Mai Tai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This drink is designated as an
IBA Official Cocktail
Mai Tai
Type: Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume:
Served: "On the rocks"; poured over ice
Standard garnish: pineapple spear, lime peel and mint leaves
Standard drinkware: double rocks glass
IBA specified ingredients:
Preparation: Shake all ingredients except the dark rum together in a mixer with ice. Strain into glass and float the dark rum onto the top. Garnish and serve.

The Mai Tai is a well-known alcoholic cocktail purportedly invented at the Trader Vic's "Polynesian-style" restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's amicable rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it first in 1933 at his own newly opened little bar (later a famous restaurant) in Hollywood. The Beachcomber's recipe is far more complicated than that of the Trader's and tastes quite different.

"Maita'i" is the Tahitian word for "good." The spelling of the drink, however, is two words.[1][2][3]

The Trader Vic story of its invention is that the Trader (Victor J. Bergeron) created it one afternoon for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. One of them tasted it and cried out: "Maita'i roa!" (Literally "good very!", figuratively "Out of this world!") — hence the name.

[edit] Recipe

There are many recipes for mai tais. Seven of them, including three different versions of Trader Vic's, as well as the supposed original recipe of Don the Beachcomber, can be found here.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00299965
  2. ^ maitai - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
  3. ^ mai tai - Definitions from Dictionary.com

[edit] External links

Look up mai tai in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.