Best Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (VIDEO)

The Best Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe – A bright and boozy Hawaiian beverage that fits for the gods. If you’re planning a summer gathering, our Best Mai Tai is the only blow to the festival to capture the great times.

Best Original Mai Tai Recipe

There are many fruity cocktails out there that pretend to be Hawaiian Mai Tai’s.

However, true Mai Tai’s is simple, made with freshly squeezed lime juice, good rum, orange liqueur, and almond orgeat.

They can be served as a light and vibrant drink in tiki mugs, or as sophisticated cocktails in lowball glasses. Drinking one of these delicious drinks can take you to your favorite tropical setting, to relax mentally and unwind.

Hello to your new favorite summer cocktail.

Easy Mai Tai Ingredients

“Still Rum” Aged Pot. or Rum Mixture
Fresh Lime Juice
Cointreau – or Orange Curacao
Rich Simple Syrup – 2: 1 sugar to water ratio
Orgeat – a sweet syrup made of almonds and orange
Garnishes: Mint, Lime, Pineapple, Maraschino Cherry

Mexican Ingredients Mai Tai

There is also a fun Mexican version of this recipe with slightly different ingredients. It’s very similar, made of tequila, so it adds a Mexican flair to the cocktail.

Reposado Tequila
Fresh Lime Juice
Orange Curacao – I want to use Cointreau Noir
Orgeat
Citrus salt

How to Make A Mai Tai

The Original Mai Tai Recipe is very easy to make, just a matter of mixing, shaking, and pouring. It’s as simple as that!

Fill a cocktail shaker with a large scoop of ice.
Add all the liquid ingredients to the surface of the ice.
Shake, shake, shake. Make sure it is well mixed and frothy!
Pour Mai Tai and ice into a tiki mug, or a low ball glass.
Decorate!

FACT FACT: Why are most modern Hawaiian cocktails served in tiki mugs? Because most traditional tropical drinks are made of dark wine and fruit juice. So they are brown and serious colors, not bright pink and blue like today’s beachy cocktails. Therefore, tiki mugs with large bold garnish were introduced to make them attractive.

Mexico Mai Tai

Looking for a round at the Classic Mai Tai Cocktail? This Mexican Mai Tai Recipe is a bit less sweet than the original … And includes tequila.

It’s citrusy, bright, and refreshing. A great way to start the weekend!

Get the Full (Printable) Best Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe below + The Mexico Mai Tai Variation. Enjoy and Drink Responsibly!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Mai Tai?

This cocktail is similar to a Daiquiri because of its tropical origin and taste. However, Daiquiris is made with rum, citrus, simple syrup, and additional fruit. Meanwhile, Mai Tai’s incorporates orange liqueur and orgeat, an almond -flavored syrup.

Why is it called a Mai Tai?

Like the story, in the 1930’s a man named Victor Bergeron had some friends visit him from Tahiti. She loves to cook and make cocktails to impress her guests. So one day he decided to make a new drink for his friends to try. They love it so much that they exclaim, “Mai tai-roa aé!” In Tahitian, it means “nothing in this world, the best!” Because her friends love it so much, she decided to name her new cocktail a Mai Tai which means this drink is out of this world.

What does a Mai Tai taste like?

A traditional Mai Tai is a very boozy and citrus-forward drink that was originally very tart. Yet often tiki bars and lounges tend to make them overly sweet. You can add more or less simple syrup to adjust it to your taste preferences. However, in this original recipe, the taste of lime and rum was the most dominant. To soften the lime, orgeat and Cointreau are added to create body and depth to the cocktail.

Can I Do Mai Tai Before?

Just thoroughly mix the ingredients, reserve ice for later, and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, pour the Mai Tai mix into an ice shaker and shake until foamy. You can make up to Mai Tai 2 weeks in advance, Makes it a great cocktail to keep on hand throughout the summer.

Similar Beverage Mixology Recipes