Dark 'n' Stormy
60 ml Dark rum, 100 ml Ginger beer, 10 ml Lime juice, 1 Lime wedge
Mai Tai
Rum, lime, almond and orange - nothing tropical about it.
Tiki
Medium
6 min
Photo: Mai tai, Mazatlán, 30 de noviembre de 2022 · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 12 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 360 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 360 ml line. Dark rum - An aged Jamaican rum is the classic; a funky one is even better
- 360 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 360 ml line. White rum
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. Orange curaçao
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. Orgeat
- 240 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 240 ml line. Lime juice
- 12 spent shells Lime - Turned inside out and floated as the garnish (optional)
- 12 sprigs Mint sprig (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Shake the rums, orange liqueur, orgeat and lime, then pour into a rocks glass over crushed ice.
Method
Batch (12 drinks)Batch (12 drinks) - about 1.32 l of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- Put the rums, orange liqueur, orgeat and lime juice in a shaker with ice and shake for 12 seconds.
- Pour unstrained into a rocks glass over crushed ice.
- Float the spent lime shell on top, hollow side up, and slap a mint sprig against your palm before tucking it in.
Serve it
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
Mai Tai
Victor Bergeron - Trader Vic - made this in 1944 in Oakland for friends from Tahiti, who tasted it and said "Maita'i roa ae", which is Tahitian for very good indeed, and the drink had a name. The story goes that the other great tiki bartender of the age, Don the Beachcomber, tasted one and said it was fine, but that he had invented it years earlier. Tiki bars have been arguing about it ever since, which is roughly the correct spirit of the whole genre.
Getting it right
The most important thing to know is what is not in it: no pineapple juice, no grenadine, and nothing pink. It is a rum sour with almond in it, and if you make it properly it will look almost plain. Orgeat is the ingredient that makes it a Mai Tai, so use a good one, and use a rum with some age and funk to it - agricole or a Jamaican pot still both do the job beautifully.
Tasting notes
Lime and almond first, then a deep, rich rum that arrives after you have already swallowed. It tastes like a holiday and behaves like a strong drink, so be careful with the second one.
More Dark rum cocktails
Hurricane
60 ml Dark rum, 30 ml Passion fruit purée, 20 ml Lemon juice, 15 ml Grenadine, 10 ml Simple syrup, 1 Orange slice
Jungle Bird
45 ml Dark rum, 20 ml Campari, 45 ml Pineapple juice, 15 ml Lime juice, 15 ml Simple syrup, 1 wedge Pineapple