Mai Tai Cocktail: The Original Recipe and its Inventor

According to Trader Vic’s, in 1944, while at the service bar in his Oakland Trader Vic’s restaurant, he mixed Jamaican rum, added fresh lime, some Orange Curaçao (triple sec), a dash of Rock Candy Syrup (simple syrup), and a slash of orgeat (almond syrup). He added a generous amount of shaved ice and a vigorous shake. He garnished it with a branch of fresh mint. Hence, he claimed Mai Tai was born. See the three recipes below.

Traditional Mai TaiPhoto byDa Vinci App / Colorado Martini

I own a copy of “Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink” from 1946. Back in the day my mother and father would frequent famous restaurants. My mom loved to buy their cookbooks if they were offered. I have had the honor of inheriting those cookbooks.

The book is filled with famous tropical cocktail recipes. Some were made famous by Trader Vic’s restaurant. Some were already around, such as the Zombie, Planter’s Punch, and Scorpion. My mother must have made many all the time. She had her written notes next to many. But combing the book, I cannot find the original 1944 Mai Tai recipe in this book.

Personal copy of the original Trader Vic's Book of Food & DrinkPhoto byColorado Martini

The man known as Trader Vic was born Victor Jules Bergeron. He kept the Mai Tai recipe a secret for almost 30 years. Hence why it is not in the 1946 cookbook.

Trader Vic's signature Scorpion Recipe from their 1946 "Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink."Photo by1946 Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink/Colorado Martini

Donn Beach of “Don the Beachcomber” restaurants also had a Mai Tai on the menu (my favorite restaurant as a kid). He called his version the Mai Tai Swizzle. But who created the Mai Tai first? The only evidence that the Mai Tai Swizzle predated Trader Vic’s version is via an undocumented story told by Donn Beach’s widow Phoebe. The two companies battled it out on who owned the Mai Tai name. In 1970, a lawsuit was settled out of court in favor of Trader Vic’s.

You can find many versions of the Mai Tai out there. Below are some of the originals. The final recipe I have converted into present-day ingredients you can find at liquor stores.

Do you have any stories to add about the Mai Tai? Let us know in the comments.

Trader Vic's Mai Tai Orignal 1944 Recipe:

• 2 ounces of 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican Rum
• ½ ounce Holland De Kuyper Orange Curaçao
• ½ ounce French Garnier Orgeat
• ¼ ounce Rock Candy Syrup
• Juice from one whole lime

Handshake and garnish with ½ of lime shell, sprig of fresh mint

The Original Hawaiian Mai Tai by Trader Vic Bergeron, 1950s

In 1953, Trader Vic took the Mai Tai to the Hawaiian Islands, where he was asked by the Matson Steamship Lines to formalize drinks for the bars at their Royal Hawaiian, Moana, and Surfrider Hotels.

• Juice of one Lime (1 oz)
• ⅓ oz Orgeat
• ⅓ oz Rock Candy Syrup
• ⅓ oz Orange Curacao
• 1½ oz Light Puerto Rican Rum
• 1½ oz Dark Jamaican Rum

Basic Mai Tai Today
The ingredients below can be found in most liquor stores. Simple syrup is a common cocktail ingredient. It is simply sugar and water that has been boiled to dissolve the sugar. Orgeat is a syrup that has an almond flavor. You can find it in many tropical drink recipes. Orange Curaçao has an orange flavor. You are most familiar with its cousin Blue Curaçao. Which also has an orange flavor. Curaçao can be substituted with Triple Sec. Triple Sec also has an orange flavor.

• 2 ounces dark Rum
• Squeeze ½ Lime (Save Spent Shell)
• ¾ ounce Lime Juice
• ¼ ounce simple syrup (sugar water boiled)
• ½ ounce orgeat syrup (almond syrup)
• ½ ounce Orange Curaçao (Triple Sec)

Shake with crushed ice and pour into Mai Tai Glass. Garnish with spent lime shell and mint sprig.

Do you have a great Mai Tai recipe you would like to share? Let us know in the comments.

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References

• Trader Vic’s
• Ultimate Mai Tai
• Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink