I went skiing this past weekend, and although I should have been exalting over the ten inches of new April snow that unexpectedly fell, I couldn't help but think of all the recent Facebook posts I had seen over the past week from friends vacationing in Hawaii. My heart was not in the snow, as nice as it was. Instead it was seeking a warm, sunny beach, blue skies, and the scent of beautiful plumeria blossoms.
Perhaps this is why, as I pondered the subject of an overdue blog post, my mind veered towards the Mai Tai. Call it a lame attempt to summon tropical breezes in 50-degree weather, but I've been thinking about Mai Tais for a couple of months now. I had one last summer, umbrella and all, on the island of Maui, but to be totally honest I was not enamored by the drink. Despite my love for fresh pineapple, I don't actually like the fruit in any other form, so my pineapple-laden drink just wasn't hitting the spot. Rum is also not my favorite spirit.
So why on earth am I suddenly seeking out a drink I don't really like? Well, I discovered a few months ago that I have never actually tasted the true Mai Tai. What I was served goes under the name of "Maui Mai Tai", which is an entirely different beast from the original Mai Tai first developed by Victor Bergeron, the infamous creator of Trader Vic's, a Polynesian-themed chain of restaurants that began in the San Francisco area. In the original drink, fruit juices were nowhere to be found. The drink was essentially a sour made with rum and one crucial ingredient: orgeat (pronounced ohr-ZHAY). Orgeat is an almond syrup, and when faced with making the original Mai Tai recipe, many bartenders turn to the almond syrup that baristas use in coffee drinks. This corn syrup-laden substitute, however, is cutting an important corner. To truly make an authentic Mai Tai means learning how to make your own orgeat from scratch. And yes, for you I did just that. With the help of another blog called The Art of Drink, I spent the morning soaking almonds and then adding the necessary ingredients to create my very own. The whole process was surprisingly easy, and now I have enough orgeat to host a backyard luau.
So here is the recipe for orgeat, adapted from The Art of Drink:
1 1/4 cups raw almonds, sliced
1 3/4 cup tap water
1 3/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup extra fine sugar
1/2 oz. vodka
1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Place the sliced almonds in a small mixing bowl and cover with water; let sit for 30 minutes. Strain the almonds and discard the water. Then place the almonds in a food processor and pulse lightly until the almonds are coarsely ground. Put the almonds back in the bowl and cover them with the distilled water. Let this mixture sit for 4 or 5 hours, stirring the mixture from time to time. Once done soaking, line a strainer with cheese cloth, and pour the almond-infused water into a glass jar. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get every last drop of liquid. Discard the almonds. Add the sugar, vodka, orange blossom water, and almond extract to the liquid and shake to dissolve the sugar. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Once the orgeat is made, the Mai Tai will seem even easier. As a side note, orange blossom water is that special ingredient in Ramos Gin Fizzes, so I was oh so happy to find another use for my large 16-ounce bottle of the stuff.
Before I move on to the the drink recipe, I feel it's my duty to teach you a little about it's main ingredient, rum. Hah! This is truly the blind leading the blind, but I'll do my best. Rum is made from molasses or sugarcane juice and historically was produced in Brazil, Barbados, and Jamaica. It comes in three varieties: light (also called white or silver), medium (gold), and heavy. For every variety, there are a slew of price points to match the number of different producers. Yes, the more you spend, the nicer your Mai Tai is likely to taste. I settled on a premium gold brand (not super-premium) because that's what my rum running pirate son was peddling. ( This photo was taken years ago when my husband was learning all about Photoshop. Although my son would NOT be happy to see this picture in my blog, I couldn't resist.)
Anyway, back to the Mai Tai. Here's my recipe, a slight variation on the original Trader Vic's drink:
2 ounces rum (I used Appleton Estate gold,
Perhaps this is why, as I pondered the subject of an overdue blog post, my mind veered towards the Mai Tai. Call it a lame attempt to summon tropical breezes in 50-degree weather, but I've been thinking about Mai Tais for a couple of months now. I had one last summer, umbrella and all, on the island of Maui, but to be totally honest I was not enamored by the drink. Despite my love for fresh pineapple, I don't actually like the fruit in any other form, so my pineapple-laden drink just wasn't hitting the spot. Rum is also not my favorite spirit.
