Mai Tai Recipes

This is Trader Vic's Original Mai Tai recipe. You'll note that there's nary a drop of orange or pineapple juice. For this reason, Mai Tais made with any sort of juice (besides lime juice) are not "true" Mai Tais.

The Original Formula - 1944

• 2 ounces of 17-year old J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice.
• Add juice from one fresh lime.
• 1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao.
• 1/4 ounce Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup.
• 1/2 ounce French Garier Orgeat Syrup
• Shake vigorously.
• Add a sprig of fresh mint

"Old Way" Mai Tai Formula - 1997

• 1 ounce Fine Jamaican Rum (15 or 8 year old)
• 1 ounce Martinique Rum (St. James)
• 1/2 ounce Orange Curacao
• 1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup
• Juice from one fresh lime (about 3/4 ounce)
• Mix and serve as in the Original Formula

Recipes on the Web

• HotWired Cocktail- features a salute to the Mai Tai
• Drink Boy - features a salute to the Mai Tai
• Mixed-Drink.Com - a traditional recipe
• Mai Tai from the Webtender
• Michael's Ultimate Mai Tai from Webtender
• Mullen's Mai Tai from Webtender
• Nalowinds Bed & Breakfast on Hawaii
• The Cocktail Party Polynesia
• Cocktail Scottys Mai Tai (German)
• Virtual Parrot Head Club and Palmtree Software
• Mai Tai Mighty Fine is an article from the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
• Swank-o-Rama is produced by Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai contributor Paul McKay (middle of the page)
• The Smoking Redhead's Cocktails (middle of the page)
• Club Velvet (at the bottom of the page)
• The Rum Drinks Page (middle of the page)
• Many recipes from The Virtual Bar (use their search function)
• Several recipes from iDRINK (use their search function)
• Several recipes from Bar-None (use their search function)
• Several recipes from Epicurious (use their search function), plus a definition.
• An Authentic Hawaiian Mai Tai Recipe

Recipes from Mai Tai Fans

Kevin Crossman
I'm a big fan of the Trader Vic's mixes, but this recipe is just a little better.

• 2 oz. your favorite rum
• 3 oz. Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix
• 1/2 oz. orange curacao
• 1/2 oz. almond syrup
• 1/2 oz. vanilla syrup
• add lime juice to taste
• mix thoroughly

Judy in Kailua

• 1-3/4 oz. light rum
• 3/4 oz. Myers's rum
• 3/4 oz. orange curacao (or Grand Marnier)
• Juice of a lemon
• Juice of a lime
• Juice of an orange (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• a splash of grenadine

Guy Waller
Yo Mai Tai maniac: I run a bar school/consultancy business here in South Africa and this is the recipe I adapted from the one I was taught in London. We don't get Orgeat here in S.A. so I substituted Amaretto.

• Glass: Hurricane
• Method: Shake and strain over ice
• 1 shot Light Rum
• 1 shot Dark Rum
• 1/2 shot Triple Sec
• 1/2 shot Amaretto
• 2 shots fresh lime juice
• 1/2 shot gomme (simple) syrup
• Garnish: Cherry-pineapple, Parasol, Stirrer, Straw

From LAFAGE in the United Arab Emerates.
Dear fans of the mixing, I run a cocktail bar since four years and here the recipe that we almost use for the Mai Tai, hope you will enjoy as I enjoy every night.

• 1 oz Meyer's rum
• 1 oz Appleton rum
• 1 whole lime juice (save shell)
• 3/4 oz. Orange Curacao (DeKueper)
• 1/2 oz. Amaretto
• Drop almond syrup
• Shake with crushed ice and pour in double old fashioned glass; decorate with mint and fruit stick.

Tiki Tracy says "When making these beauties for myself (as I often do) I double the recipe and let the second half mellow while I savor the first half. Oh... how I love my life :-)"

• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 oz. Orange Curacao
• 1/2 oz Orgeat Syrup
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 1/4 oz. Maraschino Syrup
• 1/4 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Mount Gay Rum
• 1 oz. Appleton's Rum
• Stir vigorously in crushed ice, strain into your favorite Mai Tai tumbler filled with crushed ice
• Garnish with a fresh pineapple spear

Jeff & Terry of Southern California say "We have found this to be a very delightful drink on vacation in California or Nevada. There is no better drink in the world than a good Mai Tai. Good-sailing to all Mai Tai lovers..." 

• 4 oz fun attitude
• 1 large glass of ice waiting for a good time
• 2.5 oz White Rum
• girgle-girgle pineapple juice
• girgle-girgle-girgle-girgle Ocean Spray Mauna Lai Paradise Passion Juice
• 1.5 oz Myers's Dark Rum
• Mix with spoon and enjoy. Squeeze and have fun...

Richard Fischer says "I've been a bartender in Sydney, Australia for over 5 years. I enjoy finding out how cocktails are really made from either books (I have some going back to the '20s) or 50 y.o. bartenders who haven't been mislead, not an easy species to find in these days of sugar, cream and vodka.anyway I always say 'for every cocktail book I have (a modest 50 or so) I probably have 2 or 3 Mai Tai recipies for each.' So about 2 years ago, I finished 2 years of work on perfecting a Mai Tai recipe, understanding the very limited ingredients available in Australia, few Carribean rums, no rock candy syrup. Here it is."

• Plenty of Mt Gay Rum (aromatic and mild gold rum flavour)
• A little Cherry Heering and a dash of Bols Grenadine (in place of rock candy syrup)
• A hefty dash of Marie Brizard Triple Sec (I've found this to be the best brand)
• Fresh Lime Juice (to achieve a perfect sweet and sour balance)
• A little splash of Monnin Orgeat Syrup
• Shake these ingredients over normal ice cubes in a shaker! Strain over normal ice cubes into an old fashioned Soda glass (or equivalent)
• Garnish appropriately (of course)

To send in your own recipe, please Drop Us a Line.