Mai Tai

A drunk mans words are a sober man's thoughts. - Steve Fergosi

Much like the Zombie, there are many, many recipes out there for the Mai Tai --- most of them bad. The original Trader Vic's Mai Tai recipe from 1944 (below) is so much better than the current crop of "Hawaiian Punch" concoctions that it is easy to see why it got the name Mai Tai which in Tahitian means "out of this world."

Martinique rhum vieux is very hard to find in the United States but any fine aged rum will do.

Mai Tai

• 1 1/2 ounces Myer's Dark Rum or other Dark Jamaican Rum
• 1 ounce Martinique Rhum Viex or other aged Rum
• 1/2 ounce Orange Curacao
• 1/2 ounce Simple Syrup (Click Here to see how to easily make simple syrup)
• 1/2 ounce Orgeat or other almond-flavored syrup
• 1/2 ounce fresh Orange Juice
• 1 1/4 ounces fresh Lime Juice
• Ice

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and all the ingredients.
2. Shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Pour the mixture, with ice, into a Collins glass.
4. Add an orange peel spiral to garnish if desired.

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