10 Variations on the Classic Mai Tai

There never truly are enough words to fully cover the ongoing passion stirred among cocktail geeks by the classic mai tai. It doesn’t matter how many paeans of praise you craft for the mai tai and its history; how many pieces calling out mai tai offenses you write; how many lists of the best mai tais you assemble. There’s always, always room for more. That’s the nature of the most iconic tiki cocktail cornerstone.

We have of course devoted no shortage of time to the mai tai at Paste. Naturally, it was part of our list of the 10 most essential tiki cocktail recipes. And naturally, I’ve gone into much greater depth on how to construct the perfect classic-style mai tai. And I’ve even bemoaned how the mai tai, more than any other cocktail, has been negatively affected by the canned ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail boom, which has had the unfortunate effect of reinforcing negative perceptions, stereotypes and simply bad versions of the drink.

I want to make sure you don’t take away the wrong impression from that last piece, though, that only the original 1944 mai tai (rum, lime, orgeat, curacao) created by “Trader” Vic Bergeron is a valid format for the drink. I’m simply railing against bad and unbalanced mai tais, not the right of bartenders to create new spins, variations and reinventions of the classic. And lord knows that they have–across the country, seemingly no tiki bar even makes the original 1944 mai tai in exactly the same way. The actual variations on the drink? They stretch out endlessly toward the tropical horizon, and many of them are now classics in their own right. Shout out to writer Kevin Crossman’s influential website Ultimate Mai Tai, which is an endless wealth of resources if you want to dive into the history and many variations of this cocktail.

So here are 10 fundamental twists on the classic mai tai formula, and some explanation of how each pushes the idea of the mai tai in different directions.

1. Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai

Also frequently referred to as the “island mai tai,” this is the single most common species of mai tai variant. In truth, this style of mai tai is actually significantly more common to encounter in the wild than the original 1944 version, which has a tendency to be confined to “serious” tiki and cocktail bars. As the name would suggest, this variant of the mai tai was popularized in Hawaii, although good luck trying to suss out a historically accurate background for exactly how and when that happened, as anything related to the history of the mai tai is always steeped in disagreement and confusion.

The only thing important to note, for our purposes, is that this version of the mai tai introduced additional fruit juices to the equation–always pineapple, and often orange juice as well. Modern versions of this mai tai often incorporate far too many sticky sweet elements, including large amounts of grenadine or tons of pineapple juice, and are frequently garnished with maraschino cherries or pineapple wedges. They also often feature an additional “float” of dark/black rum–which is to say, rum that has some artificial coloration.

The recipe below eschews those visual elements and tones down the presence of the pineapple/orange juice to make a more refined version of the Royal Hawaiian mai tai that isn’t quite so dominated by juice. Don’t worry, it’s still quite fruity and relatively sweet.

— 1 oz “light rum” (any unaged/lightly aged column still rum)
— 1 oz Jamaican aged rum
— 1 oz Demerara (Guyanese) rum
— .5 oz lime juice
— .5 oz lemon juice
— 1 oz orange juice
— 1 oz pineapple juice
— .25 oz orgeat
— .25 oz orange curacao
— .25 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker with ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with pineapple wedge and optional mint sprig.

2. Nu Mai Tai

This mai tai variant was created at Miami bar Esotico by Daniele Dalla Pola, and I include it second on this list because it incorporates a lot of the basic mai tai variant upgrades that you will see in a lot of tiki bars for a “house” version of the cocktail, and is also similar to the type of mai tai variant I often make at home myself.

In general, it is common for bars to create their own mai tai rum blends that are prepared in advance, to save time or preserve a trade secret when mixing mai tais during a busy shift. The use of rhum agricole from Martinique or Guadeloupe is also popular among many mai tai makers, even if purists will take contention with the complicated historical accuracy of doing so. Esotico splits the difference, using a house mai tai blend that is reportedly equal parts of Jamaican rum, Martinique rhum agricole, and spiced rum. They then modify the mai tai further through the use of passion fruit puree, an element that plays very well in a mai tai as long as it’s not used too generously. Finally, rather than just using normal orgeat and simple syrup, their house “Dan’s Mix #9” is instead a fusion of ginger syrup, allspice dram and marzipan to simultaneously hit both the spice and almond notes. All together, you’ve got a mai tai with enhanced fruitiness and spice elements.

