly differently and swapped the sugar syrup for Monin green tea syrup to make the Mai Chai - https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/36108/mai-chai
13th October 2024 at 13:09
Clearly a few afficiandos not happy with this but, given the vexed nature of the origins of the drink historically and politically, good to maintain a focus on the creative and evolutionary nature of the beverage and avoid the prescriptive imo. Room for loads of experimentation here. Very drinkable indeed 😊
30th August 2024 at 19:01
Ooh, no. This ain't it chief. Sorry. The OTT nature of a Mai Tai is to flex on your selection of rums, not to add random liqueurs (creme de menthe? really?) you find. The complete lack of any jamaican rum to begin with should disqualify it.
13th September 2024 at 20:01
Avery, I think you’ll find that Appleton Estate 8 Reserve is a Single Estate Jamaica Rum.
Personally I don’t add the Crème de menthe as I don’t have any, but use the rest of the ingredients. So far I’ve not had any complaints.
Personally I don’t add the Crème de menthe as I don’t have any, but use the rest of the ingredients. So far I’ve not had any complaints.
6th July 2024 at 10:23
To those commenters here not happy with the inclusion of white creme de menthe, we used, instead, Acqua Bianca. We thought it worked a treat.
26th May 2024 at 00:11
Subbed amaretto with an increased portion of orgeat and substituted crème de menthe for fernet. Omitted the absinthe since I don’t have it, still incredibly good cocktail, complex and tasty.
12th May 2024 at 10:07
Much for sophisticated cocktail compared to a regular menu item. This recipe would be perfect 5 if the type of rum was more specific. Pineapple rum ranges from sweet syrup to just a hint of pineapple. I think this version requires a more neutral rum like Plantation Pineapple Rum. Any sweetened rum will ruin this version.
13th May 2024 at 09:04
If you click on the ingredient name, I link you to the rum.
23rd March 2024 at 13:42
I like Mai tais, but this one was ruined for me by the crème de menthe, 2 mls of which completely overshadowed everything. Will need to try again without the menthe and absinthe
12th January 2024 at 22:13
Used 20ml Rockstar pineapple grenade rum with this recipe, omitted the creme de menthe. But turned out a beautiful tasting Mai Tai
11th December 2023 at 03:21
I didn't have any pineapple rum, so I subbed Malibu. And subbed peppermint schnapps for the creme de menthe. It worked perfectly. Anyone know how I might batch this up? Would love to prepare some in advance for a party... but I'm not sure how to interpret the dashes and drops for a 25-person version, say.
29th December 2023 at 00:34
Devised a possible answer to my own question in making this tonight. For a 12-serving batch, I did: 1 tablespoon of absinthe, 1/8th of a teaspoon of saline solution, and 9 oz of chilled water (for dilution). Tasted great in the test spoon — we will try it over ice this evening at a dinner party... hoping for happy friends. :)
9th October 2023 at 09:43
Too boozy, complex without captivation/enjoyment. Vic Bergeron's is much better, more balanced. And so simple to make.
12th April 2023 at 14:04
I’m fairly sure crème de menthe is just mouth wash mixed with sugar, so I swapped it for the grown up mintyness of fernet…. And it was pretty darned good, even if the amount of measuring involved was maybe a tad too much.
21st January 2023 at 17:46
I made this for my wife and she loved it. I made another from the Gary Regan book and I liked it too. My wife's had the JDT Falernum in it. My bottle has been opened but refrigerated since April 28 2021. Since it was a small amt I risked using it. Seemed ok but perhaps a fresh bottle would do better. Thoughts on whether it should be tossed by now?
22nd January 2023 at 11:00
John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum is only 11% alc./vol. - not strong enough to prevent mould (over 16% seems to be the magic number). However, the 11% will help preserve and you have kept refrigerated. If no mould is visible in the bottle then I'd continue to use it.
19th August 2022 at 01:26
Ohh that's crazy good!
31st July 2022 at 01:26
This was outstanding. Living in one of the centres of Tiki culture and still the home to a Tiki conference, San Diego, I have had a lot of Mai Tais in my day. I have had them at Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vics, Bali Hai (which is still in operation here in San Diego and continues to use their original Mai Tai recipe), and countless other Tiki bars over the 50 years I could have a cocktail. Don Beach loved absinthe, and adding this to the mix was so much like what he would include. Loved it.
31st July 2022 at 01:35
Forgot to mention we did add a float of 151 rum on the top. Used fresh cherries (as they are in season) for the garnish. Heavenly.
30th December 2021 at 18:43
Found this a little sour so added a splash of sugar syrup. Something was still missing, so added a sprinkling of salt… And it was perfect!
31st December 2021 at 09:20
Glad the maestro concurs! Happy New Year! :)
31st December 2021 at 08:23
Thanks Anne. I agree! Hence, I've added a couple of drops of saline.
9th August 2021 at 18:31
I've made this up for parties/barbecues/after the kids have gone to bed by putting together equal quantities of dark and pineapple rum and the other ingredients except lime in another bottle so it can essentially be constructed as a three ingredient cocktail - juice of a lime (approx.), 60ml Mixed Rum, 40ml 'Bells and Whistles'. Shook. Suddenly not so complicated to put together at the drop of a hat.
24th July 2022 at 22:09
Genius. I doff my cap to you.
9th August 2021 at 19:47
That's a top tip I need to follow. Thanks Stuart.
4th May 2021 at 13:19
I find it offensive that this is called a Mai Tai since it has so little in common with an actual Mai Tai. Tasty it might be, but give it its own name.
22nd March 2021 at 00:06
A fine enough cocktail, but a bit complicated to assemble. We did not care for the mint notes and will omit that next time.