So why on earth am I suddenly seeking out a drink I don't really like? Well, I discovered a few months ago that I have never actually tasted the true Mai Tai. What I was served goes under the name of "Maui Mai Tai", which is an entirely different beast from the original Mai Tai first developed by Victor Bergeron, the infamous creator of Trader Vic's, a Polynesian-themed chain of restaurants that began in the San Francisco area. In the original drink, fruit juices were nowhere to be found. The drink was essentially a sour made with rum and one crucial ingredient: orgeat (pronounced ohr-ZHAY). Orgeat is an almond syrup, and when faced with making the original Mai Tai recipe, many bartenders turn to the almond syrup that baristas use in coffee drinks. This corn syrup-laden substitute, however, is cutting an important corner. To truly make an authentic Mai Tai means learning how to make your own orgeat from scratch. And yes, for you I did just that. With the help of another blog called The Art of Drink, I spent the morning soaking almonds and then adding the necessary ingredients to create my very own. The whole process was surprisingly easy, and now I have enough orgeat to host a backyard luau.
So here is the recipe for orgeat, adapted from The Art of Drink:
1 1/4 cups raw almonds, sliced
1 3/4 cup tap water
1 3/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup extra fine sugar
1/2 oz. vodka
1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Place the sliced almonds in a small mixing bowl and cover with water; let sit for 30 minutes. Strain the almonds and discard the water. Then place the almonds in a food processor and pulse lightly until the almonds are coarsely ground. Put the almonds back in the bowl and cover them with the distilled water. Let this mixture sit for 4 or 5 hours, stirring the mixture from time to time. Once done soaking, line a strainer with cheese cloth, and pour the almond-infused water into a glass jar. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get every last drop of liquid. Discard the almonds. Add the sugar, vodka, orange blossom water, and almond extract to the liquid and shake to dissolve the sugar. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Once the orgeat is made, the Mai Tai will seem even easier. As a side note, orange blossom water is that special ingredient in Ramos Gin Fizzes, so I was oh so happy to find another use for my large 16-ounce bottle of the stuff.
Before I move on to the the drink recipe, I feel it's my duty to teach you a little about it's main ingredient, rum. Hah! This is truly the blind leading the blind, but I'll do my best. Rum is made from molasses or sugarcane juice and historically was produced in Brazil, Barbados, and Jamaica. It comes in three varieties: light (also called white or silver), medium (gold), and heavy. For every variety, there are a slew of price points to match the number of different producers. Yes, the more you spend, the nicer your Mai Tai is likely to taste. I settled on a premium gold brand (not super-premium) because that's what my rum running pirate son was peddling. ( This photo was taken years ago when my husband was learning all about Photoshop. Although my son would NOT be happy to see this picture in my blog, I couldn't resist.)
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2 ounces rum (I used Appleton Estate gold,
but you can also use a mix of silver and gold)
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce homemade orgeat
1/4 ounce simple syrup
Dash of Grenadine (for color)
6-8 crushed cubes of ice (1 in. square)
Place all the ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously. Pour everything, ice and all, into a cocktail glass. You can garnish with fresh mint and a slice of lime peel.
Now, before I go, I want to revisit the maraschino cherry dilemma I left you with months ago when I wrote about whiskey sours. Like pineapple juice, I am not a fan of maraschino cherries and promised to do some research on a better alternative. Well, I found some incredibly delicious little Italian cherries and ordered them from Amazon. Feel free to add a few to your Mai Tai -- they add a nice dash of color and are delicious to eat once soaked through and through with all the Mai Tai's ingredients. Leave the kitschy umbrellas for another day and another drink. This Mai Tai doesn't need 'em. It's truly a lovely drink all by itself.
Aloha.
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