The Mai Tai – like countless other “tiki” drinks – was the brainchild of restauranteur Victor Bergeron, better known as “Trader Vic” (although Donn Beach, aka “Don the Beachcomber”, would contest this). His original recipe called for a seventeen-year-old Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum that is all but extinct nowadays. To achieve a similar flavor, many recipes split the rum base between a dark rum (usually Jamaican) and an aged rum (usually Cuban or Martinique, but not an agricole).
That split-base flavor profile is what we aim for when making our own Mai Tais – but, as in all cocktail recipes, it’s a matter of taste (and availability, of course). Experiment with your own rum blends to find what works for you!
