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Why is the Mai Tai so popular? It's most likely not the result of one specific reason or event, but several. First, the Mai Tai tastes good. Second, it has a great name. And third, the Mai Tai has a deep, rich, and complicated story. A story that was probably embellished by its creator, a story that was changed by those who were envious, and a story that "devolved" in print, the internet, Hawaii, and KZfaq.
Looking for the Cliff Notes version on the History of the Mai Tai? Here you go:
• The Mai Tai WAS created by Trader Vic in 1944
• The Mai Tai was named the Mai Tai by someone with the last name of Guild. They were visiting from Honolulu, originally from Boston, and had lived in Tahiti for 17 years until 1940. They were not Tahitian.
• The original rum used in a Mai Tai was only available for a year (maybe less). During that year, the Mai Tai was not popular.
• The original rum was 100% Jamaican. It contained no rum from Martinique. The labels that showed ABV show It was 43% ABV.
• The Mai Tai became popular after it was introduced to Hawaii in 1953, but even then was not an immediate worldwide success.
• The recipe was no secret. The recipe was shared with newspaper columnists, tourists, and even those who wrote to Vic asking for the recipe. The recipe was also simple, so anyone with a view of the bartender could have easily figured out this drink.
Sourcing for this video came from dozens and dozens of sources, many of which are labeled in the video. Many were primary sources and when possible, I tried to verify from multiple sources. Any inaccuracies found here I will update in the description and/or comments.
The main sources were:
• NewspaperArchive.com and Newspapers.com
• Kevin Crossman, "The History of the Mai Tai," ultimatemaitai.com/
• Martin Cate & Rebecca Care, "Smuggler's Cove" amzn.to/3GnnOJB
• Jeff Berry, "Beachbum Remixed" amzn.to/3EajqLx
• Jeff Berry, "Sippin' Safari" amzn.to/3O7Jcoh
• Sven Kirsten, "Tiki Style" amzn.to/3EfRmqN
• Victor Bergeron, "Frankly Speaking: Trader Vic's own story" amzn.to/3YTkcH6
• Victor Bergeron, "Trader Vic's Bartenders Guide: Revised" amzn.to/3ONWM13
• Caroline Guild, "Rainbow in Tahiti" amzn.to/3Pc1vLn
• Stephen Siegelman:, "Trader Vic's Tiki Party!" amzn.to/3OU4o28
Special thanks to the Collection of J, Eric Lynxwiler, Kamaaina56 Flickr Collection, The Old Spirits Company, and Claude from France for providing and allowing me to use some of their rare and unique images.
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📃 Episode Chapters 📃
00:00 It Was the Summer of 1944
01:43 Who Named the Drink?
05:02 Dirty Stinkers
08:19 Yo Ho, Ho! and a Bottle of Rum
15:14 Exotic Ingredients
20:33 Sing, Hawaii Sing
26:35 In Conclusion
📖 Recipe(s) 📖
Juice of 1 lime
½ oz Orgeat
optional ¼ oz rock candy syrup
½ Orange Curacao (from Holland if you can find it)
2 oz of a fine old Jamaican rum
#MaiTai #TraderVics #TikiCocktails