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If you are looking for the perfect Mai Tai recipe, then you are in the right place. The internet is full of mixed up history and information when it comes to the Mai Tai, I’m here to help you get everything you need in one place.

The Mai Tai, one of the quintessential island drinks everyone should love and enjoy. It tastes great, puts a crooked smile on your face and makes you feel as if you’re on vacation. Sounds like a can’t miss cocktails right? It is!  To make it even better, the history of the Mai Tai is a complex and has lots of twists and turns. That’s why there are a few different ways to make this classic island drink.

Before we jump into the drink recipes, and since you love good rum drinks, check out our Castaway Cocktails Recipe eBook! It has 52 drink recipes, lot’s of island favorites and a few of my own creations.

Turns out there are about as many Mai Tai recipes as there are grains of sand on the beach. Which one do you choose? I think some taste tasting is in order. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it.

The creator of the “original” version is Victor J. Bergeron in 1944, and was allegedly used at the Honolulu Sheraton Moana Surfrider. You know how these original recipes go though, the facts get a little muddled with rum and time.

Mai Tai Recipe Video

These videos will show you how to make a couple versions of the Mai Tai. Below them you’ll find a few different recipes to try out.


 



Here are 5 popular Mai Tai cocktail recipes and how to make them. After looking at the tidal wave of information on this popular drink, I could definitely use a few.

The Original Mai Tai Recipe

    • 2 oz. of 17-year old J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice
    • Add juice from one fresh lime
    • 1/2 oz. Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao
    • 1/4 oz. Trader Vic’s Rock Candy Syrup
    • 1/2 oz. French Garier Orgeat Syrup

Directions: Shake vigorously. Pour over crushed ice. Add a sprig of fresh mint.

Recipe #2

    • 1/2 oz. Amaretto
    • 1 oz. Rum Light Rum
    • 1/2 oz. Rum Dark Rum
    • 1 Pineapple Juice
    • 1 Sweet and Sour mix
    • 1/2 oz. Triple Sec

Directions: Mix together with crushed ice in a glass and garnish with mint leaves. Raise glass and toast.

Recipe #3

    • 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

Directions: Add lime juice to taste. Mix thoroughly and pour over ice in tall glass. Raise glass and toast.

Recipe #4

    • 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

Directions: Mix all ingredients thoroughly and pour over ice in tall glass. Add splash of grenadine at end. Raise glass and toast.

Recipe #5

    • 1 oz. Light Rum
    • 1 oz. Dark Rum
    • 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
    • 1/2 oz. Amaretto
    • 2 oz. fresh lime juice
    • 1/2 oz. simple syrup

Directions: Serve in Hurricane glass. Add all ingredients to shaker. Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with Cherry and pineapple. Raise glass and toast.

You can see some of the common elements like light and dark rum, lime juice, and pineapple juice that all of the recipes use. Which one do you try, I have no idea. I say mix one of each and have a Mai Tai taste testing party! Come on, I’ve had worse ideas.

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Mai Tai Drink Recipes

Want more Caribbean rum drink recipes?

Click here to see our list of 52 rum drinks and how to make them. Invite some friends over and impress them with your rum skills, because each one tastes like paradise in a glass.

Every good mixologist needs some good cocktail making gear. I recommend this cocktail mixing set, it has everything you need and it’s what I use at home.

If you have a different Mai Tai cocktail recipe we would love to know about it. Send us a direct message on Instagram at @CaribbeanCastaways and tell us about your recipe. We might just feature you on the site!

If you’re planning a trip to the islands, make sure you grab a Caribbean Preferred Discount Card. It’s the largest collection of Caribbean discounts on the internet and it will save you hundreds. It can even get you free drinks at some pretty awesome bars and restaurants throughout the islands! You’ll love it.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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About the Author: RumShopRyan

Just a salty pirate looking to explore and document the wonders of the Caribbean. Professional blogger, rum judge, consultant, marketer, and consumer of blue water beauty. To learn more, visit our About Us Page.