Vic's Mai Tai

Trader Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai
Old Recipe

Components

  • Lime Cordial

  • Orgeat

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. aged agricole rum

  • 1 oz. dark jamaican rum

  • 1/2 oz. orange liqueur

  • 3/4 oz. lime juice + 1/4 oz. rich/demerara (2:1) simple syrup OR 1 oz. lime cordial

  • 1/4 oz. orgeat

Directions

  • pour ingredients in shaker

  • add crushed or nugget ice

  • shake vigorously

  • pour unfiltered into mai tai or double-old-fashioned glass and top with more ice

  • garnish with upside-down spent lime shell and sprig of mint

↓ This is a component-based recipe (fancy talk for making the dish in pieces, then assembling). ↓

Lime Cordial

Ingredients

  • 190g or 6 oz. by volume of sugar

  • 8 oz. hot water

  • 1 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

  • 1 1/2 oz. freshly grated lime peel

  • 1 oz. citric acid

Steps

  • zest approximately 2 limes

  • juice approximately 2 limes

  • boil water, then let cool (don’t add boiling water)

  • combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 30 seconds

  • strain into squeeze bottle and chill

Orgeat

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 oz. sugar

  • 6-6.5 oz almond milk

  • 1/8 tsp drops almond extract

  • 1/16 tsp drops orange blossom water

  • 1/2 oz. brandy

  • 1/2 oz. disaronno

  • 1/2 oz. gum syrup

Steps

  • simmer almond milk and slowly incorporate sugar

  • add remaining ingredients