— 2 oz rum blend (equal parts Jamaican, Martinique rhum agricole, spiced rum)
— 1 oz lime juice
— .5 oz orange curacao
— .5 oz passion fruit puree/syrup
— 1 oz Dan’s Mix #9

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker with ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprig.

3. Bitter Mai Tai

If there’s one overarching trend to “modern” tiki cocktails and revisions of the last few decades, it has been a willingness to insert more bitterness into the equation in order to match the booziness of rum or the sweet-tart combination of fruit juices and syrups. The widespread popularization of the Jungle Bird, coupled with the ongoing popularity of bitter cocktails like the negroni, has led to consumers becoming more generally aware of bitter amari, and more willing to try them in a drink like the mai tai, which traditionally has no bitter element. Enter the simply named Bitter Mai Tai, created by New York bartender Jeremy Oertel for Brooklyn bar Dram in the early 2010s.

There’s nothing fancy about this; it’s just a play on the mai tai to see what it would be like with the bracing bitter citrus of Campari matched up with funky Jamaican rum. If you like the Jungle Bird, it’s a variant you’ll need to try.

— 1 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican rum (for the proof point/funk)
— 1 oz Campari
— .5 oz orange curacao
— .5 oz orgeat
— 1 oz lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker with ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprig.

4. Rye Tai

For almost any classic tiki cocktail, you’re going to find a variation that is built around the classic rum base with some form of American whiskey. Often this can be a rather forced endeavor, but the rye whiskey based Rye Tai has over time cemented itself as an emerging classic of a mai tai variant. This one doesn’t mess too much with the overall ratios, but it does make some swaps that are more whiskey friendly, subtracting the lime and adding lemon and pineapple in its place. The result has definitely earned a place in the “whiskey tiki” canon at this point. It’s traditionally topped with a generous, spicy float of Angostura bitters–you can really use as much or as little of the bitters as you want, but the red highlight is a nice visual touch.

— 2 oz rye whiskey (100 proof, ideally)
— .75 oz pineapple juice
— .75 oz lemon juice
— .75 oz orgeat
— 5-10 dashes of aromatic bitters, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker with ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprig, optional pineapple wedge.

5. Tia Mia

One of the most intriguing recipes on this list, this variant was created by bartender and co-owner Ivy Mix of NYC bar Leyenda, and chooses to highlight mezcal as its core flavor contribution. I particularly like the way Mix chose to not specifically replace all of the spirit with mezcal, but instead went with a split base of smoky mezcal and classic Jamaican rum, to create something that bridges the gap with a bit more elegance. You will also want to note that this recipe has eschewed the at least modest amount of simple syrup that is typically part of most of these recipes, opting for a more dry and thoughtful cocktail. If it’s too dry for you, don’t be afraid to add a touch of simple syrup back into the recipe. These things exist to be modified.

Also, I love the name being an anagram for “mai tai.” Fantastic touch.

— 1 oz Jamaican rum
— 1 oz mezcal
— .5 oz orange curacao
— .5 oz orgeat
— .75 oz lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker with ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel and mint sprig.

6. Mai Tai Spritz

Don’t make the mistake of thinking, from the name of this cocktail, that this is some kind of mai tai-ified take on the Aperol Spritz–it’s just a version of the cocktail that has added in a new dimension, in the form of bubbles, and contains no aperitif. The sparkling wine is the selling point–this is technically designed around champagne, but feel free to use prosecco or anything else that you want–but the real draw for the savvier drinker is the way this cocktail lengthens and dilutes the intensity of the mai tai flavor profile a bit.

This drink, created by Martin Cate of the influential Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, decreases the amount of rum substantially while most of the rest is preserved, allowing the drink to take on an easier drinking dimension. It’s a good outdoor variant of this cocktail in particular. Note: It is recommended to mix the non-carbonated ingredients in advance and chill them, which will help preserve the bubbles longer in the resulting cocktail.

— 1 oz Jamaican rum
— .5 oz lime juice
— .5 oz orange curacao
— .5 oz orgeat
— 4 oz sparkling wine

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a glass or cocktail shaker and refrigerate. Once chilled, pour into a tall Collins or zombie-style glass, fill with ice to the top, and top the entire drink with the sparkling wine. Very gently stir to incorporate.

7. Disgruntled Mai Tai

Created by Attaboy’s Sam Ross, whose lengthy list of accomplishments include the Paper Plane and other contemporary classics, the so-called “Disgruntled” Mai Tai is a very modern riff indeed, one that feels structured around what so many bartenders like to drink off shift, such as herbal liqueurs. Ross includes some of the Aperol that he’s used in some of his other signature creations, but the key here (and a star of the presentation) is the upturned miniature bottle of Underberg in your glass. The cult herbal digestif liqueur, which we’ve written about in detail here, lends a more savory ribbon of herbaceousness to the classic formula.

— 1 oz overproof Jamaican rum
— 1 oz Aperol
— 1 oz lime juice
— .5 oz orgeat
— .5 oz orange curacao
— Miniature bottle of Underberg

Combine all ingredients except Underberg in a cocktail mixing tin with ice. Shake well to chill and dilute, and pour into large rocks glass over crushed ice. Top up with crushed/pebble ice (the finer the better), and then upend the bottle of Underberg into the crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel and mint sprig.

8. Breakfast Mai Tai

A bit of a fanciful name here, but a solid looking cocktail from one of my favorite manufacturers of cocktail syrups, Liber & Co. As the makers of the orgeat I use whenever I make a mai tai at home, it’s only natural that they should have some thoughts on variations and new ways you can apply their products. This one embraces a more tropical dimension through the use of banana liqueur, and then pairs it with cinnamon syrup–which you should make at home, because it’s very simple–to evoke French toast with caramelized bananas. Sounds like a nice, desserty spin on the cocktail.

— 1 oz Jamaican aged rum
— 1 oz black rum
— .5 oz orgeat
— 1 oz lime juice
— .5 oz banana liqueur
— .25 oz cinnamon syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker with ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and strain into large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprig.

9. Honi Honi

It’s an unfortunate reality of the cocktail/spirits world as it exists right now that there is a sizeable market out there of guys–it’s pretty much always guys–who fancy themselves as “bourbon drinkers” and have little no interest or curiosity in anything in the entire rest of the spirits market. Naturally, these guys are hesitant to try classic tiki drinks such as the 1944 mai tai, and are instead hunting for anything on the menu that has bourbon in it instead.

And keep in mind, I’m all for swaps when they work well–I included the Rye Tai above because I think that’s probably the best overall “whiskey mai tai” variant. But the Honi Honi was Trader Vic’s concession to those who preferred bourbon, and you can still occasionally find it on a menu as a result. In truth, I don’t think it works quite as well as the Rye Tai, but if you’ve got someone around who is most comfortable with bourbon but wants to try something “tropical,” this is a good option to have … although I would pick the Halekulani cocktail for that, personally.

— 2 oz bourbon
— .75 oz lime juice
— .5 oz orange curaco
— .5 oz orgeat
— .25 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin/shaker and add ice. Shake well to chill/dilute, and then strain into a rocks glass full of crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel.

10. Nut-Free Mai Tai

When it comes to dietary restrictions in the tropical cocktail world, the elephant in the room when it comes to the mai tai is that not everyone out there is able to consume nuts (orgeat). This sadly deprives a certain segment of the population from being able to experience the classic version of one of the most influential cocktails in history, but thankfully bartender Fanny Chu of restaurant/bar Donna in NYC came up with a genuinely inventive, if unusual solution. Her cocktail is called the Rum to the Jungle, and it uses quite an array of house-made concoctions, such as a “Jungle Batch” spirit blend that combines demerara rum, clairin from Haiti and banana liqueur, and then pairs it with house-made cinnamon oat syrup. This makes the Rum to the Jungle probably the most difficult and labor-intensive of these cocktails to make at home, but if you’re allergic to nuts perhaps that’s a labor you’ll want to undertake. You can read the full recipe here, with the instructions for making Jungle Batch and the oat-infused cinnamon simple syrup, in order to simulate the nuttiness of orgeat.

At the end of the day, I simply appreciate that this drink helps to make a classic cocktail accessible to a few more potential drinkers.

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.